Founded in 1983 by Shad Thayer as Thayer Awards & Trophies in the Denver metro area, Awards USA Inc. began with a simple frustration: the generic plastic figurines on marble bases that dominated the trophy world just didn’t cut it. As a racquetball teaching pro organizing tournaments across Colorado clubs, Shad started designing his own distinctive, high-quality awards that truly reflected the spirit of competition. Word spread quickly; friends, clubs, and tournament directors from cities across the country began placing orders, and a local side project rapidly grew into a national business. A few years later, the company was officially renamed Awards USA.