AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third year in a row, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) has been named a Top 100 Military Friendly® Employer by G.I. Jobs magazine. The designation recognizes the company's efforts to hire and support veteran employees.

Goodyear was selected based on the results of a data-driven survey on veteran-related programs and policies, such as the strength of military recruiting efforts, percentage of new hires with military service, retention programs for veterans, and policies on National Guard and Reserve service.

"At Goodyear, we recognize the value that veterans bring to the workplace and we're proud to employ many men and women who've bravely served our country," said Gary VanderLind, Goodyear North America's vice president of human resources. "It's a great honor to have our efforts recognized by G.I. Jobs and to be named a Military Friendly Employer for a third straight year."

Goodyear was also recognized for surpassing its 2012 commitment to hire 1,000 veterans over the next three years. The company has since pledged to hire an additional 1,000 veterans by August 2015.

"The 2015 Military Friendly® Employers represent the preeminent tier of companies with strong military recruitment programs and meaningful job opportunities for transitioning service members and spouses," said Sean Collins, Vice President for Victory Media and a nine-year Navy veteran. "Our Military Friendly® Employers constitute the group of companies moving the needle and realizing significant benefits by hiring from the military community. This year's group of companies reported hiring over 155,000 service members and spouses over the last 12 months, representing a 35% increase over last year and an average of 15% of total new hires."

Goodyear, the largest producer of military tires in the U.S., has a longstanding history with the U.S. Armed Forces, with more than 100 years of commitment to building innovative and reliable equipment to support and protect our troops. Goodyear's commitment extends beyond products and charitable donations; priding itself on hosting events at U.S. military bases throughout the year, hiring qualified veterans as part of its workforce, and bringing service men and women a chance to interact with race drivers and take rides on the Goodyear Blimp.

The company also supports members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families through its annual "Goodyear Gives Back" campaign, which has generated more than $960,000 in donations for the Support Our Troops non-profit organization since its inception in 2010.

Goodyear currently has a wide variety of career opportunities across many areas of its business for which veterans would be ideally suited, including engineers, front-line managers, service technicians, and corporate roles in areas such as supply chain, procurement, finance, and human resources.  Anyone interested in employment with Goodyear should visit www.goodyear.com/careers for the latest job postings.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs about 68,000 people and manufactures its products in 50 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear or its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company