WARREN, Vermont ??” Sugarbush Resort last week was awarded the Patriot Award by the United States National Guard for the Resort’s support of its employees serving overseas. The honor is bestowed upon businesses that go above and beyond what is required by law to not only accommodate employees returning from overseas, but also offering assistance to their families while they are abroad. With the recent deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and the U.S. Gulf region, thousands of men and women have had to leave their civilian positions to serve overseas.

Todd Farnham, a member of the Sugarbush Facilities team, and Lieutenant LaBarre, the commanding officer of the Vermont National Guard’s 86th Field Artillery Battalion out of Waterbury, presented the award. Farnham and LaBarre served together in Iraq for more than a year, providing convoy support and patrolling the roads south of Baghdad.

“Todd, or as I knew him, Sergeant Farnham, was a key member of our team. Not only was he a good guy to have when things heated up, but he was great with the kids we encountered in the Iraqi villages,” said LaBarre during the award presentation to Sugarbush owners Bob Ackland, Adam Greshin and Win Smith. “To know your company back home is looking out for your wife and kids while you’re away takes a heavy burden off of your mind.”

Todd Farnham has served in the Vermont National Guard for more than two decades and has been a fixture at Sugarbush for years. After returning from Iraq this past spring, he was re-deployed to Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

“I’ve got a wife and two kids,” remarked Farnham, who is back Sugarbush. “It was nice to know Sugarbush was sending care packages and helping out with birthdays while I was away.”

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