Marathon Petroleum Employees Receive Patriot Award for Support of Service Member

Key Points

• Lance Foos, an Ohio National Guard Brigade Plans Officer and Marathon Petroleum employee, balanced military duties with civilian responsibilities, showcasing resilience and dedication.
• Throughout challenging times of deployment, Foos's colleagues at Marathon Petroleum demonstrated genuine support for his service, emphasizing the company's commitment to its employees' well-being.
• Foos's supervisors, Kathy Treece and Mike Langhals, received the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award for their exceptional support, reflecting Marathon Petroleum's culture of backing its service member employees.

Brigade Plans Officer Lance Foos has been with the Ohio National Guard for more than 16 years. In 2019, he assumed Company Command and led a Calvary Troop. At the time, he was working concurrently with Marathon Petroleum’s Terminal Services Systems Support group. That same year, he had to take time off from his job at Marathon Petroleum to fulfill his duties in the military. He started a strict training program at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Ft. Polk, Louisiana.

“During the rigorous train up cycle, the path was fraught with unforeseen challenges, especially with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,” said Foos. “My troop was tasked with critical missions across the state, supporting numerous food banks, uplifting Department of Corrections personnel, and administering testing facilities, amidst continuous training.”

In 2022, Foos was deployed to Iraq for 13 months. He was touched by the care his Marathon Petroleum colleagues showed his family during his leave. Members of HONOR, the Marathon Petroleum Veteran’s employee network chapter in Findlay, Ohio, sent a care package to his family while he was away from home.

“This genuine concern and encouragement exemplify the ethos of Marathon Petroleum, a company that profoundly values and upholds the spirit of service,” said Foos. “Upon my return, the thoughtful and understanding approach of my leaders Kathy Treece and Mike Langhals facilitated a smooth transition back to my role, underscoring their unwavering support for service members.”

“It’s part of our culture to support our coworkers, and I’m glad he felt that we made a positive difference.”

When Foos returned to his role at Marathon Petroleum, his supervisor Mike Langhals, Technology and Process Improvement Supervisor, asked Foos how they could make his transition back to work easier.

“I hadn’t had someone in the military report to me before,” said Langhals. “When Lance came back, I asked him what do you need? He’s the one who made the sacrifice for his family and our country. His sacrifice was huge, and we needed to support him and ease the burden.”

That support prompted Foos to nominate Treece, Terminal Services Systems Support Manager, and Langhals for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Service Member Patriot Award. The ESGR is a Department of Defense organization that promotes cooperation and understanding between service members and their civilian employers. An employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve may nominate supervisors for support provided directly to the nominating service member. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures.

Treece and Langhals both received the Patriot Award for their unwavering support of Foos.

“I was surprised,” said Langhals. “He didn’t need to do that, but he really wanted to. He felt that our actions and the actions of the company made a difference for him. It’s part of our culture to support our coworkers, and I’m glad he felt that we made a positive difference.”

Working at Marathon Petroleum

Our employees include former and retired members of the armed services, active reservists and National Guard members, and we’re honored to support their transition to civilian careers.

Marathon Petroleum proudly offers the following benefits to our employees: competitive pay and bonuses, health insurance, retirement savings plans and relocation assistance for select opportunities.

We also offer an enhanced vacation benefit that recognizes active-duty service. In accordance with our vacation plan, employees with full-time active-duty service in the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible to receive up to 10 years of credit for vacation purposes upon hire.

Visit our Benefits site to learn more or search for Job Openings now.