Hughes Named One of Maryland’s Excellent Places to Work

Hughes Receives ‘Workplace Excellence’ and ‘Wellness Trailblazer’ Awards for its Commitment to Establishing a Healthy Work-Life Balance

GERMANTOWN, Md., June 4 /PRNewswire/ — For the ninth consecutive year, Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, has been named one of Maryland’s excellent places to work. The company was recently awarded the ‘Workplace Excellence’ Seal of Approval and the ‘Wellness Trailblazer’ award from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence. Both awards are given to members of the Maryland business community dedicated to establishing a workplace culture that allows employees to achieve success at work, at home, and in the community.

“Hughes is honored to be recognized as one Maryland’s best places to work,” said Pradman Kaul, chairman and CEO of Hughes. “Our employees are our most important asset, and we are committed to providing a positive work environment with a range of wellness resources to ensure they achieve a healthy work-life balance and stay healthy.”

Sandi Kerentoff, senior vice president of Human Resources at Hughes, said, “Our facility is equipped with a gym, tennis and basketball courts, a softball field, lactation rooms, and an onsite nurse that employees can utilize at their convenience. We host annual flu shots free-of-charge and encourage all employees to participate in an exercise program.”

Of the 66 employers being honored, 56 will be receiving the Workplace Excellence Award and 27 the Health & Wellness Trailblazer Award. Both the Workplace Excellence and Health & Wellness Trailblazer awards were created to recognize visionary employers that are paving the way to a workplace where men and women are able to experience professional fulfillment and success, as well as personal wellness not only at work, but also at home and within the community.

In order to be considered for the awards, businesses were required to complete a comprehensive and rigorous assessment process led by an independent review panel of professors, PhD professionals, and PhD students of business, industrial, and organizational psychology and Human Resources.

Applicants were assessed in the following categories:

• Inclusive and flexible corporate culture and management practices;
• Family- and employee-friendly policies and programs;
• Strong health and wellness initiatives;
• Growth and learning opportunities; and
• Commitment to corporate, social, and civic responsibility

The 66 winning companies represent more than one million employees from organizations of all sizes and in all sectors — private, public, and nonprofit.

About The Alliance for Workplace Excellence

The Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving employers in the public, private and nonprofit business communities with the tools and education necessary to become recognized excellent places to work. Through its key strategies of training, management consulting and product development, the Alliance positions workplace excellence as a competitive employment brand. The Alliance is funded by Montgomery Country, Maryland and corporate sponsors.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.9 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For additional information, please www.hughes.com.

(C)2009 Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC