Vermont Business Magazine The United States has relied heavily on Guard and Reserve members since entering continuous operations over 17 years ago. Employer support enhances retention rates in the Armed Forces and, in the end, strengthens our national security. To recognize employers who support their Guard and Reserve employees, ESGR grans a series of Department of Defense awards.
General Knight offers remarks.
Vermont Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has announced its 2019 award recipients for service and support to Vermont’s Guard and Reserve members. At its recent annual banquet held in South Burlington, ESGR recognized 37 patriotic employers who provided outstanding support to their citizen service member employees over the past year. In all, a total of 50 employer awards were presented at the event. Guest speaker for the event was Brigadier General Greg Knight, Vermont’s Adjutant General. State of Vermont Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman also participated in recognizing employers and providing comments. The event, hosted by Jerry Manock, Vermont Interim State ESGR Chair, was attended by several other senior uniformed Guard and Reserve members as well as many key business and community leaders.
ESGR’s Pro Patria Award may be presented annually by each State Committee to up to three employers, as appropriate; one in the small private sector, one in the large private sector, and one in the public sector.
Keurig Dr Pepper was honored. 
Vermont ESGR courtesy photos.
A recipient of this award has demonstrated the greatest support to its citizen service member employees through their leadership and practices, including adopting human resources policies that make it easier for employees to participate in the Guard and Reserve. The top Vermont award recipient of the “Pro Patria” award this year was Keurig Dr. Pepper, in the large business private sector category. The Pro Patria is the highest level award that may be bestowed by an ESGR State Committee.
Other awards presented or recognized included the “Above and Beyond” award, for support that well exceeded basic requirements under Federal law or otherwise contributed to the ESGR mission. Organizations receiving the Above and Beyond Award included: Alliance Mechanical, Essex Junction; Autumn Harp, Essex Junction; Barre Town Police Department, Barre Town; Caledonia SIU, Inc., St. Johnsbury; Colchester Police Department, Colchester; Collins Aerospace, Vergennes; Precision Composites of Vermont, Lyndonville; U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (Vermont Service Center), St. Albans; Vermont Police Academy, Pittsford; Washington County Mental Health Services, Barre; and White River Ambulance, Inc., Bethel.
National Life Group was honored.
ESGR also recognized several Vermont employers who were nominated by their citizen service member employees for the prestigious Secretary of Defense Freedom Award. This is the highest award presented nationwide to employers who provide exceptional support to their citizen soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, and Coast Guard members. The following were first level nominees and received the “Seven Seals Award’”, presented to agencies and individuals who have supported the ESGR mission of enhancing relationships among members of the Guard and Reserve, their families, and their civilian employers. These Freedom Award nominees included: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Putnam Physicians Group, Bennington; GlobalFoundries, Essex Junction; Northern Counties Health Care, St. Johnsbury (5 Northeast Vermont area locations); South Burlington Police Department, So. Burlington. Vermont has won this award twice since its inception in 1996. The single Vermont finalist (Keurig Dr. Pepper,) forwarded for consideration at the National level, was one of only 135 nationwide semi-finalists of a total of 2,415 nominees nationwide.
Individual recipients of the Seven Seals Award included: Lieutenant Colonel Doug Sutton, Vermont Air National Guard and UVM Medical Center, and Director Patrick Gannon, NCATC, ICE, Department of Homeland Security.
National Life Group was also a nominee for the Freedom Award, but was not eligible for competition as they were a first-year recipient of the award in 1996. Instead, NLG was recognized for continuously sustained support to their citizen service member employees by receiving the ESGR Extraordinary Employer Support Award.
Lieutenant Governor Zuckerman offers remarks.
Other Freedom Award nominees previously receiving awards or recognition included Securitas, Inc. of So. Burlington and Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, E. Colchester.
Also recognized at the event was Jerry Manock, Interim State Chair, who was presented the James M. Roche Spirit of Volunteerism Award for his significant contributions to Vermont ESGR since 2010.
The following recipients of the ESGR Patriot Award were also recognized. In many cases, the Patriot Award was the foundation for the higher level awards. Recipients included:
Alliance Mechanical – Jason Patnaude, Julia Richardson, Jason Luman – Essex Jct.
Allscripts – Judy Willis – So. Burlington
AutoSaver Max – James Lubas – So. Burlington
Autumn Harp, Inc. – Dan Burns – Essex Junction
Barre Town Police Department – Chief William Dodge – Barre Town
Caledonia SIU, Inc. – Lisa Warren – St. Johnsbury
Carbone Ford/Hyundai – Scott Rose and Michael Tice – Bennington
Central Vermont Medical Center – Rachel Tuttle - Berlin
Century Arms – Phil Burnor – Fairfax
Colchester Police Department – Chief Doug Allen – Colchester
Collins Aerospace – Danielle Licursi – Vergennes
Engleberth Construction, Inc. – Hank Shedd - Colchester
Lyndon Institute – Karen Kennedy – Lyndonville
National Life Group – Michael Morey and Jeannine Santor – Montpelier
National Criminal Analysis & Targeting Center (ICE) – Patrick Gannon - Williston
Pike Industries, Inc. – Gary Brown – Williston
Portland Glass – Jason Brochu – Newport
Precision Composites of Vermont – Tim Nolan - Lyndonville
RealPage, Inc. – Ryan Garneau – So. Burlington
RSD Transportation – Peter Daniels – White River Junction
SODEXO at Brattleboro Retreat – Mary Fisher and Bouala Homsab - Brattleboro
South Burlington Police Department – SGT Edward Soychak – So. Burlington
UVM Medical Center, Dept. of Ophthalmology – Dr. Brian Kim and Deborah Earle – Burlington
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Finance) – Dustin Whitney and Stephen Jones - Williston
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Vermont Service Center) – Mary Fargen – St. Albans
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – Kendra Albertson - Williston
Vermont Police Academy – Cynthia Taylor-Patch - Pittsford
Washington County Mental Health Services – Lisa Estivill – Barre
Woodside Juvenile Rehab Center – Andrea Allen – E. Colchester
Signing an ESGR Employer Statement of Support at the beginning of the program were: dale Miller of GlobalFoundries; Kenneth Thompson of Keurig Dr. Pepper and Mary Fargen of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (Vermont Service Center.) Every Vermont employer is encouraged and welcome to request and sign an employer ESGR Statement of Support, whether or not they employ a member of the Guard or Reserve or military spouse.
Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of these and other employers who “serve” our country in their own right by supporting our Vermont Guard and Reserve members and their spouses.
Inquiries about employing a member of the Guard or Reserve, or requests for the Employer Statement of Support can be made by calling: 802-338-4187 or by email to: [email protected].
Source: ESGR 6.28.2019