The Power of ESGR Volunteerism E2
“We all Serve” is the ESGR motto and it’s a labor of love for the hundreds of volunteers across the nation who support the organization through their donated time and expertise. Although ESGR is a Department of Defense program, it’s run almost entirely by volunteers.
We explore the power of volunteerism in the latest ESGR podcast produced by Phoenix Business RadioX. The power and emotional rewards of volunteering come to life in the latest Arizona ESGR podcast. We’ll hear from individuals who have spent decades donating their time and talents to support Guard and Reserve members and those who employ them. Learn how this labor of love is vital to our national defense and today’s all-volunteer military.
#ESGR #CitizenSoldier #Guard #Reserve
Scott Essex began his career in banking in 1975 and was the Manager of the Mortgage Department at Citizens Bank in Flint Michigan when he moved to Arizona in 1986 after graduating with a BS from Michigan State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Initially, he worked for The Arizona Bank then Northern Trust before managing the Trust Department for Biltmore Investors Bank in Phoenix.
He retired in 1998 from his career in banking to be with family, travel, write novels and is currently marketing two books and working on three others.
Retirement took a different direction than anticipated. Scott found himself heavily involved in community service on many different levels, serving on the boards of the Maya Research Program at TCU, the New School for the Arts in Tempe, Project Challenge, 161st PANG Patriots and Tempe Sister Cities. He served on various committees for the Fiesta Bowl Committee, the Tempe Diablos, Diplomats and Military Affairs Committees, the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission and Michigan State West Coast Regional Council and local alumni board.
Scott has been a volunteer for the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) since 1989. Chaired the AZ ESGR State Committee from 2006 to 2012 and the ESGR National Subcommittee on Outreach 2008-2010, switching over to a staff position 2012 to support Service Member employment and volunteer activities.
Mitch Wentzel has worked for TriWest for two years serving as the Program Manager for Small & Disadvantaged Businesses. His job is to seek out and engage with small businesses that are certified in the following categories: Service Disabled Veteran Owned, Veteran Owned, Woman Owned, Minority Owned or are located in a HUBZone.
Mitch served in the Marine Corps Reserve for thirty years and retired as a CWO-4. He served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1991 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Both of his sons currently serve in the Marine Corps. Along with volunteering with the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, Mitch is also on the Board of Directors for the Veteran’s Heritage Project.
He also currently serves in the volunteer role of Employer Outreach Director for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) AZ.
Follow TriWest on LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Your Co-Hosts
Dan Irving is Arizona State Chair of Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve. During a 38-year career in the Arizona National Guard, he served as the Arizona Air Guard’s Command Chief Master Sergeant and the senior enlisted advisor to the Arizona Adjutant General.
Today, Dan owns and operates Irving Management Solutions, a consulting company specializing in aviation Part 145 FAA repair stations.
Mike Phillips is the public affairs director for Arizona ESGR. He is a Marine Corps veteran who spent a career in journalism and municipal communications.
Mike is a freelance writer and co-founder of the Arizona Baseball Legacy and Experience, an organization that celebrates the state’s rich baseball history.
About ESGR
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense agency run almost entirely by volunteers. Its mission is to support Citizen Soldiers and those who employ them. It seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees.
About the “We All Serve” Podcast Series
Members of the National Guard and Reserve are making a difference every day near home and around the world. The ESGR podcasts celebrate that service and the employers who support our “Citizen Soldiers” and their vital contribution to our national defense.
