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Colorado Company Sponsoring 'Independence Eve' Also Committed To Veterans

DENVER (CBS4) - Events like Independence Eve truly take a village and that includes help from the community and corporate sponsors.

That includes Anadarko, an energy exploration and development company. Anadarko has been a part of Colorado for 30 some years and has supported the concert and fireworks show since its inception.

In 2014, Brad Holly, Senior Vice President of Operations (Rockies) of Anadarko told CBS4 it's very important for his company to be involved in these kinds of community events.

"We love the patriotic celebration; we love to get involved with independence. Over 1,300 employees live and work here in Colorado, it's a neat opportunity for us to throw a big block party and invite everybody out. We just love sponsoring this.

Aandarko develops petroleum and natural gas resources mainly in the Wattenberg Field of northeastern Colorado.

But the company has also developed a commitment to veterans of the American military service. That includes Sherri Donnelly, a West Point graduate and member of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Sherri Donnelly
Sherri Donnelly (credit: Sherri Donnelly)

Donnelly said companies like Anadarko like the business characteristics they find in veterans.

"The values that Anadarko has fall in with the values of people getting out of the service -- honesty, integrity, passion, right? Some of the same leaders here I think are similar to the commanders I had in the military," she said.

Donnelly is now a research and program manager for the company. It was an instant fit.

Sherri Donnelly
Sherri Donnelly (credit: CBS)

"There's a lot of synergy between what we do in oil and gas and what the military requires in the missions we do," Donnelly said. "There's a huge amount of similar skill sets that are required -- planning, attention to detail, safety. We always said before we went out on missions in the military is everyone needs to come home safely. We do the same in the oil and gas field."

Four years into her career with Anadarko, she's a spokeswoman for the company's commitment to both country and community, all of which fits in nicely with Independence Eve.

LINK: Independence Eve Section

Raetta Holdman is a veteran newscast producer. She's been with CBS4 for more than 25 years, coordinating events -- large and small -- from the control room. Contact her by clicking here.

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