For men and women actively serving in the military reserves, working for a civilian employer while fulfilling military commitments can be a difficult balancing act. As a company founded by a military family, Group CBS understands the sacrifices our service members make and values the skills and tireless work ethic soldiers possess.
Last fall, U.S. Army Reservist and CBS ArcSafe machinist Danny Nunn received orders for a 13-month deployment. He knew he would have the support of CBS ArcSafe and Group CBS and wanted to recognize the company for its efforts. Nunn nominated his supervisor, Ben Walterscheid, for the Patriot Award through the Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program.
The ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers. The Patriot Award recognizes employers that support reservists by allowing for flexible schedules, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence.
On November 17, 2021, Texas ESGR volunteer J. P. Hogan presented Walterscheid with the Patriot Award, recognizing CBS ArcSafe for keeping our National Guard and Army Reserves employed while on tour.
“My grandfather served in World War II, and I’ve always had a tremendous respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line for everybody else,” said Walterscheid. “But I don’t believe that I did anything special. I’m just the vessel that this got awarded to. It’s really a testament to the business and the group for creating a culture of acceptance.”
In the case of Nunn, Walterscheid recalled hiring him to fill an opening after a longtime machinist retired. “It was a really big spot to fill,” he noted, particularly because manual machining is a dying art. But Nunn, with two decades of machinist experience under his belt, was able to apply his skills and quickly pick up where the former machinist had left off. “Not only could he do a lot of the CNC programming on the machines,” said Walterscheid, “he was also able to revive the manual skills he had learned over his 20 years of being a machinist.”
In fact, Nunn provided an instantaneous boost to the machine shop, according to Walterscheid. “He was a really great fit. We can’t wait for him to come back!”
While Nunn is away, machine shop supervisor Brad Morrell and other members of the team pitch in to fill the void. “It’s a collaborative effort to make sure all the parts and pieces are where they need to be. I’m proud to work on a team here at CBS ArcSafe that can do that.”
CBS ArcSafe is committed to creating a culture of inclusion; the company employs several active service men and women across its divisions. Waltersheid credits that philosophy for the recognition that he received. “It’s the culture of Group CBS and CBS ArcSafe — taking care of everybody and treating them as if they’re one of your own. And that’s basically what we did,” he said. “I appreciate Danny putting us in for a recommendation. It was a great honor and very, very unexpected.”
At the end of the day, Walterscheid said it’s about being a good human being. “We understand that our military employees have responsibilities outside of work and that they’re trying to fulfill their duties. And it has just worked out — for everybody.”