Wisconsin ESGR

Excited to take the oath for a 2nd 3 year term as the Wisconsin State Chair for ESGR!
Looking forward to increasing our support of our Guard and Reservists and their Employers.

Excited to attend our National Leader Meeting and meet with HQ Staff and colleagues from all 54 State Committees .

Day 1 of our National Leadership Meeting!

Today was all about understanding the strategic importance of our Reserve component and the critical role civilian employers play in our national security.

We were honored to hear directly from senior DoW leadership — including Rear Adm. Richard Lofgren, Acting Chief of Navy Reserve with Force Master Chief Rios and Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Director of the Army National Guard with Command Sgt. Maj. Kendrick on the current operational tempo of the Guard and Reserve.

We also want to thank Joshua Volz, Special Envoy for Global Integration at the Department of Energy, for providing for providing a global perspective on today’s evolving security environment.

A massive thank you to our featured employer speakers from The Walt Disney Company , Kevin Preston and Austin Brock, for sharing their incredible "Heroes Work Here" program and proving why hiring military talent is good business.

We look forward to diving into the operational mission with our 54 state chairs tomorrow!

A fantastic Day 1 in DC!

On July 22, ESGR Volunteer Bill Rheingans presented a Patriot Award to Isaac Neher of PkWare in Milwaukee. The nominator was Adam Bondar of the USAR Elm National Security Agency based in Fort Sheridan, IL.

Adam said of his supervisor and company, "They have shown exceptional support for my Army Reserve service. They have never had an issue accommodating my scheduled military training and consistently provide flexible working hours. Their understanding, encouragement, and willingness to support my dual responsibilities have allowed me to successfully balance both roles.

Spencer Kupferman (CEO) signed the Statement of Support.

Picture L to R: Tonya Cannady (President & Chief Revenue Officer), Isaac Neher (Senior Manager), Spencer Kupferman (CEO), Matthew Zomboracz (Chief Financial Officer) and Bill Rheingans.

On June 23, ESGR Volunteer Bill Rheingans presented a Patriot Award to Austin Ulrick, of Compass Group, in Milwaukee. The nominator for the award was Khalehia Stanback of the 108th FSC.

Pictured: (L to R): Efrain Rivera (Mission BBQ Manager), Jill Schuetz (Mission BBQ Community Ambassador), Mr. Austin Ulrick (Director-Compass Group), and Bill Rheingans (ESGR Representative).

On June 18, Eric Rodgers, Branden Billman, and Rob Schuh from MJ Electric in Appleton were presented with Patriot Awards from ESGR Volunteer Leroy Frahm. The three supervisors were nominated by CW2 Adam Hall of the 173rd BEB.

CW2 Hall said, "From the beginning of my employment at MJ Electric, the benefit of my military experience, leadership background and ability to communicate was acknowledged. Rob Schuh as director and Branden Billman for providing me an opportunity to work for MJ Electric, and Eric Rogers for making it clear that he is happy to have me on the team and knows my background will help to build the culture of the team. The leadership team for at MJ Electric have been extremely understanding when it comes to my time away for military service."

Pictured (L to R): LeRoy Frahm, ESGR, Branden Billman, Superintendent, Eric Rogers, Supervisor, Rob Schuh, Supervisor, and CW2 Adam Hall.

Recently, Fairway Inn and Suites in Mishicot hosted a Yellow Ribbon Event for the 127th Infantry Regiment. As an added bonus, Fairway signed a Statement of Support.

Shown is ESGR Volunteer LeRoy Frahm with the Manager of Fairway at the SoS signing.

On July 13, ESGR Volunteer Deborah Severson presented a Patriot Award to Todd Hoffman, at UW Provision, in Middleton. The nominator was Bryan Klingler of the 826th Ordnance Company, USAR.

Bryan said of Todd Hoffman, "Todd deserves the award for all the hard work he does in making sure every driver is taken care of, he held the position while I was on deployment before even meeting me in person, which is a a relief that I actually found a company who accepts me for being in the military. Todd recognizes employees for the hard-work they do.

Todd also signed a Statement of Support on behalf of UW Provision. About 30 employees joined in for the award presentation.

Pictured here: Deborah Severson and Todd Hoffman with Bryan Klingler zooming in the background.

On July 15, ESGR Volunteer Bill Rheingans presented a Patriot Award to Sherry Wiesner, of the Clement J Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. Nominator LCDR Joellyn Heller said of Ms. Wiesner and the VA Center as a whole, "In the 5 years of service, I have been placed on orders twice and often had to leave with short notice to complete unit tasks, my team and manager understand this with their full support."
In addition, signing a Statement of Support for the Medical Center was Dr. William Dzwiezynski.
Pictured here (L to R): Dr. Dzwierzynski; Mandi Casey, Nurse Manager of Outpatient Surgical Services; LCDR Joellyn Heller RN, Sherry Wiesner (recipient), Assistant Nurse Manager of Outpatient Surgical Services; and Bill Rheingans (ESGR).

On 22 July, the Wisconsin ESGR hosted approximately 40 employers from across the state to a Bosslift at Fort McCoy. Employers from five sites; Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Wausau and Eau Claire were flown on Blackhawk helicpoters piloted by the 147th Aviation Battalion, Wisconsin Army National Guard.

Once on the ground, they received briefings from Jim Malcolm, Chairman of the Wisconson ESGR committee and BG Bryon Aderman, BG Paul Gapinski, and CSM Duane Weyer, from the Wisconsin National Guard on the critical role they play in the nation's defense in supporting their citizen soldier employees.

Following, the participants received hands on experiences with army weapons and equipment. After a military style lunch at the Wisconsin Military Academy dining facilitiy, they toured the Fort McCoy Commemorative site featuring WW2 era buildings and a variety of military equipment. In the mid -afternoon, they reboarded the choppers for return to their home stations, but not before receiving their "on-flight" MRE meals.

Special thanks to the Wisconsin National Guard, Nick Herpel for arranging the helicopters, Mike Hallquist who facilitated the activities on the ground and the many ESGR volunteers who provided escorts for the participants.