Share values, business contacts through Catholic Business Network in Salt Lake diocese

Friday, Oct. 14, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY — It has been almost 10 years since 12 people met to reorganize the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Catholic Business Network. 

The organization now has dozens of members in fields ranging from optometry to psychology, restaurants to real estate, financial services to legal representation.

Among the goals of CBN are to provide business networking with shared Catholic values, and to foster an environment of business development and problem solving, said Roland Abundo, a Saint John the Baptist parishioner who co-chairs the organization with Tricia Bruggeman, also a St. John parishioner.

Additional goals are to develop actions to engage business development in the Utah Catholic school system, offer social events for Catholic camaraderie and mentor other business people.

“The connections we make as Catholic business people – whether they are at parish, sporting, volunteer and social functions – have common beliefs that employ an ability for all of us to help one another on whatever is needed,” Abundo said.  

To help Utah Catholic Schools, the annual CBN Golf Classic was established last year. 

“Besides using the golf tourney as a platform for exposing our mission to the school, supporting CCS of Utah is another way we can help the community at large to offer our talents, volunteerism, or employment positions to refugees,” Abundo said; the organization currently is collecting items for Catholic Community Services’ Gift of the Drummer program.  

In addition to Abundo and Bruggeman, CBN’s Board of Directors are:

Janet Healy, St. Francis Xavier Parish

Adam Mitchell, St. Vincent de Paul Parish

Andrew Rakowski, St. Catherine of Siena Parish

Michael Fuoco, Blessed Sacrament Parish

Troy Mumm, Cathedral of the Madeleine Parish

Mark Selvig, St. Thomas More Parish

Carmen Valverde, St. Thomas More Parish