2015

Annual Employer Awards

Banquet

Honoring Colorado Employers for their

Support of their National Guardsman and

Reservists

Mission

ESGR develops and promotes supportive work environ-

ments for service members in the Reserve Components

through outreach, recognition, and educational oppor-

tunities that increase awareness of applicable laws and

resolves employer conflicts between the Service

Members and their employers.

End State

All employers support and value the employment of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the

United States and Territories, thereby increasing the readiness of the Reserve Component.

Employer Support for the

Guard and Reserve

ESGR, a Department of Defense office, was established

in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding be-

tween Reserve Component Service members and their

civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of

conflicts arising from an employee's military

commitment.

Colorado ESGR

237 Colorado ESGR Volunteers

188 Volunteers assigned to Employer Outreach

35 Volunteers assigned to Military Outreach

to the National Guard and Reserve Units

14 Volunteers serve as Ombudsman,

mediating conflicts between employers and

their employees in the military

In 2014, Colorado ESGR volunteers briefed:

- 8352 employers

- 8966 service members

- Mediated 45 cases

- Completed 13368 Volunteer Hours

Welcome to the Colorado ESGR’s Annual Employ-er Awards Banquet, our way to thank and honor the employers of our brave men and women in the National Guard and Reserve. Our country, since its inception, has al-ways relied on its citizen soldiers to fight our country’s wars, from the Revolutionary War of 1776 to the horribly different struggles in Afghani-

stan, and into today.

Here in Colorado we have some 13,400 of our neighbors, friends, family members, and fellow workers who serve our country, truly the twice the citizen as praised by Winston Churchill. But they could not serve our country without the ongoing support of their employers throughout the

state. In a very real sense, their employers and coworkers also serve.

So tonight we honor the best of the best of our employers who, often at significant expense, go above and beyond to help their Guard and Reserve employees and their families. We hope this will encourage all Colorado

employers to take on this cause.

Our Military and Veterans Employment Expos (MVEE), are unique, a three day event by first helping our military get prepared to be hired, then having employers who actively support our military come on the third day, at no cost, with jobs to interview and to hire. Here we made real pro-gress in improving the number getting hired. Please visit MVEE.org for more information. These are coordinated efforts and done in conjunction with the Colorado department of Labor and Employment, the U.S. De-partment of Labor (VETS), the Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Colorado National Guard, Fort Carson Army Base, and the Colorado Federal Executive Board, along with numerous non-

profit, local chambers, and other veteran related organizations.

Thank you for taking the time and joining in our celebration. So sit back, enjoy the dinner, and help celebrate the accomplishments of our award

winners. They deserve your applause and appreciation.

My Best,

Dick Young RADM, USN, (Ret) Colorado ESGR Chair

Welcome from

the State Chair...

Sequence of Events

Presentation of the Colors

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Color Guard

Combat Logistics Battalion 453

National Anthem

SSgT Julianna Figuerora

Colorado Air National Guard

Invocation

CPT David Nagel

Chaplain, Colorado National Guard

Welcome and Introduction

Dick Young

Chair, Colorado ESGR

Dinner

Sequence of Events (cont’d)

Statement of Support Signing

Speakers

Bill Lindsay President, Benefits Group - Denver

Lockton Companies

Admiral Thad W. Allen Former Commandant of the United States

Coast Guard

*Keynote Speaker*

Presentation of Awards

Special Presentation

Michael Hunt

Department of Military & Veterans Affairs

Closing Remarks

Dick Young

Chair, Colorado ESGR

MENU

SALAD

Butter Head Wedge Salad (GF), Heirloom Toma-toes, Cucumbers, Smoked Bacon,

w/Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette

Entrée

Herb Roasted Chicken Breast, Natural Jus (GF),

Cheddar Whipped Potatoes Chef's Choice of Roasted Vegetables

Dessert

Chocolate Framboise Cake,

Raspberry Coulis OR

Meyer Lemon Meringue Tart, Sweet Cream

Freshly Brewed Coffee Ice Tea and Water

STATE CHAIR

Rear Admiral

Richard E. Young

US Navy (Ret)

