BNSF News

BNSF Supervisors Honored at Patriot Award Ceremony

2009-11-12

On Monday, Nov. 9, several BNSF supervisors were honored for "going above and beyond" to support their employees called to serve in the War on Terrorism.

During the recognition ceremony, the supervisors received Patriot Awards from BNSF leaders and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Texas Committee. These Patriot Awards are part of an ongoing ESGR program that recognizes supervisors' support of service member employees.

Matt Rose, chairman, president and chief executive officer; Carl Ice, executive vice president and chief operations officer; and Dwain James, ESGR executive director and a retired colonel who served 30 years in the Army, presented the awards to the honorees.

"The Patriot Award is a way for employees who are called to serve in active military duty to recognize and thank their supervisors," said Linda Kazanova, vice president, Human Resources and Medical. "Approximately 30 BNSF supervisors have received Patriot Awards to date, and we were honored to recognize several of them during Veterans Day week."

BNSF's policy is to support employees called to active duty, including protecting the service member's job and making the employee's pay whole while he/she is serving. BNSF supervisors who have received the Patriot Award have been cited for taking additional steps, such as helping the family of a deployed employee or inviting the family to company events, when appropriate. Employees have also nominated supervisors they felt were especially supportive and empathetic while the employee served in active duty.

The following supervisors were recognized Nov. 9:

• The late Owen Kenneth Bjerkness, foreman, Strategic Sourcing, Brainerd, Minn.: Nominated by Jennifer Shackle, clerk, Brainerd, Minn., who serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Shackle said, "He loved his country and honored and supported those who served." CaraLee Bjerkness, spouse of the late Kenneth Bjerkness, accepted the award on his behalf.
• John Wiederholt, division engineer, Engineering, Saginaw, Texas: Nominated by Jack Blackwell, assistant roadmaster, Engineering, who serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, for "supporting Jack's transition from his recent deployment to Afghanistan back into the workplace."
• Martin Terry, general foreman, Mechanical, Lincoln, Neb.: Nominated by John Loken, machinist, Lincoln, Neb., who serves in the U.S. Air National Guard, for his "generous support" that enabled him to "fulfill mandatory military obligations to the greatest potential - without question."
• Kenneth Toizumi, supervisor, Signal, Seattle, Wash.: Nominated by Steven Freeman, signal maintainer, Seattle, Wash., who serves in the U.S. Army National Guard, for "the time Ken takes to help veterans at BNSF."
• Justin Smith, maintenance manager, Telecommunications, Springfield, Mo.: Nominated by Kernan Mingo, licensed electrician, Telecom, Memphis, Tenn. who serves in the U.S. Army National Guard, for "supporting my obligations to the country for the past three years... and for the way he shows his appreciation for veterans in the workplace."

In addition to the Patriot Awards, ESGR also presented BNSF an Award of Appreciation for the company's "best-of-the-best" corporate military policies, for promoting welcome-home celebrations and for encouraging projects to support troops actively serving.

"On behalf of the BNSF leadership team, I gladly accept this award," said Rose. "We are pleased to take care of these employees, and look forward to the day all of our troops are home safe and sound, and no longer fighting around the globe."

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