The Bell Company July 2017 Manager's Meeting

On July 27th, The Bell Company, LLC’s management team gathered in Annapolis, MD for the July 2017 Project Manager’s Meeting. The two-day event began with a day of back-to-back meetings. With several new projects ramping up and several more in the queue, the leadership had a lot to discuss. Steve Ruether, The Bell Company President, presented a 2017 Performance Awards to Denys Copeland for her excellent support and performance over the past year. Executive Vice President Mike Benulis presented Performance Awards to Pat Nugent and Dennis Ringer, while Executive Vice President Andy Carayiannis also gave Performance Awards to Paul Stiles and Wayne Townsend for their outstanding contributions to the Company’s success over the past year. Matt Bardin and Steve Cox also received engraved watches to commemorate ten years of continuous employment at Bell.        

       (1) Mike Benulis thanks Project Manager Pat Nugent with a 2017 Performance Award for

            his contribution to Bell’s success.

      (2) Matt Bardin celebrates 10 consecutive years with The Bell Company.    

      (3) Project Manager Paul Stiles receives award for exceptional performance over the past year.

      (4) Andy Carayiannis thanks Steve Cox for his ten-year commitment to The Bell Company.

This year, the July Project Manager’s Meeting was a little different from years past. In a memo released to the surprised management team, company president Steve Ruether announced that on Day 2 of the meeting, in lieu of gathering in a conference room to conduct company business, Bell would host a fishing charter for meeting attendees. At 6:00 A.M. the next morning, everyone met at the Queen Anne Marina in Stevensville, MD equipped for a morning of sport fishing. The event gave participants from all four offices an opportunity to connect and strengthen relationships between departments.  

Although the morning was overcast, the water was calm on the Chesapeake Bay. The captains of the Bonehead, the Brawler, the Hot Lick and the Just-A-Gamble embarked Bell’s management team and set out looking for the best spot to catch Maryland Rockfish.

The Hot Lick team was the first to catch their limit (two each and one for the boat) and return to shore.

The Hot Lick Team with their haul.

The other three boats took their time, holding back waiting and hoping to score the prize for the largest fish. By 11:45 all the boats had caught the maximum allowed and were safely docked at the marina, making it back seconds before the rain started to fall.

The Brawler team, led by Executive Vice President Mike Benulis, laid claim to the largest fish –  crew mate Steve Cox brought in a 32 ½” Rockfish that is still in his freezer. He was in good company; all 22 participants brought in fish that were at least 23”.

                              Steve Cox proudly displays the winning catch.

Bell President Steve Ruether headed up the Bonehead’s team. As he sat back and watched, his team-mates fished for more than two hours, competing with each other for the biggest catch. Finally, his mates convinced the boss to pick up a rod and within minutes Ruether caught the largest fish on the boat.

           (Left) Ruether enjoying the show.
           (Right) The Bonehead’s impressive Friday morning take.

Some opted to donate their catch to local charities, while others took theirs home on ice in anticipation of a great meal and a chance to tell their personal fish tales from the Bell Fishing Trip 2017.

(Left) Just a Gamble’s team showing off the morning’s catch.

(Right) Bell Safety Manager Ryan Zelenka and his tall fish tale

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