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Health & Fitness

Another Successful, Star-Studded Travelers Championship Wraps Up

Middlesex Chamber President Larry McHugh recaps another great Travelers Championship and the 15th Annual Car Cruise on Main Presented by Town Fair Tire and Middletown Nissan.

 

I would like to begin this week’s column by congratulating the people at the on another fantastic week in Cromwell. 

This year’s tournament went very well, and I want to publicly thank the staff led by Tournament Director Nathan Grube, all the volunteers who donated their time to the event, the people of Cromwell who were great hosts once again, and of course, the title sponsor Travelers Companies and their outstanding leaders Jay Fishman, Chairman and CEO and Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer. 

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I would also like to thank one of the players in the field, Connecticut’s own J.J. Henry, for speaking to the Chamber membership at our annual Travelers Championship Member Breakfast last Tuesday. 

We had a big crowd for the event and J.J. did a great job. As I noted last week, this tournament is a huge economic generator and is very important to Middlesex County and the State of the Connecticut. Another Travelers Championship is in the books and we are already looking forward to next year. 

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The First Tee of Connecticut, an organization closely affiliated with the Travelers Championship, was created to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. 

I was honored to attend their Patrons Breakfast on Saturday at the David & Geri Epstein Learning Center which is adjacent to the practice facility at the TPC River Highlands.  The First Tee is a fine organization and I enjoyed spending some time with their group on Saturday morning. 

The 15th Annual , Presented by Town Fair Tire and Middletown Nissan, was held June 20 in downtown Middletown. It was a hot June night on Main Street, and we had a great event with classic cars, thousands of people, and an assortment of food choices from specialty vendors.  I would like to publicly thank Event Chairman Foster Charles and his Committee, Chamber Staff Liaison Cathy Duncan and all the volunteers for their hard work and support. 

A special appreciation goes out to the Sponsors of this huge event: Presenting Sponsors: Town Fair Tire and Middletown Nissan, Diamond Sponsor: Charles Computer Services, Gold Sponsor: NAPA Auto Parts, Silver Sponsors: Liberty Bank, Downtown Business District, AAA Allied Group, Servpro of Middletown & New Britain, and Home Team Supply, Bronze Sponsors: First and Last Tavern, Malloves Jewelers, EG Salon, and Show Mobile Sponsor: Jackson Chevrolet. 

The Cruise Night on Main event would not be complete without the Sponsor Awards.

The 2012 winners are: The Town Fair Tire Choice Award was presented to Elaine Cirillo of East Haddam and her 1934 Candy Apple Red Ford Coupe, Middletown Nissan’s Community Partnership Award was presented to Gary Gargano of North Haven and his 1969 Red 442 Oldsmobile, The NAPA “Know How” Award was presented to Bob Bystrek of Portland for his 1936 Cranberry Ford Pickup, Liberty Bank’s Choice Award was presented to Dave Smith of Southington and his 1956 Cascade Green Chevy Corvette.

The Downtown Business District Main Drag Award was presented to Burt Hirsch of Middletown and his 1959 Blue Ford Skyliner, The AAA Diamond Award was presented to the owner of a 1946 Black Ford Superdeluxe which was formerly owned by NASCAR superstar Joey Logano, Servpro’s Sparkling Clean Award was presented to Ed Makuck of Northford and his 1956 Crocus Yellow & Black Chevy Belair and the Mayor’s Choice Award was presented to Douglas Fernandez of Wethersfield and his 1934 Brown Packard Super 8 Club Sedan. 

On Monday of last week, I attended the Grand Opening of the Middletown Office of the Catholic Charities Diocese of Norwich, Inc.  I want to thank Director Marek Kukulka for also hosting The Bishops of Norwich and Mayor Drew, and I wish him the best of luck here in Middletown. Also, a special thanks to Mark Ricciardelli of Asterisk Financial Group, Inc. for working with us on this project.  Mark is a good member of our Chamber and we appreciate his support. 

Last Thursday, the Chamber’s Young Professionals’ Alliance closed out its program year with the 2nd Annual Zip Line and BBQ Event held at Sports and Adventure Center in Middletown.  The event drew over 25 young professionals and 15 of our brave young members successfully completed the zip line course. EMPOWER is a real unique business and we are lucky to have it in Middletown.  I would like to thank Owner Joe DeRing, General Manager Dan Jaskot and their entire staff for hosting our group. 

I would also like to thank YPA Chairperson Kelly Therrien of Farrell, Geenty, Sheeley, Boccalatte & Guarino Law Office in Middletown, and the entire committee for their support of our Chamber.  The Young Professionals’ Alliance is comprised of future leaders of our organization and our region and we will continue to support their development. 

Finally, I want to recognize , Inc., for winning a Business Champion Award, presented by the Hartford Business Journal and the Metro Hartford Alliance.  Pegasus, led by President Chris DiPentima, is an active member of our Chamber and is a very successful company.  Based in Middletown, Pegasus specializes in metal forming, tube bending and fabrication for a variety of critical industries including aerospace and defense. 

Pegasus is a family company and a fine corporate citizen and I want to thank Chris DiPentima, Executive Vice President Todd DiPentima, their father and my old friend Vin DiPentima who founded the company in its current form in 1989 and the entire Pegasus team for their great work and their strong support of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. 

For information, contact Jeff Pugliese at jpugliese@middlesexchamber.com.

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