Rear Admiral Richard E. Young, obtained a BA degree from the University of Michigan in June of 1953, and entered the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School. Graduating with honors, he served aboard a destroyer in the Western Pacific for two years during the tail end of the Korean conflict and then in the Bureau of Naval Personnel in the Officer Detail Section (LCDR Desk). Upon leaving active duty Admiral Young returned to the University of Michigan and obtained his JD in June 1960. Young moved to Colorado and practiced law in Denver, while remaining very ac-tive in the Naval Reserve. He became active in a number of civic activities, includ-ing chairing a number of State of Colorado commissions and task forces, as well as the Denver Commission on Community Relations. He later founded and be-came the first chair of the Metro Denver Fair Housing Center, which was recog-nized nationally, receiving numerous awards, and several large grants from the Ford Foundation for its innovative and effective diversity programs. In 1982, selected for flag in the Navy Reserve, Admiral Young was assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. In addition, he served as Readiness Commander for Region 18 (some 7 states, 22 Readiness Centers, and 5,000 personnel) from 1985 to 1987. Admiral Young also headed up various programs at the Navy’s Office of Legisla-tive Affairs, Navy’s Recruiting Command, Navy’s Air Force Atlantic Command, and at the Navy Reserve Command Headquarters. Among his awards are three Legion of Merit awards, all earned while not on active duty, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and the Navy Unit Citation. Admiral Young received the national United States Navy League’s John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership in 1988 (the only Reserve officer to ever be so recognized). He also received the Naval Reserve Association’s Merito-rious Service Award and The Governor’s Military Community Service Award. Re-cently he received the 2015 Lincoln Standard Bearer Award, sponsored by the Friars Club, for outstanding lifetime achievement and excellence by a veteran ex-emplifying selfless service. It was presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and was shown on national television on PBS May 22. Young is currently serving his sixth year as State Chair of the Colorado ESGR Committee. Young is married to Lorie Young and they have four grown daughters. They celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on December 25, 2014.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Admiral

THAD W. ALLEN

Commandant, United States Coast Guard

2006-2010

Admiral Thad W. Allen assumed the duties of the 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on May 25th, 2006. During his tenure as the top officer of the nation's oldest continuous sea service he led the effort to reform and modernize all aspects of the Coast Guard, thereby "improving and sustaining Mission Execution." As Ad-miral Allen continually stated his ultimate aim was to make the Coast Guard a "change-centric" organization capable of quickly and efficiently adapting to meet the growing and ever-changing demands of the future. Additionally he was the first high ranking member of the Federal government to embrace social media, pioneering the effort to connect to his audience through all manners of digital technology. Although his Modernization program was an important aspect of what Admiral Allen accomplished during his tenure, he also led the service during a time when it re-sponded to a number of significant national and international incidents, including hurricanes, floods, search-and-rescue cases, oil spills and other environmental inci-dents. He led the effort to explore the changing Arctic, solidified the Coast Guard's relationships with the nation's other armed services and Federal partners, and reached out to the private sector to gain their input and trust. During his final months in office he led the Coast Guard's exemplary response to the earthquake in Haiti and then, first as Commandant and concurrently as the National Incident Com-mander, he led the nation's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, holding the latter post well after his tenure as Commandant had come to a close. Admiral Allen completed his four-year term as Commandant on 25 May 2010 and he officially retired from the Coast Guard on 30 June 2010. He is a 1971 graduate of the US Coast Guard Academy. He holds a Masters in Pub-lic Administration from The George Washington University—from which he received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2006. He also holds an M.S. degree in manage-ment from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech-nology. Mr. Allen has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from George Ma-son University, the National Defense University, and the National Graduate School.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Bill Lindsay

President, Benefits Group - Denver,

Lockton Companies

Bill has an extensive background within the fields of health care and insurance. This has placed him within the sphere of the national health care policy and financ-ing debate. The scope and depth of his experience is reflected in the various roles in which he has been asked to serve.

A student of health care finance, Bill has been a consultant to numerous health systems, hospitals and national employers. Bill has published and coauthored numerous articles and white papers on insurance, employee benefits, health care, and health care reform. He frequently serves as a speaker and panelist for the Mountain States Employers Council, national insurance companies, and national industry associations. He is often invited to give testimony before the United States Congress. Bill addressed the Senate Finance Committee regarding state healthcare reform at its “Prepare for Launch Health Reform Summit” on June 16, 2008.

