The Barn Blog

Donato Vaccaro has a Ph.D in psychology and a side hustle as a career coach. He moderated a Zoom networking session. Everyone had an opportunity to give a 1-minute “elevator speech”. A lively discussion followed and some interesting connections took place.

Jun Hak Pae is a Taekwondo master, Tae-kyun 2nd generation master, Kung-Fu master, Korean Swordsmanship master, Chi-gong master, and teacher at Black Belt Martial Arts Center in Eastchester. Master Pae discussed the art of swordsmanship. He told us about his life in Korea, studying under his sword master and living as a monk in a monestary. Jun also demonstrated some of his swordsmanship skills and movements.

James Taylor is an expert on U.S. Social Security. He discussed the history of this program, how it works, and where it’s headed. Jim shared practical info that can benefit us and our families. He came by this knowledge by being a Medicare expert and realizing that one cannot know Medicare without also knowing Social Security. He spent decades in medical insurance with Empire Blue Cross and then in general insurance with Marsh & McLennan. As Jim approached retirement age he studied how the rules of both programs could affect him and customized his retirement strategies to maximize benefits from both.

Stephen Campbell is a Senior Client Services Manager at NuEnergen. He helps organizations save thousands of dollars by managing their energy utilization and infrastructure. Stephen was also a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. He discussed his life, his experience in the military, and how he began helping Westchester County save money on energy.

Tommy Taylor has spent over 20 years in the automotive industry. For the last 7 years, he’s saved millions of dollars for thousands of car buyers.  Tommy has been referred to as the Dealers’ worst nightmare. He spoke about car buying and how to pay less on your next automobile purchase.

Rob Simonetti is a concrete batcher at Ferrara Bros. Building Materials. He gave a barn presentation 7 years ago which people still talk about. Rob returned with an update on the fascinating world of concrete. He even demonstrated how to mix concrete right outside the barn.