COESGR Newsletter October 2014

Welcome to Colorado ESGR. Our purpose is to have an informative newsletter that will educate, inform,

and promote service by and to ESGR while fulfilling our mission of supporting Employers, Guard/Reserve

members, Military and Veteran Employment Initiatives and our COESGR Volunteers.

October 2014

Continued next page……. 1

Photo: ESGR National Chairman, Paul Mock, Service member Gene Odom and JGMS CEO Jerome Gonzales pose for a portrait photo at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2014 before receiving the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. (U.S. Army photo by Alfredo Barraza)

Photo: Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel presents the Freedom Award to JGMS CEO Jerome Gonzales along with ESGR National Chairman, Paul Mock, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2014.

Secretary of Defense Freedom Award

Colorado Recipient, J.G. Management

Systems, Inc. Grand Junction Colorado

Click on pictures or links for websites

http://www.jgmsinc.com/?p=1051

2

Pictured; Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel thanks audience members and recipients of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 26, 2014. Fifteen private- and public-sector employers from across the country were recognized for exceptional support of their employees who serve the nation in the National Guard and Reserve. It is the highest recognition that DoD bestows to employers for such support. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

Presentation of the Freedom Award for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Excerpts of Speech As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Pentagon Auditorium, Friday, September 26, 2014

…...The willingness of American citizens to leave their

homes, and their jobs, and their families when called

upon to help defend our country has always been a very

defining tradition of this country.

But they would not be able to do it, as we all know, without

the support, and the help, and the encouragement of their

employers and their communities back home.

Today we have the opportunity to thank those who help

make this selfless service – for our men and women who

serve our country – make it possible. Over the past year,

the Defense Department received almost 3,000 employer

nominations from Guardsmen and Reservists from around

the country. The fifteen we honor today represent the

very best in employer support to our Guardsmen and

Reservists.

Some of today’s honorees are large companies like AT&T, which has given its deployed Guardsmen and Reservists cell

phones and iPads so that they can keep in touch with their families. AT&T also recently announced that they are doubling

their goal to hire 10,000 veterans and their family members, which benefits Guardsmen and Reservists because many of

them are veterans leaving active duty. Other large companies like Capital One and PNC Bank actively encourage their

civilian employees to support activated Guardsmen and Reservists, and their families.

Today we are also honoring small businesses. For them, having an employee leave for multiple weeks a year to serve their

country can be a significant burden. Yet these organizations celebrate their Guardsmen and Reservists for their sacrifices

and what they do for their country, and make sure they know how much they are valued. For J.G. Management Systems,

a firm with only 85 employees, that meant stepping up to pay for an employee’s wife and three children to meet

him in Italy during his mid-deployment leave. For the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, it

meant making sure a Guardsman’s spouse had the health insurance she needed, and sending Easter baskets to

his children.

These fifteen employers are diverse in size, in focus, and in responsibilities, but what they share in common with all of us is

a commitment to doing everything possible to ensure that their people succeed – in both the military and in their civilian

careers…because no one in the Guard or Reserve should ever have to choose between them.

More employers should follow the example of Zions National Bank, whose President and CEO personally contacts every

employee who gets called up for active duty – he does that to make sure they know of the bank’s continued absolute

commitment to them and their families. Zions also has a Military Relations Manager who tracks deployed employees and

initiates an employment reintegration process three months before the employee return.

What all of today’s honorees recognize is that our Guardsmen and Reservists – like all military personnel – have unique

qualifications and proven leadership experience… the same qualities that drive American companies to hire more veterans

each year. Not only because they value service, but also because it’s good business.

As we salute these fifteen companies and organizations, we also recognize all of the Guardsmen and the Reservists and

their families that they support. Our Guardsmen and Reservists are skilled professionals who make an extraordinary

contribution to the mission – from Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, to institutions here at home. We encourage more

employers to recognize this reality, and follow the leadership of today’s employer honorees.

On behalf of the Department of Defense, congratulations to all of you, and thank you. We appreciate everything you do for

our National Guardsmen, our Reservists, and their families – and I know they appreciate what you do. You make our

country stronger, you make our country better. Thank you all very much. Read full speech here

3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hero2Hired program transitions online capabilities WASHINGTON - Sept. 29, 2014 - On April 23, 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of the Veterans Employment Center (VEC) as a significant milestone of the Obama Administration’s efforts to consolidate the federal government’s web-based veteran hiring tools. The VEC, housed on the Department of Veterans Affairs eBenefits home page (www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs), provides a one-stop shop for veterans seeking employment.

