ESGR Recognizes Top 2022 Employers

A global biopharmaceutical company, a national laboratory and four local police departments are among the 15 recipients of the 2022 Secretary of Defense Freedom Award, the U.S. government’s highest honor for employers of National Guard and Reserve personnel.

Each of the recipients was nominated by a Guard or Reserve employee working for their organization.

Celebrating its 26th year, the Freedom Award began in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional employer support, with 325 honorees to date.

ESGR received 2,777 nominations for the award for employers throughout the 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. 

The recipients distinguished themselves by vastly exceeding the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act to support their Guard and Reserve employees. 

The 2022 Freedom Award recipients will be recognized in local ceremonies by ESGR state officials.

This year’s recipients are listed by employer name, location and the nominator’s component and state:

• Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska (Air National Guard, Alaska)
• Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, N.J. (Air National Guard, New Jersey)
• Charles Perry Partners Inc., Gainesville, Fla. (Army National Guard, Florida)
• Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Charleston, S.C. (Air Force Reserve, South Carolina)
• Check Defense, Raleigh, N.C. (Army National Guard, North Carolina)
• Coalfire Systems Inc., Westminster, Colo. (Navy Reserve, Colorado)
• Flemingsburg Police Department, Flemingsburg, Ky. (Army National Guard, Kentucky)
• Gate City Bank, Fargo, N.D. (Army National Guard, North Dakota)
• HJ Pertzborn Plumbing and Fire Protection, Madison, Wis. (Army Reserve, Wisconsin)
• Infinity Systems Engineering LLC, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Air Force Reserve, Colorado)
• Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Golden, Colo. (Air National Guard, Colorado)
• Phoenix Fab LLC, Chandler, Ariz. (Air National Guard, Arizona)
• Storm Lake Police Department, Storm Lake, Iowa (Army National Guard, Iowa)
• TeleTracking Technologies, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Army Reserve, Pennsylvania)
• UT-Battelle (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Oak Ridge, Tenn. (Air National Guard, Tennessee)

For more information about the Freedom Award, visit www.FreedomAward.mil. To learn more about ESGR, a Defense Personnel and Family Support Office program, visit www.ESGR.mil.