banner
Russell Hampton
ClubRunner
ClubRunner Mobile
Bulletin Editor
Gary Miller
Getting to Know our Members
Getting to Know Craig Buhrendorf

Craig Buhrendorf was born in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Westfield, New Jersey. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and is the third generation member of his family to graduate college with a Mechanical Engineering degree. While at Lehigh, Craig was actively involved with the Lehigh Radio Network as a “progressive rock” deejay, serving first as Program Director for its FM station, and later as General Manager for the AM-FM network. Craig also belonged to Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, where he was both Treasurer and President.

After graduation, Craig began his career at General Electric’s aircraft engine manufacturing plant in Lynn, Massachusetts. He had several assignments there, including a stint as a shop foreman. He then switched to selling large industrial machinery, working as an area manager for a couple of smaller international companies and living in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut before settling in Avon in 1984. During that period he closed the largest industrial air compressor order ever for his division and broke into the ski industry with his division’s first sale of air compressors for snowmaking.

In the early 1990’s, Craig pursued a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Connecticut in West Hartford. This prepared him for a new career in financial services sales, and in 1995 he became employed by Smith Barney in Hartford as a Financial Advisor. After fourteen years of commuting to Hartford, Craig took advantage of an opportunity to work in a more independent environment closer to home and became affiliated with Raymond James in Avon, where he has focused on serving mid to upper level insurance executives since 2009.

Craig joined the Rotary of Avon-Canton in 1998 and is well renowned for his slide presentations that showcase the many trips that he has taken with his wife Jeane, a dentist with her own practice in West Hartford. Craig and Jeane, over their twenty-eight years of marriage, have traveled to some rather unusual destinations, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Bali, Ecuador, South Africa and India. One of their most memorable trips involved spending a day distributing school supplies purchased with funds donated by club members to students at a rural elementary school near Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Craig is a Rotary Past President and a Paul Harris recipient. He has served as silent auction chair for the golf tournament, chair of the Tastes-of-the-Valley fundraiser and co-chair of the Youth Exchange Committee. He currently chairs both the International and Investment committees and is the Club’s biographer. In addition to travel, Craig enjoys hiking, biking and cooking. He is an avid New York Yankees fan.

Read more...
Speakers
Aug 09, 2019
Aug 16, 2019
Guiding Light
Aug 23, 2019
iDevice
Aug 30, 2019
Haitian Water Project
Sep 06, 2019
Amber Alert
Sep 13, 2019
A Promise to Jordan
View entire list
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Immediate Past President
 
Treasurer
 
Secretary
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
 
Foundation Chair
 
Membership
 
Board Member-at-Large
 
Board Member-at-Large
 
Asst Treasurer
 
Interact Chair
 
EarlyRiser Presentations
The Annotated Guide to Ending Polio
GLO Fall 2017 Mission Trip
Eastern Europe Trip to Vienna and Prague Presentation
Avon Village Center Project Presentation
Club Information
Rotary of Avon-Canton - Founded 1973
Avon-Canton
Service above Self
We meet Fridays at 7:30 AM
Avon Old Farms Hotel
279 Avon Mountain Rd.
Avon, CT  06001
United States of America
DistrictSiteIcon District Site
VenueMap Venue Map
Upcoming Meeting Speaker
Holly Blacker
Camp Wightman
Sergeant-at-Arms Report
February 8, 2019
 
Members Present: 38
 
Make-Ups: None  
Guests: 
Speaker Stacy Perrone-Petta - guest of Robin DiNicola
Lisa Wright, Club House Manager at the Golf Club of Avon (prospective member) - guest of Gary Hyde
Visiting Rotarians: None
Happy Dollars: $9
Raffle Winner: Chris Lomadrid
 
Birthdays
 
Not present but celebrating a birthday: Kurt Lux
                                                                                                                                                    
 
Happy Dollars
 
 
Josh Gillooly was pleased that 5 Rotarians attended the Norcom Cares event at the North House. The event was a great success. One of the fundraising ideas will be used at TOTV. A bottle toss with bottles of wine and rings will replace the bag pull that has been used at our event.
 
Linda Pendergast said she is leaving for Portugal for 2 weeks and won't see us until they return.
 
