William Parson, Wounded Warrior battalion at Fort Belvoir in Virginia; Farmers Insurance agent and U.S. Air Force Veteran Mike Haas; David Hickey, Farmers Insurance Director of New Market Development for the Atlantic Territory;Brandon Christopher, Farmers Director for Eastern Pennsylvania; U.S. Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger; U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes; Howard County Councilman Calvin Ball; Bashir Shams from ZIPS Dry Cleaners; Anne Arundel County Councilman Pete Smith; and (far right) Richard Williamson, St. John Properties.

Unidentified military veterans attending the event are the three people holding suits, as well as the gentleman standing behind Councilman Calvin Ball.

More than 700 veterans of the United States Armed Forces attended the “Marching Our Veterans Back to Work” special event recently at the Cromwell Business Park, located at 796 Cromwell Park Drive in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Farmers Insurance®, ZIPS Dry Cleaners and St. John Properties, Inc. teamed together to donate 2,600 suits and pieces of business attire to veterans residing in the Fort Meade region seeking formal clothing to wear at their next job interview. Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-2nd District) and executives from the three donating companies attended.

The “Marching Our Veterans Back to Work” event was designed to help active duty personnel who have served the country, transition into the civilian workforce. The suit donation by Farmers Insurance is part of the company’s national “Suits for Soldiers” campaign which has successfully collected more than 70,000 articles of clothing nationwide. An anticipated one million military personnel will transition from the military to civilian life over the next several years.

“St. John Properties is proud to support our veterans seeking to reenter the work force through the Marching Our Veterans Back to Work Event,” stated Larry Maykrantz, President of St. John Properties. “The suits donated to military members provide them with a professional first-impression when interviewing for a new position. We can never thank our veterans enough for their dedicated service to our country. We are honored to play a role in assisting them with the transition from the military to the civilian workforce.”

St. John Properties, Inc., founded in 1971, owns and has developed more than 18 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail and warehouse space in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah and Wisconsin. For more information about the company and their philanthropic efforts, visit http://www.sjpi.com/company/philanthropy

Richard Williamson, Senior Vice President - Leasing, St. John Properties (center)