When you put the passion for the great outdoors together with the mission of the merit shop, you get ABC SEMI’s Wild Game Dinner. The event was organized by the ABC SEMI board members, Robert Clancy, Dave Pytlowany and Chris Holsbeke. Holsbeke’s “barn” served as the dinner venue and made for a night to remember.
“I told my wife we might get 75 or so people to show up,” admits Chris Holsbeke, owner and operator of Holsbeke Construction. “I was surprised and frankly pleased that we had more than double that attended the night’s festivities.”
It was a fun and successful event that attracted 170 diners, according to Robert Clancy co-organizer of the Wild Game Dinner. He also credits the evening with raising more than $20,000 for ABC’s Build the Future Fund (501(c)3) to assist in furthering education and training in the trades. The Fund provides classroom/shop improvements and scholarships for the students attending their trade school Southeast Michigan Construction Academy (SEMCA).
“The feeling of camaraderie, seeing old friends and celebrating the upcoming season is an integral part of the fabric of our industry,” said Clancy. “We work hard in the outdoors, and we play hard in the outdoors — so many of us contractors are sportsmen who care about the future of this industry and share the mission of ABC in making sure we do our part to continue to promote the trades.”
Attendees feasted on food by John DiGiuseppe from Mirage, which included: venison borguigon, rabbit paprikash, walleye pecan crust, venison meatballs w/wild mushroom demi, little bird cannelloni w/Palomino and garllic Basted canadian salmon. The gourmet ABC logo cookies and treats were provided by Becca’s Coco Creations.
“This was really a night to remember,” said Dave Pytlowany of AIS. “These are not just our customers or ABC members; they are our friends and families — people we have known and shared great times with over the years. I am happy to be a part of making more great memories for all of us to share in the future.”
Generous sponsorships were provided by: AIS, Holsbeke Construction, Robert Clancy Contracting, Butzel (law firm), HRPro, AssuredPartners, Specialized Recruiting Group, Paul Scott Plumbing, Campbell Construction, D.J. Maltese Construction, Sierra Vista, Foster Blue Water Oil, UHY LLP, Nagle Paving Company, LaFemina Trucking, First State Bank, Great Lakes Tile, Milwaukee Tool, Testa Barra Kitchen, Ash-Con Pavement Maintenance, Mid-Michigan Materials, Christopher Homes, Hunters Creek Club, Rich Barch of Michi-Gun, Dani’s Transport and Peter Lucido.
“I could not be prouder of the out-pouring of support of our ABC members,” said Keith Ledbetter, CEO and president of ABC SEMI. “This has been a fantastic night of likeminded individuals who love this country and the way of life we live and want to give back to an industry that has given so much to them. We gave $50,000 in scholarship funds this year. We had great people step up and contribute so we can continue to put more tradesmen and women into our training program.”
The evening concluded with a number of raffle prizes, silent auction and live auction items: Several 24-gun safes donated from AIS, three high-end guns supplied from Michi-Gun, annual membership to the Huntsmen in Metamora, MI and much, much more. Stay tuned for the next Wild Game Dinner, this is an event that is not to be missed!
