Northern Berkshire United Way Names Co-Chairs For 2012-13
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The co-chairman for 2012-13 are Osmin F. Alvarez, president and chief executive officer of Boxcar Media LLC, and Robert G. Abel, president and CEO of True North Financial Services.
"I am so pleased and excited that Ozzie and Rob have taken on the leadership role in our campaign," said Joseph W. McGovern, executive director of Northern Berkshire United Way. "I look forward to working with community leaders that have years of experience of making a difference in the lives of people in Northern Berkshire County."
Alvarez and Abel have been involved in the Northern Berkshire United way for many years.
Alvarez operates a number of local and national Internet-related properties, and is the publisher of iBerkshires.com and its related sites.
He founded PRG Inc., an aggregator of market research reports, in 1992 and sold it to a venture capital firm in 2000. Boxcar was founded in 2000 and includes BerkshireJobs.com. Boxcar Media is also the majority interest holder in Raceway Media LLC and TruMedia Networks, which has properties with MLB teams, NFL teams and media outlets like ESPN as customers.
Alvarez has served on a number of local boards including the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire Economic Development Corp., Pittsfield Economic Development Authority and Northern Berkshire Healthcare.
He resides in Williamstown with his wife, Monica, and their three children, Kyle, Gabriella and Emily.
Abel is a 1991 graduate of Williams College, where he was a two-year captain of the hockey team. He played professional hockey for two years with the Whitley Bay Warriors of the Heineken Premiere League in England, then coached at the University of New Hampshire, American International College, Dartmouth College and Brown University.
He joined UBS-PaineWebber in Albany, N.Y., and True North Financial Services in 2002, he said, to provide more objective financial solutions to his clients. He was named manager of Williamstown operations; in 2009, he was named vice president of investment services and, in 2011, was promoted to president and CEO.
Abel provides investment, financial planning and life insurance services, while specializing in retirement plan advising and asset management for individuals, trusts, endowments and not-for-profit organizations.
He resides in Williamstown with his wife, Christy, and their three children, Cam, Ainsley and Addison.
"I could not be happier to have Ozzie and Rob at the helm for the upcoming campaign," said Thomas Rumbolt, president of the NBUW board of directors. "Their dedication to the community is inspiring to all of the volunteers who work so hard to make each year a success."
The campaign will begins with the Northern Berkshire United Way annual meeting and celebration breakfast to be held Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:45 a.m. at the Williams Inn.
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