FYI-For Your Information, Inc., has been honored with the "Above and Beyond Award" from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). This award is provided by regional ESGR committees in honor of employers who go above and beyond to provide support for the National Guard and Reserve. According to ESGR, FYI demonstrates “leadership and personnel policies that support employee participation in the Guard and Reserve.”

FYI was nominated by Brian Jakl and Michael Bowerman, who worked for FYI on a Labor Department contract. Brian is an active member of the Naval Reserves and Michael has served two tours in Iraq with the United States Marines. Brian and Michael provided support to deploying troops by offering valuable Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) information to service members. USERRA is a federal law protecting de-mobilized military men and women from employment discrimination, upon returning to their civilian jobs.

Brian and Michael served at locations around New Jersey including Fort Dix and near Atlantic City on weekends and holidays, assisting service members during mobilizations or demobilizations. They also represented the Government at Yellow Ribbon events around the area disseminating USERRA information to service members and their families. Brian continues to be a valuable asset to ESGR, serving as an ESGR volunteer on an as-needed basis.

David Bachrach (right), FYI's Director of Management Services, and Tamara Bouret (left), FYI's Recruiting Manager, supported Brian and Michael's efforts on this contract. Throughout the contract, David and Tamara ensured that they had all the resources and training they needed to carry out their mission in support of ESGR and the U.S. service members they assist on a daily basis.

FYI also attended an ESGR Bosslift in June 2010, in Baltimore. Bosslift is an initiative that allows employers a sneak peek into what members of the Reserves do while away from their civilian jobs.

FYI remains a strong supporter of our service members and military units. The ESGR contract is just part of FYI’s history of commitment to supporting service members and military veterans. In 2010, as much as 28% of FYI’s workforce was active-duty reserves or retired military.

In addition to 25 years supporting the U.S. Coast Guard, FYI has worked one-on-one with severely wounded veterans in getting them job training and placements in full-time jobs as part of REALifelines. Our work supporting the Navy Safe Harbor program involved coordinating the non-medical care of wounded, ill, and injured Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, and family members. FYI also played a key role in administering a component of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for the Labor Department, and helped the Labor Department to aggregate and analyze veteran employment data, nationwide. Additional nationwide efforts included supporting the Government’s effort to directly employ a greater number of post-Iraq and -Afghanistan veterans. In short, FYI is a go-to vendor for solid, boots-on-the-ground military program administrative support.

About ESGR

Established in 1972, the ESGR is an agency under the Department of Defense (DoD) that promotes coordination between Reserves and civilian employers around the country. Business leaders from dozens of civilian industries make up the 4,500 volunteers that serve on local ESGR Field Committees and help protect the employment rights of Reserves and to help assist in conflict resolution.