4th October, 2007: 20th Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
Well the 20th annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge just finished up this past Sunday and WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY! Our largest turnout by far! Over 1000 people were in the three events (Kid’s Fun Run, 2 mile walk and a 5K)-not to mention the 200 plus that came with our participants. The weather was picture perfect-breezy 75 degrees. The day was everything I could have hoped for! I think one of the best parts was just sitting back during the affair and seeing the families roaming around, smiling and just enjoying their experience. By far my most favorite aspect of the Community Challenge was seeing the team that planned this event (that I have worked with during the year) get “their moment in the sun.” This group of people just shined! The race committee had absolute and complete ownership of this event. They spent hours and hours, months and months preparing….then the day came. They were like hardcore soldiers running the different areas- preregistration, registration day of the race, walkers area, kids sign up, food, water stations, etc. etc….and they ran these areas with great aplomb. Yes, that was my favorite part of the race, seeing these marvelous people make this event as truly special as it was and always will be….I can proudly say it is one of the best run community events in Fairfield County, raising over $55,000 for local charities. And it is such a huge success because of the sole dedication of the Bigelow Race Committee….ah yes, it was a beautiful day!
Cindi Bigelow, President
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25th September, 2007: New Tea and Valued Employees come together at Bigelow
Well our season has started off very strong (thank goodness). Lots of fun things going on, our new Chai ready-to-drink products have just been launched, Mocha Chai (my favorite) and Vanilla Chai (fabulous as well)…. We have partnered with the very best company, AriZona, to help us and what great (and fun) partners they are! This product is SO GOOD…..less calories than that Frappaccino drink but with tons of flavor. We also just launched this month three hot tea bags made with AriZona flavors…Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey, Green Tea with Ginseng, Honey-Jasmin, Mandarin Orange, and Green Tea with Pomegranate and Acai. I am telling you, not all tea bags are created equal…you have to try these to believe them!
Well I have to go, I have to get ready for our “Teapot” dinner-yes that is really the name of the event. It is for all of our employees who have been with our company 7 years or longer. Believe it or not, almost 70% of our company is in this club! Anyway, 10 new members are coming in this year from our Fairfield location and they really look forward to their induction. SO got to go…..
Cindi Bigelow
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3rd September, 2007: Bigelow Celebrates Labor Day with our Annual Retiree Luncheon
Just had 30 retirees come back for our annual retiree luncheon, and it was really lovely. To be able to reconnect to our employees that have dedicated years to building this business, who are the foundation of this company, well…it means a lot to my entire family.
Every summer, we send out invites to those who have retired from Bigelow Tea. We are never sure how many will respond positively to the luncheon and each year we are pleasantly surprised with the high turnout. This year was no exception, I actually think it was our biggest turnout ever. Our luncheon included individuals who worked during the 60 and 70’s and retired almost 20 years ago to those who have retired in the last few months.
What never ceases to amaze me is the comradery between them, even after all these years. The chatter, the laughs, the stories about their years here-it is a very special afternoon. I have to say, it is after an event like the one we had today, it clearly reminds me the value of a family company.
Cindi Bigelow, co-President
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24th August, 2007: Bigelow Tea Community Challenge
The Bigelow Tea Community Challenge is coming up-it will be our 20th year of hosting this fabulous event. We have already raised more money than ever before, almost 50K!!!! It promises to be our most successful….some fun things for this year’s race…Cannondale donated a great bike for us to raffle off, Warren Travel of Westport came back and gave us two round trip tickets on American to fly anywhere in US to also be raffled and Mercedes Benz is giving us a car to loan out for a week! Should be a super fun family day….we expect over 1200 participants.
September 30, 2007 starting at 9 am at Wakeman’s Boys and Girls Club in Southport, CT, we will have a kid’s fun run, a 2 mile non competitive walk and a 5k run! And what is even more special is the fact that besides being a great event for the community with tons of goodies, all the money goes to such wonderful charities. I visited one of them yesterday, the Grasmere Home for the elderly. It is a place that you can bring your elder parent (or relative) from Monday to Friday and they enjoy great activities and get involved in various projects. The center is for those that need help and a little more attention than those that can go to our local senior center (another wonderful place the race supports!). While I was there, they were working on the photographs they had taken while doing a photography outing to the shore in our town. It was so heart warming to see how the seniors were enjoying the fruits of their labor. As usual, it brought tears to my eyes to see them in that environment. So I am truly looking forward to our upcoming Challenge, I promise to share with you all kinds of pictures and some fun stories about the day!!!
Cindi Bigelow
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8th August, 2007: Governor Rell Signs Energy Efficiency Bill at Bigelow Tea Headquarters
Governor Rell signs new Energy Efficiency Bill
“DO ONE THING,” that is the new program Governor Rell announced today as she came to Bigelow Tea to sign the most comprehensive energy efficiency bill in the history of Connecticut. If we all do “one thing” every day to conserve energy, we will make a huge difference long term for our state and our planet: turn off the lights earlier, unplug your cell phone charger, run your dishwasher as late at night as possible…all simple options we can do to make a difference.
