Alpharetta Business Supports Employee Currently in National Guard in Afghanistan

The Georgia Department of Defense (Georgia National Guard) recently presented the Alpharetta office of engineering firm Burns & McDonnell with the Patriot Award. This prestigious honor is given to an individual supervisor for support of a member of the National Guard.

The award was given to Burns & McDonnell’s Atlanta Regional Manager, Arnold Olender, for supporting the deployment of Powder Springs resident Lucas Rice, a practice leader in the firm’s Global Facilities & Services group.  Rice is currently serving in Afghanistan as a Major with the 48th Infantry Brigade.     

·         Major Rice is responsible for the demobilization planning and field implementation in Kabul.

·         An additional acknowledgment was presented to Burns & McDonnell from Steve Knezo, who is with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

Olender said: “Burns & McDonnell’s Atlanta office is truly proud of Lucas’s service to our country. We are looking forward to his return this fall.”

On a related note, the Atlanta office of Burns & McDonnell designed the new Macon Readiness Center for his unit.  The $13.4 million facility will provide a permanent readiness and training center to support the headquarters of the 48th Brigade Support Battalion.  The 56,000 square foot facility will service about 335 personnel.  It will be ready for occupancy when Major Rice and his fellow soldiers return.