In recognition of his contributions, in 2008, Bill received the National Governors Association Award for Distinguished Service to State Government, and the John K. Inglehart Award for Leadership in Healthcare by the Colorado Health Founda-tion. Bill was awarded the Colorado Business Magazine’s “Ethics in Business” award and the Colorado Trust’s “Community Service” award. For over a decade, The Denver Business Journal has named him to the list of “Who’s Who in Health Care in Colorado,” and in 2007, he was named the Power Book Leader in the Cat-egory of Healthcare.

Bill is a current Chair and Board member of Craig Hospital and board member of Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Rose Community Foundation. He is a mem-ber of Colorado’s Commission on Affordable Health Care. Bill is a former Board Member and former Chair (2010-2011) of the Denver Metro Chamber of Com-merce. He was the Chair of Colorado’s Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform in 2007.

Bill has a B.A. in Political Science and is the President of Lockton Companies’ Benefit Group in Denver.

FREEDOM AWARD The Secretary of Defense Employer support Free-dom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S.

Government to employers for their support of their em-

ployees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Nominations must come from a Guard or Reserve mem-

ber who is employed by the organization they are nomi-

nating, or from a family member. The award was created

to publicly recognize employers who provide exceptional support to their National Guard and Reserve employees.

It is the highest in a series of employer recognition

awards given by the Department of Defense.

The Freedom Award is presented annually to the

nation’s 15 most supportive employers. The nomination

season opens the first working day of November and

closes the third Monday of January.

Congratulations

To

Secretary of Defense

Freedom Award Winner

For 2014

J G Management

Systems, Inc.

Grand Junction, CO

Air Methods Corporation Army Air Force Exchange Service Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp CaptionCall DirecTV Edward Jones G4S MITRE Corporation Navigant Consulting Ratheon Company SkyWest Airlines Home Depot T Mobile USA, Inc. United Airlines United Launch Alliance Vectrus W.J. Bradley Western Area Power Administration WOW Internet and Phone

American Sentinel University Colorado Counseling Center Cosmic AES Intelligent Software Solutions LeaderQUEST NEK Services, Inc. Optique of Denver Shadow Creek Ranch Space C2 and Surveillance Division The Eighties Band Adams County District Attorney’s Office Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office City of Durango Colorado Springs School Dist. 11 Colorado Springs Police Dept. Colorado Dept. of Education Colorado State Patrol Department of Youth Corrections Fort Lupton Police Department

2015 Freedom Award Nominees

Colorado Guardsman and Reservists

nominated the following companies

Pro Patria Award

The "Pro Patria Award" is presented annually by

each ESGR Committee to the one employer in

their state or territory who has provided the

most exceptional support of our national de-

fense through leadership practices and person-

nel policies that support their employees who

serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

Large Business Category

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

Boulder, Colorado

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is a subsidiary of Ball Corpo-ration. Ball Aerospace is a leader in design, development and man-ufacture of innovative aerospace systems. We produce spacecraft, instruments and sensors, RF and microwave technologies, data exploitation solutions and a variety of advanced aerospace technol-

ogies and products that enable exciting missions.

Ball Aerospace is known for its contributions in support of space and Earth science, exploration, national security and intelligence programs. We were also a pioneer in the development of the com-mercial remote sensing market, producing imaging systems and spacecraft that helped spawn a new market-driven demand for im-

agery.

Ball Aerospace has served as a technology innovator for defense and civilian government agencies, and commercial customers since 1956. The company’s unique history began at the dawn of the space age and is punctuated by a legacy of enabling many scien-

tific ‘firsts.’

Solar pointing controls were Ball Brothers Research Corporation's

first product line (photo circa 1959).

From the first all-sky survey in the infrared to the confirmation of the ozone hole, Ball Aerospace’s legacy is rooted in the ability to

make what is thought to be technically impossible, possible.

We employ approximately 2,700 talented engineers, scientists,

technicians and support staff.

Small Business Category

LeaderQUEST

Centennial, Colorado

At LeaderQUEST, we are creating a community of indi-

viduals empowered to pursue careers they love, by of-fering training and certification programs on the most

relevant and in-demand skills for the foreseeable future

– including network administration, desktop and tech-nical support, database administration, user experience

design, web development, project and service manage-

ment.