The Governor came to Bigelow Tea for the bill signing as we had just installed almost 900 solar panels on our roof-enough to generate up to 20% of our energy requirements in a much more environmentally friendly manner. Part of the bill that Governor Rell signed into law encouraged a 10% reduction in electricity requirements from Connecticut businesses…and I am so excited to say we did our part! But it doesn’t stop there, yes we installed solar panels, but we are committed to doing even more.
We need to all do our part and “do one thing” every day to help make our planet a better place. Yes, it was a super day here at Bigelow Tea!
Bigelow Tea headquarters rooftop ribbon cutting with Bigelow family and staff. Our new solar panels are in the background.
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7th August, 2007: The Greening of Connecticut
Very exciting, our Governor, Jodi Rell, is coming here this week to sign an environmental bill on our rooftop, standing by our newly installed solar panels. We worked very closely with the state of Connecticut to pull this project together, and Governor Rell, who has been really trying to drive for a more environmentally friendly state, is coming here to show her support for our work as well as to help promote this new bill.
The bill is extremely extensive. It includes things like expanding the “green building” requirements for state facilities and new school projects, it authorizes $30 million in bonding for energy efficiency in state buildings, it extends and expands the sales tax exemptions for energy efficiency and the bill even provides grants to people who replace their furnaces with more efficient models.
Governor Rell clearly sees the need to push for a “greening” of our state and Bigelow is proud to be a part in helping achieve that goal. The solar panels we installed on our roof will eliminate approximately 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide every year. That equates to reducing cars on the road by 5 1/2 million miles of driving a year or is like planting 33 acres of trees….I like to think of it as Bigelow Tea just got a little greener.
We are proud of our part in helping to protect our planet earth. We will keep you posted as we continue along in our quest.
Time to go, but it is too warm for a hot cup of Bigelow Tea, I think I am going to make green tea with mango and then put it over ICE!
Cindi Bigelow
Posted by Cindi at 6:05 am | Comment (1)
20th July, 2007: Thank You Joe Torre and Phil Simms!
What a great day I had on Tuesday-got to spend hours with two great, great giants, Joe Torre and Phil Simms. We are doing our marketing campaign for this upcoming season and I had an opportunity to interview both guys about tea, sports, life philosophies-it was truly a special experience for me. The conversation was on video so I will have an opportunity to share it on our blog. I am like a little kid, I cannot wait to see it. These guys were so gracious, engaging, and warm and we did it while sharing a cup of Bigelow Green Tea. It was a day to remember!
Cindi Bigelow
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11th July, 2007: A Week in Appalachia
Wow what a week. I just got back from Appalachia where a team of us helped repair homes. What beautiful people in West Virginia. They were so welcoming, so accepting, so kind! This was my second year of going to Appalachia with a team of young adults and adult advisors. The projects varied from roof repair to plumbing to rebuilding floors, ceilings, walls, you name it. During the week you get very close to the family in which you are serving. Their appreciation was so heart felt that it continues to bring tears to my eyes thinking about it. While I was in a local hardware store, I watched as one resident wasn’t sure he could afford a 45 cent part-my heart was breaking just thinking about all these people have to do to make things work. But even though their situations are challenging, their capacity for love and kindness is immeasurable. To me the most touching part was when the woman of the family of our home said to our team when we were leaving, “it doesn’t make a difference what you did to our home, it means so much more that you came into our lives and became our friends”. Yes, it was a week I won’t ever forget, people I will stay friends with forever, and memories to last a lifetime.
Cindi Bigelow
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22nd June, 2007: Nine Brave Firefighters from Charleston
From all of us at Bigelow Tea, our hearts go out to the nine firefighters who have lost their lives through the terrible tragedy in Charleston, S.C. where a blaze consumed a furniture store. This is, we know, a difficult time for the friends and family of such heroic men who have died in the line of duty while trying to help others and while trying to make the world a safe place. Their bravery makes this tragedy that much harder to accept!
As many of you know, our Charleston Tea Plantation is right outside of Charleston. The Bigelow family has had the opportunity to spend time in that wonderful part of the country in the last couple of years. The community is warm, caring, and giving, and we know that in this difficult time, the town will pull together and help each other.
You never know what life has in store for you but for sure every day is a gift! When we lose those we love and/or those who are doing good work, it makes you stop and take pause.
Create a little extra time today to reach out to those you love. It will honor the lives of nine brave men from Charleston and all Firemen who have lost their lives to save others!
Cindi Bigelow
Co-President, Bigelow Tea
Posted by Cindi at 2:00 pm | Comment (0)
19th June, 2007: Bigelow Tea Builds a Home!
Just came off a great weekend with about 20 of our employees. We had a Bigelow Tea day in Bridgeport, Connecticut to help build a home for Habitat for Humanity. It is such a great feeling-a team (most of us completely unskilled but with big smiles and tons of “willingness”) working on hanging doors, putting up trim, painting, caulking, you name it. And when we were done, the family came to see our work and received a Bigelow tea chest with a name plate that monogrammed the tea chest with their family’s name. It was a great day!
One of the best things about this company is its desire to give back-not because it is good PR but because it is the right thing to do. Now I actually know how to hang a door-not bad for tea lady with zero skill sets in the building arena.
I could not be more proud of the team of people I work with every day-I am fortunate to work with them and I am fortunate we are able to do such rewarding and invigorating things like we did this past Saturday…yes, it was a great day.
Cindi
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