In support of the administration’s efforts, Family & Employer Programs & Policy (FEPP), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, has transitioned the online tools of Hero2Hired (H2H) from the H2H.jobs website (www.h2h.jobs) to the VEC, joining a variety of online systems under one umbrella.

“The transition to the Veterans Employment Center supports the best interests of our service members and families over the long term, and our H2H Employment Coordinators and volunteers will help ensure a smooth transition for job seekers and employers,” said Marie Balocki, Acting Deputy Director of FEPP.

H2H Employment Coordinators will assist job seekers and employers with VEC enrollment and continue to provide one-on-one resume development, interviewing skills and local employment resources.

“The heart and success of Hero2Hired has always been the personal touch provided by the 56 H2H Employment Coordinators,” said Balocki. “The transition to the Veterans Employment Center will not impact the excellent customer service they provide to service members and families.”

Throughout and beyond this transition, the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Labor will remain committed to addressing the unemployment of Reserve Component members, veterans and families. As part of the overall effort, FEPP will keep pushing for the unique needs of Reserve Component members and families and continual enhancements to the VEC user experience.

The H2H.jobs website will remain online to provide a link to the VEC, contact information for the H2H Employment Coordinators and links to H2H strategic partners. H2H Employment Coordinators are located in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Contact: Rebecca S Small

Employment Coordinator for Colorado

O: 720-250-1188 C: 785-493-1706 F: 720-250-1199

[email protected] DoD Contractor - Team ATS/IFF Data Solutions OSD/RA (YRRP/EIP/ESGR) and eBenefits

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)

12200 E. Briarwood Ave., Ste. 160 Centennial, CO 80112

=

View the flyers on pages 7 & 8 of this newsletter for more information.

https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs

Rebecca S Small

Employment Coordinator – Colorado

O: 720-250-1188

C: 785-493-1706

F: 720-250-1199

[email protected]

https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs

4

Becky is a Senior HR professional with 15+ years of experience in in all Personnel/HR Operations including: Employee Relations, web based-recruitment,

performance management, benefits administration, liaison & coordination, training & development, regulatory compliance, FMLA regulatory, legal compliance, EEOC/Unemployment and social media management in the field industries of manufacturing/distribution, mental and behavioral health. Prior to her recent full time appointment as the Employment Transition Coordinator with ESGR, she was a volunteer for ESGR (Employer Outreach Coordinator and Major Corporations deputy.)

Staff Sergeant Thomas Rasmussen

presented his supervisor, Wade

Hamlin with an Employer Support of

the Guard and Reserve Patriot

Award. SSGT Rasmussen said

that N-Line Electric, LLC of

Longmont, CO has been very sup-

portive of his military career and all

that it entails.

N-Line Electric - Longmont, Colorado Patriot Award

Wade Hamlin Presented by the Service member and nominator, Staff Sergeant Thomas Rasmussen, U.S. Air Force Reserve

Please refer all job seekers and employers

to our Employment Transition Coordinator

at the ESGR Office

Continued next page…….

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office - Colorado Springs, Colorado Patriot Award

Sgt Ron Howard & Sgt Paul Weaver Presented by ESGR volunteers, Mary Miller and Bob Landry, Award nominator - ET2 Dennis Stevens, U.S. Navy Reserve

Deputy Dennis Stevens, an Electronics Technician Second Class, U.S. Navy Reserve spoke about his supervisors;

“I have nominated two of my police sergeants. Both of them supervise me because each of them overlaps my work shift. They have both equally supported my Navy Reserve obligations so I believe both of them deserve a patriot award. Because of my shift rotation of working weekends, scheduling of my drill weekends was a challenge. Sgt. Howard allows me to make duty swaps each month in order to maximize my ability to still get paid by the Sheriff's Office and still collect my drill pay. This has taken a lot of stress off my juggling of both jobs. He has done this at the expense of my

shift being undermanned on certain days. This was above and beyond to me.

Sgt. Wheeler went above and beyond by insisting on putting me in for paid holiday time for two days

after returning from my 28 day AT (Active Duty for Training) assignment. Though the law states that if

gone under 30 days, you get 8 hours of rest before returning to work, Sgt. Paul Wheeler did this for me

anyway. I didn't even request it..

