Prestigious Distinguished Service Award for 2018
Awarded to Vantage Mobility International
PHOENIX, AZ (February 27, 2018) — The Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) will present its prestigious Distinguished Service Award to Tim Barone, president and CEO of Arizona based Vantage Mobility International (VMI), in recognition of the company’s outstanding contributions in support of the military community. The award will be presented at an April event on Capitol Hill. Only one other company, Starbucks, has also been selected to win a 2018 award.
The award recognizes organizations, who are not in Congress, but who have greatly aided people who served in the U.S. armed forces. Barone is being recognized for VMI’s work helping thousands of disabled veterans achieve independence and mobility through the company’s line of wheelchair accessible vehicles. “Tim Barone and Vantage Mobility International are helping wounded service members reclaim independence,” said MOAA President and CEO retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins. “That impacts every aspect of their lives.”
MOAA has bestowed the Distinguished Service awards since 1997 and past recipients have included Tom Brokaw, Toby Keith, and retired Army Gen. Colin Powell. Barone said, “VMI’s mission is to never forget the challenges that our customers face every day and our dedicated Veteran Advocate Center (VAC) is all about having a team of employees committed to meeting the needs of our veteran customer base. The employees who work in that department are veterans themselves and can truly relate to their needs.” VMI’s dedicated Veteran Advocate team members assist veterans everyday with information about exclusive VMI rebate programs such as Operation Independence and USAA and VMI has contributed over 2.1 million dollars to help veterans achieve greater independence. He added, “We are incredibly proud that our work in serving this community is being recognized and humbled by the prestigious company we are in as recipients of this award.”
This year’s award ceremony will also recognize Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, for Starbucks’ continued support in the hiring of veterans and military spouses. Additionally at the awards event, MOAA will present its 2018 Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award to U.S. Reps. Martha McSally (R) and Kyrsten Sinema (D), both of Arizona. Jorge Rueda, formerly with the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and Samantha Gonzalez, with the House Veterans Affairs Committee, will receive MOAA’s 2018 Colonel Paul W. Arcari Meritorious Service Award.
The Military Officers Association of America is a nonpartisan, non-profit and the nation’s largest military officers’ association with more than 350,000 members from every branch of uniformed service, including active duty, retired, National Guard, Reserve, and former officers and their families and survivors.
About VMI
Vantage Mobility International (VMI) is a leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles built on Toyota, Honda, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) chassis. The company has advanced the mobility industry for 30 years with a robust portfolio of minivan and SUV conversions as well as platform lifts. VMI, based in Phoenix, Arizona, has also been awarded the prestigious Toyota Gold Certificate for Quality and its manufacturing facility utilizes Six Sigma techniques to employ continuous process improvements and deliver high quality products for personal use and commercial applications. For more information, visit www.vantagemobility.com