Bill Barnes had a funny story about a young reporter whose assignment was to visit all the cathedrals across the US. At each one he noticed a large golden telephone with a direct line to Heaven at the rate of $50,000 per minute. At the cathedral in Boston he noticed that the sign said 25 cents per minute and wondered at the vast difference in cost. The parish priest explained that it was a local call in Boston. Something to do with the Patriots and the Red Sox. Go figure...
 
Rollie Sterrett was heading up to Colgate for a hockey weekend with his college roommate.
 
Our speaker, Stacy Perrone-Petta, thanked Robin DiNicola for inviting her today.
 
Salin Low was pleased to report that the local news had featured Beans & Co on a recent newscast. She reminded us that we will be holding the March 22nd meeting there.
 
Gary Hyde introduced the Golf Club of Avon's Club House Manager, Lisa Wright, who is considering becoming a member.
 
Alicia Canning reported that her daughter's recent PET scan showed that the issues in her back were clear. We all wished her daughter continued progress with her chemotherapy.
 
Carrie Firestone received a fine for a recent picture in the Hartford Magazine. Carrie was featured for receiving the Woman of the Year award from the Village for Families and Children. 
 
Don Bonner showed a full page advertisement from the newspaper in which the Salvation Army thanked their various contributors and sponsors for a very successful fundraising season. The Rotary of Avon-Canton was featured as a sponsor.
 
Announcements
 
Phil Worley said that Rotary Pub Night was being moved to Wednesday, the 13th, due to a conflict with the TOTV Committee meeting. Come to the Season's bar at AOFH from 4-6 PM and join other fellow Rotarians.
 
Foundation Chair, Joanne Santiago, is seeking nominees for our annual Community Paul Harris Fellow recognitions. Please contact Joanne or one of the other Foundation Committee members with your suggestions. We typically honor 2-3 citizens each from Avon and Canton.
 
The 7890 District Conference will be May 3-4 at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Danvers, MA. Five districts including our own will be represented. The event starts with the Foundation Luncheon on Friday. For a full schedule and registration follow this link:
District Conference Registration
 
Gary Miller is looking for a few good members to purchase annual website ads for $100/yr. This supports the cost of the ClubRunner software and website subscription. Ads cycle every few seconds at the upper left-hand corner of the website and are a good way to promote member businesses. Contact Gary if interested.
 
 
Calendar of Upcoming Events
Taste of the Valley will be held Saturday, March 30 at 6 PM. 
 
Induction of New Members
None this week.
 
 

Awards - none today
 
 

 
Presentation
 
Stacy Perrone-Petta
Patriots' Day Initiative
 
Robin DiNicola introduced her friend and fellow Wolcott resident. She and Stacy met at a Wolcott Exchange Club meeting and immediately found they had very common interests and became good friends. Stacy was organizing a can drive for luminary bags for the 2018 Veteran's Vigil and Luminary Ceremony. Stacy is a vocal coach with a music career that spans 30 years. She is a former Miss Connecticut in 1996 and has toured twice with the USO. 
 
Stacy is an Ambassador for the Patriot's Day Initiative which strives to recognize this day in all 169 towns and villages across our state. Patriots' Day commemorates the opening battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The day is a state holiday in Massachusetts, Maine (which was a part of the Bay State until the early 19th century) and Wisconsin. Maine followed Massachusetts in 1907 and replaced its Fast Day with Patriot's Day. Through Stacy's efforts and those of two state legislators, a bill was passed in the CT Legislature. On June 10, 2017, Governor Dannel Malloy signed the bill establishing Patriots' Day as a statewide unpaid holiday in Connecticut. On April 16, 2018 Connecticut became the 4th state to recognize the holiday.
 
Stacy talked about our "American Inheritance" that needs to be defended and honored. She said they we need to learn and teach our children how to spend our inheritance wisely. Through acts of "bold patriotism" we can promote the initiative across the state through celebrations of all sorts. A Facebook page has been established to connect people with the initiative: Patriots' Day in Connecticut.
 
 

 


 
Mail Bag
 
Nothing this week.
 
Photo Credits 
Photographs courtesy of Phil Worley, and member Facebook postings.
 
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?