Nominate Your Employer!!

5

Dive Rescue International Ft Collins, Colorado

Patriot Award

Justin Fox, President, Dive Rescue International, was presented with an ESGR Patriot Award by the service member nominator and employee, Dakota Koolmees.

2LT Dakota Koolmees, U.S. Army Reserve spoke about his supervisor in his nomination; “My supervisor, as well as the rest of the staff, has been incredibly supportive of my service in the Army Reserve ever since I came to work at Dive Rescue International in 2012. They have gladly worked around my Reserve schedule, including when I left of five months of Active Duty Training this past fall. Upon my return to the company they made me feel right at home again and helped me get situated back into my position as Equipment Quartermaster. Their positive attitudes and outstanding support of my service as a Reserve Officer have made Dive Rescue International an incredible place to work as a Reserve soldier.”

Justin Fox and Dakota Koolmees

Click o

n g

rap

hic

fo

r w

eb

sit

e

TTJ&B, Inc.

Pictured left to right, Tom Woods, owner and founder of TTJ&B

Inc. with ESGR Volunteer Darrel Williamson

Sunset Stone

Alma Taujillo, Human Resources Director and two other employees at Sunset

Stone. Presented by Bob Rotruck, ESGR (2nd from left)

A&A Topper Sales

Bob Clark, ESGR, presents Darrin Lindsay, owner of A&A

Topper Sales with Statement of Support.

6

7

Veterans Employment Center – For Job Seekers

The Veterans Employment Center (VEC) is the federal government’s single online tool for connecting transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans and their families to meaningful career opportunities in the public and private sectors. The VEC is a government-wide product that brings together a reputable cadre of employers with real job opportunities, and provides transitioning Servicemembers, Reserve Component Servicemembers, Veterans and their families with the tools to translate military skills into plain language and build a profile that can be shared – in real time – with employers who have made a public commitment to hire Veterans. The VEC was created in collaboration with the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, Defense and Education, the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management. The VEC can be found at www.ebenefits.va.gov/jobs. For a tutorial video on how to use the VEC, please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfhI-eSoWk. As a job seeker, you have access to the following resources:

Skills Translator: Translate your military occupational codes into civilian skill equivalents for a powerful public profile and résumé; and learn about related civilian career paths.

Profile & Résumé Builder: Seamlessly import results from the skills translator into an online profile that you can save for future use, publish for employers to search, or download to help you develop a résumé in any format. Publishing your profile on the VEC instantly connects you to thousands of employers looking to hire Veterans, transitioning Servicemembers, Reserve Component Servicemembers and family members.

Veterans Job Bank (VJB): The VJB allows you to search over 1.5 million jobs—including federal, state, local government and private sector jobs. In fact, some employers are specifically recruiting transitioning Servicemembers, Reserve Component Servicemembers and veterans through the VJB.

Employer Commitments: View a list of hundreds of employers and organizations that have made a commitment to hire or train individuals like you, and then link directly to their site to get more information, start the conversation and apply for jobs.

Other Resources: The VEC contains or links to a broad set of other informational resources designed to help you find meaningful career opportunities and take advantage of special government and partner programs, such as the new Department of Defense SkillBridge pilot program to promote civilian job training for transitioning Servicemembers.

If you have any questions or need technical assistance with the site, please contact the

Department of Veterans Affairs VEC support team at: [email protected]

8

Strategic Messaging to Employers about the Veterans Employment Center

The VEC is the federal government’s single authoritative internet source for connecting transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans and their families to meaningful career opportunities. The VEC is the first government-wide product that brings together a reputable cadre of public and private employers with real job opportunities, and provides transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans and their families with the tools to translate their military skills into plain language and build a profile that can be shared – in real time – with employers who have made a public commitment to hire Veterans. In connection with the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative, the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, Defense and Education, the Small Business Administration and the Office of Personnel Management, collaborated to design and develop the VEC to incorporate the best features of existing online employment tools.

The VEC can be found at www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs. For a tutorial video on how to use the VEC, please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWfhI-eSoWk.

Job Seeker Resources:

Military Skills Translator: Translate military occupational codes into their civilian skill equivalents and learn about related civilian career paths.

