Illinois Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

NEWS RELEASE
DATE: February 10, 2011 PHONE: (217) 761-3642
CONTACT: LTC Tim Franklin
E-mail: tim.franklin@us.army.mil

CMT SIGNS STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE GUARD AND RESERVE

Signing recognizes importance of Guard, Reserve service to nation’s defense

SPRINGFIELD – Brian Whitson, chairman and chief executive officer of Crawford,

Murphy and Tilly, Inc., recently signed an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve

Statement of Support as a show of support for employees of the Springfield-based consulting

engineer firm who serve the nation in the National Guard and Reserve.

“The Illinois ESGR Committee appreciates that CMT is willing to make this public

gesture of support on behalf of the men and women of the Guard and Reserve,” said retired Brig.

Gen. John Sheedy, Illinois ESGR Central West Area Chair. “On behalf of our committee chair,

Dr. Michael Ayers, I want to thank Brian Whitson for signing this Statement of Support to

acknowledge the continued importance of service in the National Guard and Reserve to the

defense of our nation.”

In signing a Statement of Support CMT joins with thousands of other employers and

organizations across the country to:

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2-2-2-2-2 SOS SIGNING

 Recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment
Rights Act (USERRA) and ensure managers and supervisors will have the tools needed
to effectively manage employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

 Recognize and support our country’s service members and their families in peace, crises
and war.

“Quite frankly, it would be impossible for the National Guard and Reserve to do

everything they do without employers like CMT who support their military service members,”

said Sheedy. “Our Guardsmen and Reservists would not be able to continue to serve in uniform,

if not for this continued support.”

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense agency. Its

mission is to gain and maintain the support of employers for service in the Reserve Components

by increasing awareness of the law, recognizing outstanding employer support and helping to

resolve conflicts through informal mediation. Thousands of ESGR volunteers nationwide

provide education, consultation and, if needed, neutral mediation for employers of Guardsmen

and Reservists. More information about ESGR outreach programs and services is available at

http://www.esgr.com.

Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. is a full-service consulting engineer firm focused on

aviation, highways and bridges, water and wastewater, and land development. CMT provides

planning, design, and construction observation phase services. Headquartered in Springfield, Ill.,

CMT also has offices in Aurora, Ill., Chicago, Edwardsville, Peoria and Rockford, Ill., as well as

locations in Indianapolis and St. Louis.

For more information about the ESGR Statement of Support or other ESGR programs

and services contact Lt. Col. Tim Franklin (see contact information above).

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PHOTO CAPTION: Brian Whitson (center left), chairman and chief executive officer of
Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc., holds the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
Statement of Support he signed to recognize CMT’s support and appreciation for its employees
who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Pictured with Whitson at the SOS signing are
(from left) ESGR volunteer David Kennedy, retired Brig. Gen. John Sheedy, Illinois ESGR
Central West Area Chair; and CMT employee and U.S. Air Force Reserve Lt. Col., Rich Thuma.
Illinois ESGR photo by Lt. Col. Tim Franklin

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