Department of Defense Program Recognizes Employers Supporting Citizen Warriors

Wichita, KS -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/30/2017 --The Wichita Furniture & Mattress/Furniture On Consignment, Ashley HomeStore Wichita District Sales Manager has been recognized with the Patriot Award by the Employer Support of The Guard & Reserve (ESGR) organization.

The Patriot Award is given to an individual supervisor for support provided directly to a nominating Service member and his or her family. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

"Knowing how much our service members give our nation, it's only natural that we give them as much support as we can to perform their roles at Wichita Furniture and in The Guard or Reserve," said Jay Storey, Owner of Wichita Furniture.

The U.S. has never relied more on Guard and Reserve Service members, who have been on continuous operations for more than 14 years. Employer support strengthens our national security by enhancing retention rates in the Armed Forces.

To recognize employers who support their Guard and Reserve employees, ESGR grants a series of Department of Defense awards. Recognizing supportive employers is vital to ESGR's mission. ESGR's 54 State Committees actively promote awards as a key element in furthering employer support, while strengthening relationships between service members and employers. These Department of Defense awards honor the sacrifices made by so many employers year after year.

About Wichita Furniture
Wichita Furniture is the Parent company of Furniture On Consignment and Wichita Furniture & Mattress. Furniture on Consignment opened in 1989 in a 10,000 sq ft showroom at Second and Cleveland streets in Wichita, offering an alternative hassle free way to buy & sell gently used furniture items. New furniture closeout pieces direct from manufacturers were added to the showroom within the first year of opening. In 1990 the store expanded to a 30,000 sq ft. location just west of Oliver on 13th Street, where Furniture on Consignment still operates today.

New furniture is displayed in an expanded 59,000 sq ft Wichita Furniture & Mattress showroom at 13th and Terrace. In addition, Wichita Furniture & Mattress operates more than 70,000 sq ft. of distribution facilities and Wichita's largest dedicated fleet of furniture and mattress delivery trucks.

About Employers Supporting the Guard and Reserve
ESGR, a Department of Defense program, was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. ESGR is supported by a network of more than 4,000 volunteers in 54 committees located across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Volunteers, hailing from small business and industry, government, education, and prior military service bring a vast wealth of experience to assist in serving employers, Service members, and their families. Together with Headquarters ESGR staff and a small cadre of support staff for each State Committee, volunteers work to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the Guard and Reserve.