James Prelog Receives Patriot Award from ESGR
Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office that advocates for the continued support of Guard and Reserve employees, awarded the Patriot Award to James Prelog, civil engineering project manager for Galloway.
The Patriot Award honors supervisors who made efforts to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures, including flexible schedules, time off before and after deployment, care for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.
Mark Hennessey, Colorado ESGR state chair, states, “The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who, like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve.”
Staff Sergeant Matthew Kasch of the 140th Wing United States Air Force and civil design engineer for Galloway nominated James for the award.
“As a result of Galloway’s continued support throughout my time here and particularly for the support shown while deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, ESGR would like to recognize James Prelog and Galloway with the Patriot Award,” said Matthew.
James knows this is a great honor as someone with family in the military.
“It is a great honor to receive this award. Being able to support someone who is serving our nation is the least I can do,” said James. “And the reality is, Galloway has allowed me to support Matthew.”
ESGR aims to create supportive and cooperative work environments between service members and employers, which is precisely what James and Galloway do. When interviewing for jobs, Matthew told each employer about his service and future deployments and could tell Galloway was very supportive of it.
“You could tell the other employers were not sure how it would work, but Galloway immediately started asking me questions about my military career,” said Matthew. “They took an interest in what I love to do, understood why I do it and told me it would not be a problem.”
Matthew is a weapons load crew team chief and manages a team of airmen to maintain, load, and arm weapons stations for fighter jets. He started working for the Colorado National Guard eight years ago at age 19 and has simultaneously worked for Galloway since 2020. In addition to Matthew’s routine duties for the air force, James and Galloway have supported Matthew in an overseas operation in Saudi Arabia and an operation in Wisconsin.
“When we hired him, I understood this was an important piece of his life,” said James. “We allow him to be flexible with his time and keep both commitments because we value people who support our country.”
Galloway’s Northern Colorado office has a glass case displayed with a flag from Matthew’s overseas operation, supporting his military commitment and the unique drive he brings to the team. James even mentioned that while Matthew was overseas, they sent him a care package wrapped in old civil plans.
“Galloway embraces what I do with no questions asked or complaints, even when I sometimes have very short notice,” added Matthew. “I affect James’s deadline, job, and team when I leave. But he respects and appreciates what I do and always gets the work done regardless.
The biggest thing is that he does not let it affect my career development. When I walk back into the office, we pick up where we left off on my career development path. I am appreciative to work for a place like this.”
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