Profile Builder: Seamlessly import results from the skills translator into an online profile that users can download or publish to employers on the VEC. Publishing your profile on the VEC instantly connects users to thousands of employers looking to hire Veterans.

Veterans Job Bank (VJB): The VJB allows users to search over 1.2 million jobs from the private sector and includes jobs in federal, state and local governments.

Employer Resources:

Veterans Job Bank (VJB): Easily post job opportunities that will be visible to and searchable by job seekers. The VJB links directly to the employer’s job listing, so any updates to an employer’s website are automatic and applicants are routed directly to your applicant tracking system.

Search Profiles: The VEC provides employers with access to a vault of verified career profiles from transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans and their families. Employers can search these profiles by keyword and/or geographic location to find the right fit for your organization.

Hiring Commitment: Launch your public relations campaign to hire Veterans by making a public hiring commitment on the VEC! You even have the option to state the number of Veterans you intend to hire and update your status in achieving your goal.

Other Resources: The VEC contains or links to a broad set of other informational resources

designed to help you recruit and retain talented transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans and their

families, such as the new DoD SkillBridge pilot program to promote civilian job training for

transitioning Servicemembers.

POC: Department of Veterans Affairs. Email: [email protected]

Click on pictures or links for websites

STAFF AND CONTACT INFORMATION

Brent Hamilton - Program Support Technician

720-250-1176 [email protected]

Chandra Hance – AST-Administrative Support Technician 720.250.1189 [email protected]

Becky Small - Employment Coordinator

720-250-1188 [email protected]

https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs

COESGR Business Office

12200 East Briarwood Avenue, Suite 160

Centennial, Co 80112 FAX: 720.250.1199

State ESGR Vice Chair Tom Mills, Brigadier General,

CONG (Ret).

EMPLOYER OUTREACH AREA CHAIRS

Boulder/Longmont Brad Gallup

Tonia Martinez

Colorado Springs John Schutt Bob Landry

Cortez Area Robert Valencia

Denver Area Bruce Erek Rick White

Douglas County Area

Jimmy Graham Bob Rotruck

Estes Park Area Chair Open

Fort Lyon/Tri County Leanne Wheeler

Larimer/Weld County Open

Grand Junction Lou Brackett

David Popham

Montrose Emily Smith

Fred Fusselman

Pueblo Harry Vogel

Jon Brude

Steamboat Springs Jim Stanko

State ESGR Chair Richard E. Young, RADM, USN (Ret)

COLORADO ESGR

DIRECTORS

Military Outreach

Mary Miller - Director

Pete Callaway - Dep. Dir.

Employer Outreach

Bev Skinner - Co-director Dave Pruett - Co-director

EO Coordinator, Major Corporations- Jim Jensen - Denver Bill Price - Area Chair Coordinator

Ombudsmen

Bill Belz - Director Martin Cobb - Co- Director Aaron Lechner - Dep. Dir.

Lara Makinen - Coordinator

Training Lynn Albi

Paula Kauffman - Dep. Dir.

Special Programs

Fritz Ihrig - Co-Director Kip Cheroutes - Co-Director

National Guard Liaison Liz Kelpis

Public Affairs

Sandy Tiegen - Director

Employer Initiatives

Robby Castle - Director Zach Jacobsen - Co-Director

Chase Dinkler - Deputy

MVEE Coordinator - Jason Shireman

Bosslift Coordinator - Brian Bartony

National Site News and Information

Join Facebook and Twitter Become a fan of Colorado ESGR

COESGR Twitter COESGR LinkedIn

Events Calendar

October 18 - New Volunteer Training,

Colorado National Guard HQ, Centennial, CO

October 23 - Denver MVEE Planning Meeting

November 3 - Freedom Award Nominations

Open

December 18 - COESGR Directors Meeting

Colorado’s ESGR Electronic Newsletter is published not only for the information and benefit of the members of the Colorado ESGR but most importantly to our Guard and Reserve members and their employers. The contents of this newsletter highlight activities and events conducted by Colorado ESGR.

Send comments regarding this publication to the Newsletter Editor: James Garrett at [email protected]

9

Freedom Award Video Story

Other Freedom Award Ceremony links:

Freedom Award Ceremony- The 53 min YouTube video

Pictures on Defense.gov

Story on ceremony

Special Report

Event Photos

Reserve Affairs Photos

from luncheon and events:

Flickr Photos