Derby’s Jim Gildea Wins Jayne Kuchma Leadership Greater Bridgeport Alumni Award – Valley Independent Sentinel

The 2017 Jayne Kuchma Leadership Greater Bridgeport (LGB) Alumni Award will be presented to Jim Gildea, Director of Manufacturing Fairfield for Bigelow Tea, at the LGB commencement dinner for Class 28 on Thursday, June 8 at 7 p.m. at Tashua Knolls in Trumbull.

The award celebrates distinguished alumni who are recognized in their profession for outstanding achievements and are actively engaged in community service in the greater Bridgeport region.

Jim exemplifies the spirit of this award, said Laura Campbell, former Executive Director of Leadership Greater Bridgeport. Not only does he have an extraordinary professional record of accomplishment; he consistently gives back to his community. Jim doesnt know the meaning of no.

Jim graduated from LGB in 2011 with Class 22. He was selected to be Class 22s Board Representative and when that term was up in 2012, he joined the Board and has been a transformational leader for the program ever since. He has served as Program Chair, Community Service Project Liaison and Board Co-Chair from 2015-2017.

Jim has been with Bigelow Tea since 1996. He has served in various capacities during his tenure from Facility Supervisor responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of both the Fairfield Plant and Corporate facility, to his current position, Director of Manufacturing, after numerous promotions.

In this position, he has worked on many of the companys green initiatives including energy conservation and waste reduction. Jim speaks in the community regularly about Bigelow Teas sustainability efforts including waste reduction and energy efficiency. Jim was awarded the CBIA Outstanding Contributor to a Family Business Award.

In the Bridgeport region, Jim serves as Co-Chair of the Leadership for Greater Bridgeport Board of Directors and is a member of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Jim was nominated as a Bank of America Local Community Hero. Jim was appointed by Governor Dannel Malloy to serve on the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council. He was recently re-elected Chairman of the Council by his peers for his second term.

Jim has dedicated countless hours to so many nonprofit organizations within the Bridgeport Region. He has been part of project teams that have renovated the Sunroom at the Bridgeport Rescue Mission as well as planting trees, installing benches, repairing stairs and painting porches and the chapel also at the Bridgeport Rescues Mission. He has also helped serve breakfast and lunch at Operation Hope and assisted in the cleanup, repair and painting at the Sandcastle Playground among other projects. He has also previously participated in the Freezin for Reason Fundraiser and raised money for the Wakeman Burroughs Boys and Girls Club by jumping in Long Island Sound.

Under his management the Fairfield plant has donated over 250 man hours of community service in each of the last 5 years.

Jim is also involved locally in his town where he has previously been on the Board of Education for 14 years (from 1992 2005) and served as Chairman of the Board for 12 years. He has once again served on the Board since 2013. He has previously served on the Zoning Commission, School Building Committee and the Water Pollution Control Authority.

In addition, Jim coaches Derby Youth Soccer and teaches religious education at Holy Rosary.

The Jayne Kuchma Leadership Greater Bridgeport Alumni Award was established in 2015 to celebrate the life of Jayne Kuchma, who graduated with LGB Class 14 and served for many years on the LGB Board of Directors.

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Derby's Jim Gildea Wins Jayne Kuchma Leadership Greater Bridgeport Alumni Award - Valley Independent Sentinel