Des Moines-area employers will be reminded that they have a role to play in supporting the military by a new outdoor board campaign that launched in July.  The campaign asks the question: “Are you a patriotic employer?”

The outdoor board campaign was set in place by Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) working in cooperation with Clear Channel.  The boards will be posted throughout the metropolitan area, over the next year, as space becomes available.

“Iowa has a long and proud tradition of embracing citizen warriors,” says Dick Rue, Iowa ESGR chairman. “This new outdoor board campaign is another avenue we in ESGR are using to reach out to employers. When employers see the question – Are you a patriotic employer? – we hope they’ll be motivated to contact us at www.iowa.esgr.mil to find out more about how they can show their support.

“As we in ESGR work with Iowa employers, we find they are generally more than willing to support their military employees.  And their support is so important. When members of the Guard and Reserve are deployed, their departure ripples through families, friends, communities, and the businesses that employ them. The willingness of employers to not only comply with existing law, but also to step up and support our Guard and Reserve members beyond the requirements makes a world of difference in their lives.  At a time of uncertainty, knowing you can count on your employer to be there, to support you while you are gone, and to welcome your return, is enormously reassuring.”

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. Its mission is to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees.  Iowa ESGR volunteers work throughout the state to accomplish this mission by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving employer/military member conflicts. .
As Iowa and the nation face one of the largest troop mobilizations since WWII, it is even more important that everyone understand that when our citizen warriors deploy, we all serve: the military, their families, employers, communities. 
The ESGR outdoor board shows an employer surrounded by members of each branch of the Iowa National Guard and Reserve.  The employer is Chet Hogenson, corporate marketing manager of ITAGroup, Inc. The military members are: (l-r) TSgt Warren Page of the Air Guard, PO3 Amanda Lopex of the Navy Reserves, Hogenson, CSM David Enright of the Army Guard, and Sgt Carl Westerman of the Marine Reserves.

More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.iowa.esgr.mil or by 800-294-6607 X4192


Photo:   Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve volunteers gathered to celebrate the launch of a new outdoor board campaign. ESGR volunteers work to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees.  Pictured are: (l-r back row: Ted Hall, Kevin Taylor, Dick Rue, Rob Kelly; l-4 front row: Ralph Schlenker, Charlotte Schlenker, Rebecca Coady, Carmine Boal, Carol Bodensteiner, Stacy Liebsch, and Tony Smithart.