A supervisor at McMahon was honored Tuesday, August 23, 2022, for his support of an employee who is active in the Marine Corps.
Nick Vande Hey, McMahon vice president and senior municipal and water resources engineer, received the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), for his direct support of Mike Katzenberger, a municipal & water resources engineer and sergeant squad leader in the Marine Corps. The Patriot Award an award given directly to individual supervisors of reservists for their efforts in making the lives of military members possible. Supervisors must be nominated by an employee serving in the Guard or Reserve to be eligible to receive the award.
Katzenberger nominated Vande Hey for his continued support stating Vande Hey has been understanding of the challenges that come with trying to balance work and military service and has been flexible to make sure he is able to meet his commitments both at McMahon and in the Marines.
“This nomination was my small way of saying thank you for putting up with all the sudden changes, lack of notice and large periods of time missed for the Marine Corps,” said Katzenberger. “Coordinating my service is usually one of my largest stressors, but Nick helped to remove most of that stress.”
“When I first heard about the Patriot Award, I thought it was an award Mike was going to receive, and I immediately thought to myself ‘what a deserving guy’,” said Vande Hey. “I chuckled when I learned the honor was for me. It was completely unexpected.”
ESGR presented a framed Patriot Award certificate and accompanying lapel pin to Vande Hey and an acknowledgement to McMahon president Paul Benedict for being a patriotic employer.
“Nick’s support of Mike is an excellent example of McMahon’s service-inspired culture,” said McMahon president Paul Benedict. “We’re lucky to have Mike on our team; finding ways to support him so he can be successful both here and in the Marine Corps is the least we can do for him and others like him who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms.”
