Fitchburg, WI (October 3, 2007)—Tom and Donna Thayer of Tri-North Builders, today received the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award. The award recognizes employers offering personnel policies supporting employees who are members of the National Guard and Reserve. Tom Thayer, Tri-North’s president and CEO and Donna Thayer, company treasurer, were nominated by Tri-North employee and Guard member, Matt Bell. Bell serves as a staff sergeant with the Wisconsin National Guard. He currently serves as an infantry squad leader with C Troop 1–105th Cavalry (RSTA) in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

Attending the ceremony were Mike Smith, executive director of the Wisconsin ESGR and Dave Jensen, chair of ESGR Area 4. Lt. Colonel Michael George, unit commander of C Troop 1–105th Cavalry (RSTA), presented the Patriot Award to the Thayers at a ceremony held at Tri-North’s corporate headquarters in Fitchburg.

“We appreciate civilian employers like Tri-North who support their employees who serve with the Reserve,” said George.

Bell, who has worked at Tri-North since April 2005, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2005 until November 2006. Before being deployed, Tri-North gave Bell two weeks vacation so he could spend time with his family. The company also provided him with a laptop and digital camera so he could easily communicate with family and friends and it sent him monthly care packages. Plus, the company told him not to worry about home maintenance projects while he was away. Anytime his wife, Christine, needed anything she was to call Tri-North and the problem would be taken care of–one less thing for Bell to worry about during his deployment.

“The Thayers and Tri-North were very supportive while I was overseas,” says Bell. “Even today, they continue to support me by gladly working around my drill and annual training schedules.”

“Donna and I are honored to receive this award,” said Tom Thayer. “But all of the staff deserves the recognition. Everyone pulled together for Matt while he was in the Middle East.”

The ESGR is a Department of Defense organization. It is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (OASD/RA), which is part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Established in 1972, ESGR promotes cooperation between Reserve members and civilian employers. The organization also assists in resolving conflicts that might arise from an employee’s military commitment.

Tri-North Builders, Inc. specializes in commercial, healthcare, hospitality, and retail construction throughout 47 states. A leader in green building design and construction, the company has over 300 employees with offices in Fitchburg, Milwaukee, and Dallas.