SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The President and Chief Executive of Horace Mann Insurance, Louis Lower, signed an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support for the National Guard and Reserve at the company’s headquarters here July 21.

On hand for the Horace Mann signing ceremony were ESGR National Chair, James Rebholz; Illinois Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. William Enyart; Illinois ESGR Chair, Dr. Michael Ayers; Illinois ESGR Central West Area Chair, retired Brig. Gen. Jay Sheedy; and, Illinois National Guard Human Resources Director; Col. Gary Brinner.
“I would like to thank chief executive Lower for signing this Statement of Support on behalf of Horace Mann.” said Rebholz. “The Statement of Support is a public acknowledgement by Horace Mann of the importance of service in the National Guard and Reserve to the defense of our nation. It shows that Horace Mann supports our country’s National Guard and Reserve members and recognizes the importance of Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA) in ensuring their jobs when they are away from home and family serving in uniform.”

“The continuing support of employers is essential to maintaining the strength and readiness of the National Guard and Reserve,” Rebholz continued. “Our Guardsmen and Reservists would not be able to continue to serve in uniform, if not for the support of employers and organizations like Horace Mann.”

Founded in 1945, Horace Mann is the largest multiline insurance company focusing on the nation’s educators and their families. The Springfield-based company has 1,073 home office and 1,253 field employees. Lower became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the company in 2000.

“The mission of Guardsmen and Reservists requires long days and long nights and time away from the workplace to answer the nation’s call,” said Maj. Gen. Enyart. “Employers act as a critical part of a service member’s life. A three-legged stool has three points that allow it to carry a great deal of weight. For Guardsmen and Reservists, those points of support are the service member, their family and their employer. Without the support of the employer the stool can’t bear the weight and topples over.”

“Horace Mann promotes a culture of support to service members who are employed in the company,” Lower emphasized in his remarks. “With employees currently serving under federal orders overseas, the company proudly displays its patriotism and honors its employees service to the country”

In addition to the Statement of Support signing, two Horace Mann supervisors, Debbie Cimarossa, assistant vice president and human resources generalist and Cinda Earles, director of recruiting and selection, were recognized with the ESGR Patriotic Employer Award.

The Patriot Award recognizes individual supervisors who have been especially supportive of their Guard or Reserve employee.  The award is based solely on the nomination of a Reserve Component members or their spouse. Cimarossa and Earles were presented with the Patriot Award certificate and accompanying “patriot” lapel pin. They were nominated for the award by Paul Whetmore, a corporate recruiting consultant with Horace Mann and Naval Reservist with the Navy Personnel Command at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois.
 “Imagine putting everything you own into a duffle-bag, leaving for a year and coming home expecting your life to be the same,” said Whetmore.

Whetmore commented that it is a great feeling to know that an employer or supervisor takes pride in their employees’ military service.

In Photo:
Maj. Gen. William Enyart (left), Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, presents his challenge coin to Cinda Earles, director of recruiting and selection with Horace Mann. Enyart presented the coin to Earles after she and coworker Debbie Cimarossa received the ESGR Patriot Award recognizing their outstanding support to their Guard and Reserve employee, Naval Reservist Paul Whetmore. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael Camacho Illinois National Guard Public Affairs