Inspired Homes supervisor recognized for supporting military employee
December 13, 2017
Aaron Roan Left, Taylor Rhodelander Right
It’s been
a big year for all of us at Inspired Homes. We’re thrilled by the incredible pace of
new residential construction happening in our new home communities throughout the Kansas City area. We’re also fortunate to have had some heartwarming moments with our team of dedicated employees, and we wanted to share a recent story with you.
Taylor Rhodelander joined the Inspired Homes team in January 2017 as an estimator. During the interview process, he made sure to mention his military service—he’s in the Army Reserve—because it had posed some unexpected challenges in previous jobs.
“I’ve worked for different employers in the last 8 years and some weren’t very excited about my service commitments,” Taylor says. “But Aaron has gone above and beyond as far as supporting my duty. Even during the interview process, he said it wasn’t a problem.”
And Aaron has stuck by that declaration—so much so, in fact, that when Taylor received a call about unexpected training, he was met with nothing but support and encouragement from Aaron.
“I had training in Texas, and it was fairly last-minute—four days’ notice for one week of training,” Taylor says. “Disregard it being military-related—if you went to your employer and said, ‘I know it’s four days away, but I need to take a week off’—we all know how that would go!”
Instead, Aaron reassured Taylor that his weeklong absence wouldn’t be a problem. Taylor was surprised by—and grateful for—the reaction.
“I can’t think of another employer that I’ve worked for that would have that reaction, that it’s no big deal,” Taylor says.
Upon returning from his training, Taylor wanted to do something for Aaron to show his gratitude. Because of his Reserve experience, Taylor was already familiar with
Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense program that promotes “cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers,” according to ESGR.
What he didn’t realize, however, is that ESGR also offers several employer awards to recognize companies that support their Guard and Reserve employees. Taylor opted to submit a nomination for Aaron. The nomination was successful, and Taylor recently presented Aaron with the
ESGR Patriot Award.
“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 absences if needed,” according to ESGR.
For Taylor, the award was a chance to express his gratitude for Aaron’s commitment to helping all of his employees, including those that are juggling careers and military service.
“Aaron knows that it’s something I have to do, and it’s nice to feel supported,” Taylor says.
Aaron and Taylor, we’re so proud to have you both on the Inspired Homes team. Thank you both for showing all of us the meaning of commitment and service. And congratulations, Aaron, on this well-deserved recognition!
