CPPI honored by Department of Defense
From esgr.mil
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense program, announced that Brian Leslie, president and principal of Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI) received the ESGR Seven Seals Award. This award is in recognition of the extraordinary support of Company employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
“The ESGR Seven Seals Award was created to publicly recognize U.S. employers providing exceptional patriotic support and cooperation to their employees who have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said ESGR State Vice-Chair Tim Lambert. “Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units. By valuing the military service of their Guard and Reserve employees, employers are directly supporting the readiness and retention of our All-Volunteer Force, and our national defense.”
CPPI joins thousands of American employers who have reviewed and amended their current human resources policies to ensure compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Many employers provide support far beyond what USERRA requires, including pay differential to offset the loss of wages, and extension of health care benefits to complement coverage provided by the military when their employees mobilized.
Also at the ceremony, Matt Pinkoson, CPPI’s VP/Regional Manager of North Central Florida, was presented a Patriot Award, by Tim Lambert of DoD ESGR, in recognition of his tremendous support of his employee, Mississippi Army National Guard Captain Donald Drummond.
“The Patriot Award was created by the Department of Defense to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the Citizen Warriors before them, have answered the Nation’s call to serve,” said Tim Lambert, ESGR State Vice-Chair for the North Florida Region.
Captain Drummond said in his Nomination Narrative, “Having two careers requires additional efforts, understanding and quick reactions by a civilian supervisor. The variables thrown into a Service Member’s path by military service are often unscheduled and at inconvenient times. In March 2021, I was activated by the State of Mississippi to be the Battle Captain of the 890th Engineer Battalion for the COVID19 Response. This domestic mobilization occurred quickly with only a one-week notice. I would not consider one week to be adequate time for me to transition someone into my position and take over my construction projects. My Supervisor, Matt Pinkoson, was quick to receive this information, put out initial guidance to CPPI and start working on a plan to best help me through this transition. He understood the time crunch and brought in a replacement quickly. Matt and I continued to stay in touch during the six months he worked behind the scenes to ensure I had a project to return to. When I came back from COVID19 mobilization, Matt made time to get me back up to speed on the current status of the projects. I am very grateful he helped me throughout 2021.”
ESGR is a Department of Defense program that for 50 years has engaged, recognized, and educated employers and we are truly grateful for their support. ESGR works to develop and promote supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws. ESGR also aids in resolving conflicts between Service members and their employers.
For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call 1-800-336-4590 or visit www.esgr.mil/FL.