Tommy Holcombe, General Manager of StarTec Builders in Addison, reads an award presented to StarTec by employee Army Specialist Ethan Downs recognizing StarTec as a Patriotic Employer.

An Addison business was recently recognized with a Patriotic Employer award for its support of a local member of the Army National Guard. 

Specialist Ethan Downs, an employee of Star-Tec Builders, presented the award to Star-Tec’s general manager Tommy Holcombe and plant manager Mairon Camancho. 

Downs, a 2015 Addison High School graduate, is a member of the Army National Guard’s 152nd Military Police Company based in Decatur. He has been in the National Guard for three years, and employed at Star-Tec for one year. 

Downs is deploying soon, and gave the award to Star-Tec to show his appreciation for the support he has received from the company during his mandatory training over the past year. 

Holcombe said his father was in the military for 22 years, so he has a greater understanding of what is required of service members. 

He said when Downs first started working at Star-Tec, Holcombe knew Downs would only be at the company temporarily, so he wanted him to focus on his military commitments first, and worry about his job at Star-Tec second.  

Companies are required to let National Guard members attend their drill weekends, but for anything else, some companies force employees to use vacation days, Holcombe said. 

“That never entered my mind,” he said. 

Holcombe said he was surprised when Downes presented the award to him, but is proud that his company is being recognized for its support of the military. 

“It really felt good to get that,” he said.