AKRON, Ohio, July 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Two years ago, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) made a commitment to hire 1,000 United States military veterans. Today, the company announced that it surpassed its three-year goal more than a year early, and has pledged to hire an additional 1,000 veterans.

"The response to Goodyear's military hiring initiative—both from veterans and the public—has been incredible," said Gary VanderLind, vice president of human resources, Goodyear North America. "Thanks to our military recruiting efforts and the talent exhibited by veteran candidates, we've surpassed our initial goal more than a year early and are making an aggressive new pledge to hire 1,000 more veterans over the next year."

Goodyear's original commitment was announced in cooperation with the United States Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program—a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities—and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

"It is simply amazing what Goodyear has been able to do in only two years," said Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber and executive director of Hiring Our Heroes. "Thanks to industry leaders like Goodyear and the companies who have followed suit, we have seen real progress and momentum in the effort to get veterans back to work in America. There is still so much to be done on this issue, but Goodyear is setting a tremendous example by doubling down on their commitment."

According to VanderLind, veterans, guardsmen and reservists looking to build a civilian career will find the Goodyear culture supportive of traditional military values, with a focus on delivering results. Goodyear associates are committed to building the highest quality products in a supportive team-based culture.

The company has also formed an employee veterans association, which is devoted to supporting the transition to civilian life and enabling internal networking opportunities.

"The make-up of our workforce is changing rapidly and we're seeking high quality talent that will help us meet the evolving needs of our customers and our company," VanderLind said. "We've found that veterans, guardsmen and reservists often demonstrate many of the skills we value:  proven leadership, courageous decision making, effective problem solving and the technical skills that translate well to working in the tire industry."

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's relationship with the military dates back to World War I, when the company produced truck tires and airships for the war effort. Today, Goodyear is the largest producer of military tires in the United States.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs approximately 69,000 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.

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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company