Cardi’s Furniture Company Supports Guard, Reserve Employees

“Cardi's Furniture Superstores is proud to receive this incredible honor,” said Benjamin DeCastro, the company’s promotions director.

Rhode Island National Guardsman Sgt. Gerald Pincins, a Cardi’s employee, nominated the company for the award.

“We are proud of Sergeant Pincins for his bravery while on his tours of duty,” DeCastro said. “We’re also proud of our staff who work hard every day to ensure that we are able to support Sergeant Pincins and other members of the Guard and Reserve while they serve our country.”

The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency established in 1972, runs the Freedom Awards program. ESGR’s mission is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve.

Then-Defense Secretary William Perry instituted the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award under ESGR’s auspices in 1996. The award publicly recognizes employers, nominated by their employees who voluntarily serve in the National Guard and Reserve, for exceptional support above the federal law’s requirements.

“The National Guard and Reserve as well as all armed services are the backbone of the freedom that we enjoy in America,” DeCastro said. “Supporting those who support the country is imperative, as it allows them to focus on their duties while deployed.”

Cardi’s is a third-generation, family-owned and -operated furniture retail chain with stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

“We believe that it is important to be active in the community,” DeCastro said. “We are avid supporters of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, U.S. Marines’ Toys For Tots, the Providence Ronald McDonald House, AIDS Project Rhode Island, Girl Scouts Project Undercover and many more.”

ESGR will present the Freedom Awards Sept. 21 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The owners of Cardi's Furniture -- Nick, Ron and Pete Cardi -- will accept the award on behalf of the company.