FEATURED EMPLOYEE:
What do you get when you combine an engineer and a mayor? Ambitious, pragmatic, and affable Matt Brolley.
A project engineer at V3 Companies — and village president of Montgomery, Illinois — Matt is truly a rare breed. The devoted husband and father of two young children has somehow found a way to simultaneously pursue two seemingly incongruous career paths. To Matt, his passions are more similar than one might think at first blush.
“My engineering career was the foundation for my political endeavors,” Matt admitted. “Being a project engineer includes management, coordination with municipalities, and building rapport with clients and other agencies. There is a lot of overlap between those responsibilities and what it takes to run a village.”
Matt successfully ran for Mayor of Montgomery in 2013 and is currently serving his second term.
“Three main focus areas for a village president are zoning, police, and public works,” Matt said. “Two of those three are a big part of what we do here at V3 Companies. As mayor, it’s my job to help ensure that Montgomery has the infrastructure it needs, and is planning for the future.”
Happily, Matt’s devotion to civic duty and social responsibility isn’t limited to the residents of his hometown. He was a member of the planning committee for V3’s Social Responsibility program (VSR), a companywide initiative designed to empower employees to give back.
“The committee spent the better part of a year developing the VSR program. We hand-picked five partner organizations, established the time off policy, and helped to promote it internally. The response has been great.”
Today, Matt serves as the V3 Companies liaison for Junior Achievement, a non-profit youth organization dedicated delivering experiential programs on topics ranging from financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. He has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to teach local elementary school students about zoning and urban planning.
On a more global level, Matt participated in a V3-organized Engineers Without Borders trip to Village of Armenta, Honduras in 2016. He spent a week with a team of colleagues building a water storage tank, the “tip of the iceberg” of a four-year project that aimed to bring consistent, clean drinking water to the community.
So, what’s next for this politically-minded humanitarian?
How about a bid for Congress. Matt announced in late June 2017 that he intends to run for representative of Illinois’ 14th Congressional District during the next election cycle.