Wednesday, October 29, 2008 -- Kildeer Mountain Manufacturing / Don Hedger Honored

NEWS from the N.D. Department of Human Services

600 E Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck ND 58505-0250



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 28, 2008



Contacts: Nancy McKenzie, Vocational Rehabilitation Division Director, 701-328-8983, or Harley D. Engelman, Rehabilitation Consulting & Services (RCS) Marketing and Business Relations Director, 701-471-0130 (cell), or 701-328-8957 (office).



State and Regional Employer of the Year recipients announced

Governor Hoeven presents disability-related awards



MINOT, N.D. – Governor John Hoeven and the North Dakota Department of Human Services announced today that Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing was named the North Dakota Employer of the Year for its business practices and community involvement in efforts supporting the employment of people with disabilities. The department’s Rehabilitation Consulting & Services initiative (RCS) selected the Killdeer, N.D., business from among eight regional Employer of the Year honorees.



Regional award recipients included: City Laundry and Dry Cleaners, Inc., of Williston; Envision of Minot; Hexagon Farm LLP of Cando; Concrete, Inc., of Grand Forks; Hornbacher’s at South 45th Street in Fargo; Leever’s County Market of Jamestown; and Wal-Mart Supercenter, North location, in Bismarck. Hoeven presented the awards during the 2008 North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation annual awards banquet and training conference, held at Minot’s Grand International Inn.



“It is a pleasure to honor these companies,” Hoeven said. “Their progressive attitudes and business practices have enabled individuals with disabilities to put their abilities to work.”



Nancy McKenzie, director of the department’s Vocational Rehabilitation Division, said the eight companies are models for other North Dakota businesses. Their efforts and the efforts of other employers, she said, are the reason North Dakota ranks first among states in the percentage of individuals with disabilities who are employed.



North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation is a division of the North Dakota Department of Human Services. It works to assist individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment opportunities. The division’s Rehabilitation Consulting & Services initiative helps North Dakota business owners and employers find solutions to disability-related issues.



For information about the awards and services available to help employers and employees address disability-related issues, contact Rehabilitation Consulting & Services at

701-328-8957.

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