We are proud to support the Guard and Reserve, but never expected to be awarded with the “Above and Beyond Award” from the Minnesota Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense organization. It is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (OASD/RA), which is in itself a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
BASM was awarded with the Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve Above and Beyond Award at a celebration dinner on April 20th honoring the recipient companies.
“We felt very honored to be among the 23 companies recognized with the Above and Beyond Award, considering there were 800 nominations submitted,” stated Ron Ketterling, BASM President.
During the awards presentation, Minnesota Governor, Tim Pawlenty, asked Ron how many employees were in the company. When Ron stated seven, Governor Pawlenty proclaimed, “Wow, it’s one thing when you have 100’s of employees … it’s another when you have only 7!”
The nation’s Reserve components comprise approximately 48 percent of our total available military manpower. Our Reserve forces will spend more time away from the workplace defending the nation, supporting a demanding operations tempo and training to maintain their mission readiness.