Spire has been honored for supporting employees in the armed forces
The Missouri Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has recognized Spire and three of its employees with awards for their commitment to supporting employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.
ESGR is a U.S. Department of Defense program that promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve.
Spire received ESGR’s prestigious Pro Patria Award, which is the highest-level award that may be bestowed by an ESGR state committee and its second-highest overall award.
ESGR also recognized Spire employees Allan Moore and Laura Bettag with its Patriot Award and Sondra Brown with the ESGR Seven Seals Award for their individual support of Guard and Reserve employees. Spire employees who serve nominated them for the award. Brown and Moore were nominated by Crisis Management Manager and Senior Master Sgt. Mike Schormann, who was deployed in January 2020 to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Schormann said that Brown, vice president of audit and enterprise risk, met with him and his wife, Angie, before his deployment. While Schormann was deployed, Brown went the extra mile to check on Angie, send care packages to his daughters, update him on business matters and offer further support. Meanwhile, Moore, who is Spire’s director of corporate security and crisis management, made sure Schormann was given the time he needed to prepare and be with his family before leaving for his 230-plus-day deployment. Schormann said this is the type of support he has come to know and appreciate from working with Moore, and it enables a culture of transparency when discussing his military commitments.
Moore told American Gas, “It was imperative to me and our team that we support his service in any way we could … Mike Schormann is a shining example of Spire’s mission statement, ‘Answer every challenge, advance every community and enrich every life through the strength of our energy.’ He is as committed as they come, to this company and to our armed forces.”
As human resources operations specialist, Bettag works with Spire’s military members as they perform their annual weekend duties, two-week trainings, emergency call-ups or long deployments, making sure paperwork is completed and policies followed, and promoting crucial communication throughout the process.
“This past year has been a challenge for all. Our military employees were often called up for emergency duty, literally leaving work and immediately heading to their assignment. Under these circumstances, I assured our employees that everything would be taken care of without fail,” Bettag told American Gas. “It has truly been my honor to help the men and women of Spire as they keep our country safe.”
The natural gas provider has 27 employees who currently serve in the Guard and Reserve, and nearly 6% of the company’s total workforce claims veteran status.