Established in 2003 as a career school in Denver for ca-reer changers and veterans, LeaderQUEST is an IT edu-

cation provider that transforms aspiring IT practitioners

into job ready specialists through training in technology

and project management at campuses across the U.S.

LeaderQUEST empowers career changers and military

veterans with critical, job-ready IT skills, and assist

them in securing thriving careers in technology and business within weeks rather than months or years.

LeaderQUEST’ s number one goal is to help find re-

warding employment in the IT and IT management

fields for 100% of the students who earn their skills or

certifications through LeaderQUEST.

Public Sector Category

18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office

Centennial, Colorado

18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is empowered and obligated by state law to seek justice by exercising

its prosecutorial discretion in cases involving violations

of Colorado’s criminal laws committed by adults and juveniles. We are committed to advocating for victims'

rights and promoting public safety.

The office has three priorities: prosecuting criminals to the fullest extent possible, protecting the rights and in-

terests of crime victims and preventing crime before it

happens. We are committed to advocating for victims' rights and promoting public safety through cooperation

and partnership with law enforcement and our commu-

nity members.

Colorado has 22 judicial districts. The 18th Judicial District is comprised of four counties: Arapahoe, Doug-

las, Elbert and Lincoln.

Above and Beyond Award

The "Above and Beyond Award" is given in lim-

ited numbers by state and territory ESGR com-

mittees. It recognizes employers at the state

and local level who have gone above and beyond

the legal requirements for granting leave and

providing support for military duty by their em-

ployees.

Above and Beyond

Award Winners

Adams County Communications Center

CaptionCall

Colorado Springs School District 11

DIRECTV

Evans Army Community Hospital

Mesa County

Pueblo Police Department

Sky West Airlines

T-Mobile USA, Inc.

University Corp. for Atmospheric Research

W.J. Bradley

Seven Seals Award

The ESGR Seven Seals Award is presented at

the discretion of the ESGR State Chair in recog-

nition of significant individual or organizational

achievement, initiative or support that pro-

motes and supports the ESGR mission.

