Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense (DoD) office, recently presented Associated with two awards for their continued support of this organization.

The first in ESGR’s series of awards is the Patriot Award. The Patriot Award is given to an individual within a company that reflects the efforts made to support Citizen Warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed. An employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve, may nominate individual supervisors for support provided directly to the nominating Service member and his or her family.  This award was given to Rod Lyster, Fields Service Manager at Associated

When asked about this award Rod said “I am incredibly humbled by this award as the Members of our National Guard and Reserve have already sacrificed so much for our Country and are the most highly trained and skilled work force I have had the pleasure of working with.  We look forward to our continued relationship with ESGR.”

The second honor given to Associated was the “Above and Beyond” Award in recognition of extraordinary support of its employees who serve in the Indiana Guard and Reserve.

 “The ESGR Above and Beyond Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize American employers providing extraordinary patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call  to serve, said Steve Lynch  ESGR state chair. “Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”

Associated joins thousands of American employers who have reviewed and amended their current human resources policies to ensure compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Many employers provide support far beyond what USERRA requires to include pay differential to offset the loss of wages, and extension of health care benefits which complement coverage provided by the military when their employees are mobilized.

“I have the utmost respect for those who have served our country and believe every organization has an obligation to support these highly trained individuals when they are ready to return to the workforce.  We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with such a great organization”, said Mike Romano, President/CEO of Associated, when asked about this award.