The Missouri Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, honored Johnathan Tallent with a Patriot Award. Tallent is a factory order supervisor for EFCO, a brand of Apogee Enterprises’ Architectural Framing Systems (AFS) segment.
 
First Sergeant James Alberson nominated Tallent for his extraordinary support of employees and family members who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Col. (Ret.) Steve Vanderhoof, Missouri ESGR Area 4 chair, presented the award on July 31 to Tallent at the Apogee AFS Monett facility. He was joined by his family members, employees and colleagues.
 
Part of the EFCO team for 17 years, Tallent was hired to work on the shop floor before he moved into the factory order department. For the last seven years, Tallent has worked with Alberson who is a factory order technician 2. In addition to his role at EFCO, Alberson has served in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2008 and is assigned to the 329th Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Company in Orlando.
 
Alberson complimented Tallent saying, “I attribute my military success in large part to Johnathan. The opportunities he enabled for me – by allowing additional time off for example – are monumental. My military obligations are frequent. Sometimes, it’s a few days, but it could be weeks, and one time was for an entire year. Without his willingness to work with me above and beyond what is required by law, my military career would’ve been stunted. Best civilian supervisor I’ve ever had.”
 
 “James works hard and takes both of his roles at EFCO and the Army Reserve as equally important. He would always discuss with me his chances for advancement in the Army Reserve and what would be needed of him to accomplish his goal,” shared Tallent. “When he steps away to fulfill his duties in the Army Reserve, we always talk and discuss what needs done, so we all stay successful. This couldn’t happen if his team members didn’t put in effort as well. We all help by picking up any work or cover any issues while he is away. This is a great team to work with!”
 
 “The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees,” added Tom Krahenburl, ESGR Missouri Chair. “Supportive supervisors are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation's National Guard and Reserve units."
 
According to ESGR, 1.3 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions with U.S. borders and beyond. ESGR advocates relevant initiatives, recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of applicable laws, and resolves conflict between employers and service members. More information about ESGR employer outreach programs and volunteer opportunities is available at http://www.esgr.mil.