Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has announced its combined 2023-2024 award recipients for service and support to Vermont’s Guard and Reserve members. At their annual banquet held recently at the Vt Air National Guard Base in South Burlington, Vt. ESGR presented or recognized 64 awards to over 34 employers who provided outstanding support over the past year. The 2023 event was canceled due to the Summer 2023 flooding.
Guest speakers for the event were Major General Gregory Knight, Adjutant General, State of Vermont, and Bruce Townshend, Director of Engagement for Headquarters, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
The Pro Patria is the highest award that a state ESGR office can present to recognize a highly supportive employer. The award may be presented to an organization in each of up to three categories; small business private sector, large business private sector, and public sector.
Top award recipients receiving the “Pro Patria” award for 2023 were Vermont Telephone Company, Inc., of Springfield, small business private sector category, General Electric Aerospace, North Clarendon and Rutland, large business private sector category, and Tri-Valley Transit, public sector. Top recipients of the Pro Patria award for 2024 were Norwich University Applied Research Institutes, small business private sector category, and Green Mountain Power, large business private sector category.
ESGR also recognized thirteen 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 2023 first level nominees included Control Technologies, Inc., Tri-Valley Transit, GE Aerospace, Perrigo/PBM Nutritionals, Powderhorn Outdoor Sports, Vermont Telephone Company and the Vermont Air National Guard. The 2024 first level nominees included Green Mountain Power, Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI,) Dealer.com, Poulin Farms, Beta Technologies, and the Left Bank Restaurant at the Weston Inn.
Other awards presented or recognized included the “Above and Beyond” award, for support that well exceeds basic requirements under Federal law. Recipients included XFold Engineering, North Springfield; 802 Baseball Lab, St. Albans; KORE Power Solutions Division, Waterbury; the Left Bank Restaurant (Weston Inn), Weston; Rice Memorial High School, South Burlington; Vermont Hardwoods, Chester; 103 Auto/Heads Up Motorsports, Chester; GE Aerospace, Rutland/No. Clarendon; Engelberth Construction, Colchester; NuHarbor Security, Colchester; Trow and Holden, Barre; Mansfield Orthopaedics at Copley, Morrisville; Brattleboro Fire Department, Brattleboro; and UVM Medical Center, Burlington.
The “Seven Seals” award is 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. Recipients included Mark Audy, Vermont Director, US Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Services, Larry Forsyth, Vermont Department of Labor, JVSG Program Administrator/Local Veterans Employment Representative, and Linda Fowler, former Vermont ESGR Volunteer Support Technician.
The following recipients of the ESGR Patriot Award were also recognized. The Patriot Award is often the foundation for the higher-level awards. Recipients included:
Peter Sharp, the Left Bank at the Weston Inn; Morton Shapiro and Robert Miller, Freedom Nissan; Rich Saypach, Springfield High School; Robin Cannon, Davies Life and Health; Oscar Omuonya and Samantha Roberge, UVM Medical Center; Leighton Thayer, Leighton’s Landscapes & Masonry; Andrew Nagy and Daniel Routhier, Rice Memorial High School; Robert Adcock, Springfield Hospital; Justin Fimlaid, NuHarbor Security Inc.; Gina Akley, Trow and Holden; Jarok Hammerl, KORE Power Solutions Division; Steven Collier, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets; Seth Douglas, 802 Baseball Lab; Ryan Gillespie, Ryonscape; Josh Blakemore and Erin Preston, Onion River Animal Hospital; Jeremy Bates and Amanda Dayton, GE Aerospace; James Green, US Department of State; David Waldmann, Vermont Hardwoods; Roger Batchelder, 103 Auto/ Heads Up Motors; Baylee Boucher and Traci Kouri, ClearChoice MD Urgent Care; David Jaacks, XFold Engineering; Pierre LeBlanc, Engelberth Construction, Inc.; CJ Spirito and Ryan Weiland, Rock Point School; Carol Ferrante, Mansfield Orthopaedics at Copley; Bruce Uryase, New England Precision; Sara Palmisano, National Life Group; Martin and Kathleen Clark, Martin’s Hardware and Building Supply Co.; William Cleary, Powderhorn Outdoor Sports; Sabra Davison, Little Bellas; Chief Leonard Howard, Brattleboro Fire Department; and Maya Carlet, APRN, UVM Medical Health Network.
Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of these and other employers who serve our Nation in their own right by selflessly supporting our brave and dedicated Vermont Guard and Reserve members and their spouses. We are forever grateful.
Source: 9.27.2024. SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. - Vermont Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve