Sarkisian Honored by Chamber of Commerce Community leader Pat Sarkisian was awarded the Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Award from the Wachusett Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual dinner on June 13 at Val’s restaurant in Holden, to a standing ovation. The honor saluted Sarkisian, a Holden resident who lived for many years in Rutland, for his many community activities. He has long been active in recently renamed Wachusett Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Wachusett Rotary. Through the Rotary, he helped sponsor service dog training at NEADS, to provide dogs for wounded veterans. While the veterans are in the area, learning how to work with their dogs, Sarkisian has been part of efforts to entertain the wounded heroes, whether taking them to ball games or hosting a barbeque. He also spearheaded the Rotary’s outhouse project for five years, raising about $70,000 for the Rotary to donate to scholarships, the food pantry, and building wells in Haiti. He has sold ads for Chamber, distributed its ad book and sponsored the golf tournament scholarship scramble. In past years, he coached and sponsored Rutland Little League teams. He was the driving force behind bringing the town’s ambulance service, transitioning from an all-voluntary squad to hiring EMTs and then improving the service to paramedical level. This was accomplished by working with the board of selectmen and former Rutland fire chief Thomas Ruchala. Sarkisian described the achievement as “something [he] feels good about.” “You have to give back” is his motto. He suggests that residents volunteer for the Wachusett Food Pantry once in a while to appreciate what they have. As an accomplished business leader, he started Sarkisian Builders, although he doesn’t claim he did it alone. His wife, Carol, has tended to the business end of the operation and sons Greg and Patrick joined him in the business some years ago. They help him keep up with the continuously changing regulatory environment. A year or two ago, Sarkisian Builders became one of the first lead-certified builders in the region. thelandmark/news/2013-07-
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 01:38:09 +0000
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