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The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts Welcomes PRIMER
03/05/2009
Dear fellow PRIMER members: The capital of the great State of Connecticut welcomed more than 70 PRIMER members and guests to the wonderful "The Bushnell" -- Connecticut’s premier performing arts center. This PRIMER networking session was quite memorable, thanks to the efforts of our Connecticut members, especially 2007 PRIMER Member of the Year Rene Rodriguez, President and CEO of Babbalu.com and the new and exciting MOLI.com, our co-founder and former PRIMER President Raymond Arroyo, PRIMER member Scott O’Keefe, and the indefatigable and spectacular Yolande Spears, Vice President of Education and Community Relations for The Bushnell. Our networking event started with a tour of The Bushnell led by Alenese Foley. Did you know that The Bushnell has been around for seven decades and has featured Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, travel films, and even a Presidential debate (Clinton/Dole)? The Bushnell also leads a community education effort and supports underserved children and youth in various arts programs.
The tour showed us The Bushnell’s two magnificent theaters. We even saw an electrical, backstage room with the signatures on the wall of stars like Duke Ellington, Rita Moreno and Ray Charles. Truly fascinating.
Our program that evening was like no other. We first watched a short video highlighting the PARTNERS Program, which allows The Bushnell to introduce children to the arts. We also watched a sample of Rhythm and Passion, a Latin dance performance coming to The Bushnell in September 2009. We plan to support the show via PRIMER's members attendance.
The best part of the evening was the live performances by Mayra Alejandra Vazquez Alamo, Soprano, singing De los Alamos Vengo, Madre by Joaquin Rodrigo and Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Evita. Following her performance, Ben Hosig and Corey Hutchins entertained us with an exciting tap dance, performing: Oscar Peterson’s arrangement of "Brotherhood of Man" from the Broadway show, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying by Frank Loesser. What a treat! Be sure to check out the pictures included here.
Yolande Spears, a former insurance executive, shared with us her passion for the arts and the transformational work that she and The Bushnell are doing in the community. At the end of the evening, The Bushnell gifted us with a drawing which resulted in many show tickets for the lucky winners.
Our sincere thanks to our distinguished and first-time guests, including Paul Richardson, Jerry Bellizzi, Jorge Marimon, Tito Colon, Juan Carlos Morales, Hector Maza, Fred Mattioli, Felix Serrano, Jacqueline Zarate, Wayne LeBlanc, Matthew Hodson, and Rafael Santiago. We were pleased to see our friend Marilda Gandara again, as well as Vicky Muniz. We were also very pleased to welcome Susan Arroyo to her first PRIMER meeting.
The invocation was given by the Reverend Luis Cortés, Jr., President and CEO of Esperanza, the largest Hispanic faith-based Evangelical network in the United States. Reverend Cortés honored us with his presence, coming to Hartford from Philadelphia PA. We hope to see him again soon.
Our keynote speaker was Jorge Ferraez, President of the Ferraez Publications Group, which publishes three successful magazines and one newspaper in two countries: Lideres Mexicanos, El Mundo del Petroleo and El Economista in Mexico and Latino Leaders in the U.S. He shared with us how he started his company with his brother in Mexico City, and how it grew, despite political pressure from competitors, into the premier business publisher based in Mexico. We were moved by Jorge’s humility, and his life story of will power, hard work and determination. Jorge has offered a complimentary VIP subscription to all PRIMER members, and you will see a special announcement about that generous offer soon.
We inducted Jeff Horn, a veteran of the medical device business, and the Chief Operating Officer of Zmedica Corporation. Jeff assisted Z-Medica’s founders in incorporating and globalizing the company. As COO, Jeff was responsible for locating new staffing and key roles, including the CEO, while developing strategic relations and business opportunities that served to help deliver the company’s business plan and mission, which he authored. He was sponsored by Rene Rodriguez and by Joxel Garcia.
But this amazing networking bonanza was not over. The next day, 25 PRIMER members gathered at a breakfast meeting to discuss our individual situations in this economic crisis and how we can help each other. I have received great feedback about this meeting. I think the reason is that it was a more private gathering which gave us a forum to have frank discussions about our respective situations.
Keep this in mind my fellow members: the crisis is deepening and is affecting all of us. Now is the time to build our hope and strength in the PRIMER relationships we all treasure. Think of your fellow PRIMER members and help them. It is what we must do to weather the storm. I am confident that there will be a sunny day coming our way.
All the best,
Your President,
Dan Guadalupe, Esq.
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