Introducing GSE Team to Bulgaria

Posted by Penelope Hutton 
on Jan 09, 2008
 
The Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team going to Bulgaria in May of 2008 has been established. The team will have a wine-hospitality industry focus, as will the incoming team from Bulgaria (May 7 to June 7). See photos of the team under Journals on the home page.  Also, click on their blog http://robertmorrow.wordpress.com  to follow their journey!
 
The team leader is Robert Morrow (Rotary Club of Dundas Valley Sunrise) and the alternate is Jacqueline Herman-Wing (Rotary Club of St. Catharines Sunrise). The four team members with their sponsoring Rotary Clubs include Patricia Daughrity (Dunkirk), Lindsay Puddicombe (Dundas Valley Sunrise), Amanda Vizcarra (Middleport), and Chevon Digby (St. Catharines Sunrise). Two alternates include Amanda Leduc (Welland) and Janet Bittner (Lockport).   Robert Morrow is an educational consultant who works in curriculum and project management. He currently manages a project called Tomatosphere which sends seeds into space and then sends them out to over 10 000 classes for germination to see whether these seeds have been influenced by their time in space (at the International Space Station). Bob also works with the governments of Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay on pesticide education issues. He is past president of the Dundas Rotary Club and a charter member of the Dundas Valley Sunrise Rotary Club. Last year, he served as alternate to the East Africa team; he is co-chair of the 2008 District Conference. Jacquie Herman-Wing is an organization and individual leadership development consultant who works with organizations on workplace issues including corporate change, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), training seminars, executive coaching and selection, conflict and anger resolution, workplace assessments and the development and implementation of respect policies and codes of conduct. Jacquie is currently president of the St. Catharines Sunrise Rotary Club and District Trainer for DGE Ralph Montesanto. Patricia Daughrity, mother of Evelyn (8) and Vivian (3), is the owner of Quincy Cellars winery in Ripley, New York. She is a member of the Chautauqua Erie Wine Trail Association and a board member of the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. Patricia has a deep seeded interest in local cuisine including ingredient usage, preparation methods, presentation and nutrition â?¦ and the degree to which an areaâ?Ts cuisine is influenced by the local wine industry. Lindsay Puddicombe, a wine-maker and marketing and sales consultant, is the winemaker at Puddicombe Estate Farms and Winery in Hamilton â?" the only winery in the new City of Hamilton. Lindsay comes from an agricultural background; her family has farmed the area for almost 200 years. She is the head winemaker for her family business. Amanda Vizcarra also works on a family agri-business venture. She is married to Nick and manager the tasting room, co-ordinates events and is a wine sales representative for Becker Farms â?" Vizcarra Vineyards in Gasport, New York. She also maintains the company website and online store and helps with the production and bottling of wine. Her connections to the food and beverage industry, tourism and agri-entertainment industry as well as agriculture give her a great background for GSE. Chevonn Digby is the retail/export manager for Diamond Estates, and is associated with several Ontario wineries including Lakeview Cellars, EastDell Estates, Birchwood Wines and Dan Aykroyd Wines. Originally hired by Birchwood Estates, she has seen the organization grow tenfold in the past five years. She even has a connection with Bulgaria in that her company is the sub-agent of Domain Boyer, a Bulgarian winery. Janet Bittner is the Assistant Manager in charge of finance, marketing, accounting and human relations for The Winery at Marjim Manor in Appleton, New York, a family-owned business. She is a graduate of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Amanda Leduc works in the Laboratory at Cavespring Cellars in Jordan, Ontario. She has also worked for the Wines Establishment in Toronto and Appleby Vintners in New Zealand as well as wineries in Ontario and Germany. GSE committee co-chairs Dave Greenfield (Lockport) and Jean Armitage (St. Catharines Sunrise) and several committee members were involved in the intensive interview process on December 1st, 2007. Everyone was extremely impressed with the quality of the candidates who applied, making the choosing of the four team members and two alternates a most difficult decision.