Not long ago, Denver officials announced their intention to honor 50 years of distinguished service to their community by Hercules Industries, a national HVAC manufacturing company based in the city, with a proclamation citing, among other things:
- The company’s successful restoration and practical use of Denver’s historic 1890 Overland Cotton Mill, a structure now listed on the National Register of Historic Places;
- Its receipt of this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Social Responsibility Award, for raising donations for victims and fighters of the recent wildfires across Colorado; and
- Its cultivation of a diverse workforce and compassionate care for its employees, as “evidenced by its generous employee health care coverage and apprenticeship program.”
However, that last point became a sticky wicket for Denver officials when Hercules won a court order in its lawsuit against the Obama administration challenging the constitutionality of the government’s new abortion pill mandate. Because the Newlands (the family that owns and operates Hercules) take their faith and the sanctity of life seriously, their “generous employee health coverage” stops short of underwriting things like abortion pills.
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