Seven Seals

Award Winners

Air Methods Corporation

Welcome Home Montrose

Colorado ESGR

presents the

Most Veteran Friendly Little

City in Colorado Award

To

Steamboat Springs,

Colorado

Colorado ESGR

Senior Advisory

Council

Joseph A. Ahearn Joe Blake

Peter Coors Jan Rutherford

Dick Deane John Ikard

Glenn Jones Don Mares

Bill Ritter Sandra Shreve

Ron Crowder Bill Lindsay

Colorado ESGR Volunteers David Henigsman

Kimberly Hessler

Lloyd Hickey

Eddie Hill

Suzanne Hill

Scott Hoffmann

Bill Holen

Delos Howard

Michael Hudson

Mark Hustedt

Genna Ibsen

Nicole Inabinet

Thomas Ivory

Alesia Jackson

Franklin Jackson

Margie Jackson

Zach Jacobsen

Keli Jones

Kristopher Jones

Willie Jones

Bruce Kalish

Glenn Kataoka

Paula Kauffman

Liz Kelpis

Kenneth Kemper

Jeanne Kerr

Cori Keuler

Cindy Key

Chuck Ackerman

Carrie Acree

Bobby Adams

Geri Adams

Lynn Albi

Shelley Anderson

David Aragon

Cheri Arfsten

Jefferson Baker

Alexander Banovz

Richard Bardsley

Brian Bartony

William Belz

Mike Blackburn

Louis Brackett

Robert Brazell

Dea Bridge

Jeff Brodeur

Lacey Bromley

Jon Brude

Mike Burns

Pete Callaway

Ron Carlisle

Kerry Carr

Robby Castle

Kip Cheroutes

Lida Citroen

Robert Clark

Bruce Erek

Sherma Erholm

Heidi Ernst

Jeff Falkel

Kelly Farmer

Marco Fiorito

Zaena Flores

Iris Fontera

Natalie Frey

Mame Fuhrman

Sherman Fuller

Fred Fusselman

Brad Gallup

James Garrett

Anthony Giambrone

Joseph Golding

Donald Goldy

Jimmy Graham

Eldon Granger

Jonathon Graziano

Anne Green

Jonny Grobstein

David Gutierrez

Richard Hallock

Brent Hamilton

Chandra Hance

Brian Hand

Jeanie Hand

John Clarke

Martin Cobb

Kristen Coderre

Jordan Cole

Jeff Conn

Richard Cormier

Josh Costello

Mark Craig

Tom Crews

Vernon Crow

Dick Deane

Tahoe Dennis

Timothy DeRamus

Kristen DesPalmes

James Dinette

Chase Dinkler

Derek Dinkler

Jon Dix

Bill Doe

Marie Dubreus

Paul Dunbar

L.G. Duncan

Alexey Duplikhin

Dwight D. Dyer

Amy Eagen

Dick Eason

Kent Edlin

Elaine Edon

Colorado ESGR Volunteers Darrell Kinchelow

Robert Kitchell

Melanie Kline

Pam Kramer

Bob Landry

Mike Lattanzi

Aaron Lechner

Michael Lee

Peter Lett

Christopher Lewis

Mark Lilevjen

Paul Linton

Bernice Lopez-

Bryant

Kellen Loud-

enslager

Andy Love

John Lowrie

Steven Lucks

Tom Lyon

Lara Makinen

Kynnie Martin

Randy Martin

Greg Martinez

Shirley Martinez

Tonia Martinez

Pamela Martis

Daryl Matzelle

Ulyssess Sheppard

Jason Shireman

David Shoup

Mark Simonsen

Bev Skinner

Becky Small

Adam Smith

Emily Smith

Rebecca Sawyer-

Smith

Patrick Staffieri

Jim Stanko

Richard Stapp

Ben Stein

Frank Sullivan

Kevin Sullivan

William Sullivan

Cameron Taleghani

Logan Taulbee

Sandy Teigen

Charles Thibou

John Toth

Skip Trahan

Ralph Trenary

Marty Upton

Chip Underwood

Robert Valencia

Mary Vaughn

John McGee

Tony McKenzie

Curtis Menefee

Marvin Meyers

Mary Miller

Thomas Mills

Michael Mitchel

Bret Mixon

Russell Moberly

Miles Montgomery

Andrew Montoya

Brian Moore

Joe Morgan

Bridget Morrissey

Nanette Mueller

Pete Mueller

Christopher Nachand

Fran Nixon

John O'Connell

Gene Odom

Mike Ohlfs

Dennis Orr

Christopher Ortiz

Jeff Osborn

Gary Osborne

Doug Owens

Gay Page

Nicholas Palarino

Richard Parr

Ryan Pearson

Joseph Petrosky

David Perez

Sara Phillips

David Popham

Daniel Powell

Bill Price

David Pruett

Larry Rainey

Tom Ramar

Lorin Ricker

Tim Risner

Dwayne Robinson

Dana Rocha

Jessica Rosado

Bob Rotruck

Donna Rowland

Robert Rudich

Jan Rutherford

Paula Sarlls

Lydia Satcher

Mark Saunders

Demet Schneider

Dink Schneider

Don Schneider

John Schutt

Robert Scofield

Colorado ESGR Volunteers

Marco Velez

Harry Vogel

Leanne Wheeler

Rick White

Laura Whitehead

Darrel Williamson

Dick Wilson

Edward Wold

Chuck Wright

Dick Young

Tammy Zanzig

Theda Zavala

David Zeller

Colorado ESGR Staff

Brent Hamilton

Chandra Hance

Rebecca Small

Acknowledgements

Colorado Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

would like to thank the following companies and indi-

viduals for their outstanding contributions to tonight’s

event. Thank you!!!!!

Colorado Federal Executive Board, Gay Page, Exec. Director

Admiral Thad W. Allen, Former Commandant of the Coast Guard Bill Lindsay, President, Benefits Group - Denver, Lockton Companies

Michael Edwards, MG, The Adjutant General, Colorado

US Marine Corps Color Guard, Marine Air Control Squadron 23,

Buckley AFB

CPT David Nagel, Chaplain, Colorado Army National Guard

SSgT Julianna Figuerora , Senior Airman, Colorado Air National

Guard

101st Army Band, Colorado Army National Guard

Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center

We would like to thank the following

employers for honoring our Colorado

National Guardsmen, Reservists and

Veterans to attend tonight’s banquet.