Aloha, and welcome to the very first post of G P Roadway Solutions’ Traffic and Safety Blog.

Today was a special day as Rentals supervisor Kelly Lenfest was presented with the Patriot Award from ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) on behalf of G P Roadway Solutions.

ESGR is an agency of the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Reserve Affairs. Their mission is to encourage all American employers to support Guardsmen and Reservist and to educate employers and service members about the USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act); mediate situations between employers and employees and recognize supportive employers.

The Patriot Award honors supervisors who support a Guardsman or Reservist Employee through various measures; including time off prior to and after deployment, granting leaves of absence and providing care for their families.

Kelly, representing GPRS, was nominated for the Patriot Award by Prentiss Anderson.

Prentiss was away from his job for nearly a year, serving some time in the Philippines. Prentiss and Kelly worked together in securing time off for him for training and deployment, and keeping his job open for him until he returned.

Upon returning, Prentiss learned of the Patriot Award. Employers are nominated for the Patriot Award by their employees, and Prentiss decided to nominate Kelly (representing GPRS). He mentioned that many members of his unit didn’t have jobs to come back to, and that he felt very blessed to be able to return to his job.

The award was presented this morning before the Rentals Safety Meeting. The Patriot Award was presented by Ann Greenlee, Hawaii State Director for the Department of Labor’s Veteran’s Employment and Training.

Congratulations to Kelly and the Rentals department for fostering a great environment for not just our Guardmen, but for everyone there! And thanks to Prentiss for the nomination, but more importantly, serving our country!