Jess Parks is presented the ESGR Patriot Award by Dennis Hansen, ESGR Area Chairman
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
MCPHERSON, Kan. — Kansas Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, announced that Jess Parks with Jomax was honored with a Patriot Award Dec. 23 in recognition of extraordinary support of Spc. Ryan Dryer, his employee and a member of 1438th Multi-Role Bridge Company, Army National Guard located in Macon, Mo.
According to ESGR State Chairman Walt Frederick, “the Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees.”
Dryer said “Jess hired me August 20th not knowing I had to drive to Missouri for Drill the 23rd and the 24th of the same month. I had told him that I had to leave for the weekend after he hired me and he was more than happy to let me off. Two weeks later on the 13th and 14th of September I had to report back to drill. Once again he was fine with it. He understands that drill is supposed to only be once a month. The weekend of the 27th and 28th my unit advised that October drill was not only the following weekend (Oct. 3-5) but it would be a two and a half day event. I was stressed to the point I thought I was going to lose my job because of the inconvenience the military was creating for my employer. At Jomax we work on the pipeline in Kansas Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The company is under stress when employees do not show up, yet Jess Parks was always understanding and supportive of my time off, even with short notice. I recommend Jess Parks for a higher award than the ‘My Boss is a Patriot’ award for the following reasons:
“He discusses my military duties with my immediate supervisor (Gary Stigall) and was more than happy to let me off for military training. Mr. Parks has paid me for the time off for military duty,” Dryer said.
Jess Parks accepted the award from Dennis Hansen, Kansas ESGR Area Chairman. Afterward, Jess Parks signed a Statement of Support recognizing the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) on behalf of Jomax.
For more information about ESGR Outreach Programs, or ESGR volunteer opportunities, call 1-800-336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.