Our Hands-On Board
Phil Burkart at the Spring 2020 socially-distanced Town Square Board Mulching Party outside Town Square.
If you just read about all of the huge events coming this year, you might be asking yourself this question: How does a young community center--with a skeleton staff and a shoestring budget--put on nearly 200 programs per year, including more than a dozen major community events?
Answer: Our hands-on board of directors.
When you think of a board, you probably picture a group who just shows up to sit through meetings and toss out ideas. Not here, my friend! Our Town Square Board members roll up their sleeves and do…. whatever it takes to make it work.
Ideas are great. It’s the “dreaded execution phase” that stops most people. Because THAT’S what takes: time and energy. Between board meetings, here’s what’s going on:
Andy Sotter, a Berlin High School history teacher, is inventing the Red Hot Bonfire, between 20 and 40 years olds meet someone new gathering at Avrom Farm on June 26.
Eileen Vandervelde, a realtor with Special Properties, is working to welcome our new neighbors into the community and invite them to be part of the next wave of people who make things happen.
Amy Arnetveit, the owner of Fusion Creative, is our designer and visionary, who finds ways to create community by making our spaces beautiful, welcoming and functional.
Rich Christian, the owner of Sedgwick Productions, is arranging to live-stream the event from our Town Square Open House on June 5.
Mary Cyrier, our board president and longtime corporate executive is leading a team of investment professionals to advise us on financial decisions for long-term sustainability.
Greg Lundberg, CEO of Fortifi Bank, and Jean Regan, president of Tranzact Technologies are creating Town Square’s first-ever Golf Outing, scheduled for August 2 at the Golf Courses of Lawsonia.
Jo Ellen Madden, a professional musician, and our new board secretary, will be leading her popular Broadway Music Camp for kids, and playing a huge role in arranging the White Hot Party on July 10, our Concert on the Pond with Vocality on August 14, and the Dead Horses LIVE concert on October 9.
Larry Gundrum, our retired executive director, Dan Bierman, a broker/sales associate at Adashun Jones, and Drew Diedrich, owner of Diedrich Insurance, are inventing the Town Square Craft Beer and Food Festival, scheduled for October 9 on the Mill Pond Terrace.
Phil Burkart, the now-retired owner of Burkart-Heisdorf Insurance (and who you probably know as the Bingo-Man), has a new idea up his sleeve: working with Nick Vandervelde, owner of Sandstone Arborcare, to create Supper Club Dinners, scheduled to start in September.
Chris Taylor, Manager of Huberty CPAs, mentors entrepreneurs and plays a big role in helping us put on the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, scheduled for October 21.
Brigid Yeomans, who runs Yeomans-Edinger Chiropractic, is here at Town Square several times a week, keeping our popular Hangers: Resale Therapy going.
Lynn Grout, the founder of Special Properties, is our knows-everyone member, with us from the very beginning and advising on how to get things done through the good, old-fashioned “who you know” method.
Larry Gundrum helped move mulch in Spring 2020