Chris is originally from our area but after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and having been involved with the ROTC in High School and college, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Army.  Serving in Bagdad for 14 months he is certainly one of our heroes. He served in an infantry company with specialties in artillery and intelligence.  His time in the military taught himself discipline, life skills and that there are no excuses.

While stationed in Nashville, he met his wife of three years, Shannon, who eventually introduced him to the owner of Gryphon Capital Group.

Gryphon is a Nashville based organization but does business in many of the 52 states.  All of the wealth managers at Gryphon are ex-military.  Their motto is “Guardians of your Wealth.”  Gryphon Capital Group, LLC is an independently owned company which gives its advisors the freedom to make the appropriate recommendations and choices for their clients. The model of many traditional financial services firms are focused on selling a product, not educating and helping clients with solutions.  Chris and his company put the client’s needs first.  He realizes that families still continued to struggle with financial solutions to debt reduction, saving for retirement, selecting adequate life insurance and building an attainable financial plan. He also noted that families and businesses want a relationship with their advisor, that they are not just a number or a name on a long list of clients.  Chris provides access to the assistance and education when and where they need it most.  His ideal client is “regular people” and also military members.

Chris moved back to Danbury to be near family.  He and Shannon enjoy relaxing and a good bottle of wine.  Chris plays amateur Rugby at the National Level.    His team was recently 5^th in the nation. They also have an American Eskimo named Sadie and rag doll cat, Bella.  He volunteers his time doing finances for the Walnut Hill Church and is active in the New Milford Rotary.

He believes his strengths include being a true extrovert and being very disciplined.   He loves people and learning about their dreams.  His key to success is to always keep going, never compromising or taking shortcuts.

Chris Taylor
Financial Planner
Gryphon Capitol Group
(203)648-9808

Upon entering Law School, Abigail knew immediately that it was not her passion. Having majored in English Literature and thus having a creative nature, she went back to her childhood, remembering the joy of seeing the big equipment of the landscapers and the tranquility found in a well designed outdoor space. Moving to Maine she took a horticulture class at the University of Maine and proceeded to get her Masters in Landscape Architecture. She had found her purpose and passion.

Abigail still owns a vacation home on 30 acres in Maine and started her career in Yarmouth. Better opportunities landed her first with a firm in New Canaan, CT and then with CCA, LLC here in Brookfield. While at CCA she learned the technical side of the industry so she could take the testing to go from landscape designer to landscape architect. While at CCA, she was able to learn from and partner with engineers, land use attorneys, wetland scientists and other professionals which provide her with a wide base of resources. Recently she opened her own firm, A2 Land Consulting which will give her the flexibility to work with a wider variety of clients.

What Abigail loves about her career is that no two days are the same. To take a concept and a vision of one of her clients and see the plan come together and take on a life and energy of its own is what inspires her. She creates a SENSE OF PLACE, designing inspirational spaces that connect the “built” environment to the natural environment. Her best clients include not only homeowners but also the owners of commercial spaces and land developers.

Her key to success is to always be connecting with people, growing, and as she put it, “finding new ways to blossom”. She also credits her success to hiring a business coach early on who has made her focus on who she needs to connect with and also how to have meaningful sales conversations with a variety of people.

Abigail currently lives in Carmel NY with her husband, Jason, and seven year old daughter, Chloe. Chloe, she noted, is very theatrical, and is one of 3 cousins on Abigail’s side who are all the same age. Jason works for Lexus of Mt. Kisco. She enjoys Yoga, spending time in Maine and doing anything outside.

 

Abigail Adams
Landscape Architect
A2 Land Consulting, LLC
(845) 531-1504
246 Federal Road, Suite B-23, Brookfield

Please join us in welcoming Carlos Lara as the new Brookfield Branch Manager of Newtown Savings Bank!

Carlos has over nine years of customer service experience as well as an extensive background in sales and the financial services industry.  He strives to provide excellent customer service to new and returning customers alike, and is truly embracing his management role. He builds relationships by asking questions to get to know the needs of his clients, having their best interests in mind.

He has been with Newtown Savings Bank for 2 years and enjoys the culture of a community bank. Newtown Savings Bank has offered him relevant and extensive training on both its products and in working with clients to provide the best customer experience.  He is excited about the Bank’s flexibility and range of products and services offered.  He is looking forward to the opportunities that await him in Brookfield; he is appreciative for the chance at professional growth and the ability to make a positive impact.

Carlos recently received his Bachelor of Science from Albertus Magnus College where he majored in Marketing.  He looks forward to pursuing his MBA in the near future. He is bi-lingual, also being fluent in Spanish. He is energetic and embraces change and innovation, and he feels his key to success is to never be complacent. He describes himself as “hungry for professional growth” and actively seeks out those opportunities.

Carlos lives in Shelton and is engaged to be married. He and his fiancé spend time hiking with their dog Luna, and visiting breweries and wineries in the area. He is also an avid New Orleans Saints football fan.

Drop by the branch to speak with Carlos about the variety of programs that Newtown Saving Bank might offer to make your financial options more attractive. From Personal & Business Deposit accounts, credit lines, investment products, insurance or mortgages, they have products that will help you or your company move forward.

Carlos R. Lara
Assistant Treasurer, Branch Manager
Newtown Savings Bank
(203) 364-2918
99 Federal Road, Brookfield

Meet Chef Rody. She is fairly new to the Greater Danbury Area, originally from Montreal Canada, now living in Ridgefield.

She ended up here when met and fell for Tim, a charismatic gentleman living in Connecticut. The long distance relationship blossomed, and Rody joined Tim in the USA.

Rody is a Chef who put herself through Culinary School while raising two, now grown boys. Her training is in the French Culinary Cuisine. Her focus is on techniques that bring out the most flavors in food naturally.

After graduating, Chef Rody worked in various restaurants, including Universel Desjeuners, a popular restaurant in Downtown Montreal. Here she got her first experience as an Executive Chef, setting up the kitchen, ordering supplies, cooking, creating new menu items and managing the kitchen staff. A couple of years later, Rody left the restaurant business to pursue her passions, which led her to become a Personal Chef.

Rody founded My Chef To Go, and set up shop here in Brookfield in 2014. Services include a Personal Chef Service which aims to “Make Your Dinner Simple”. Cooking is done in the client’s home. Chefs and their kitchen helper grocery shop, cook, portion dinners in single serving containers, and clean up the kitchen. All you need to do is heat and eat. A company philosophy is cooking from scratch. They use original recipes and fresh ingredients purchased by the Chef that morning.

Personal Chefs are not like Private Chefs. Rather than working with one client, Personal Chefs work with many clients making the cost more affordable. Preparations of five complete meals for 4 people, including shopping and clean up take approximately 6 hours. The company charges $60/ hour.

Chefs and their kitchen helpers travel and work as a team. The Chefs must be certified. The company is bonded, insured and all employees go through a background check.

The process begins with a FREE consultation to assess needs, allergies and food preferences.

Her vision for her new enterprise is to give people back much needed time. “By letting My Chef To Go do the shopping and cooking you will have more time, approximately 7-10 hours a week to do more important things“.

Just like busy people outsource landscaping, house cleaning and other time consuming but necessary tasks, she believes that it is cost effective and healthier to outsource food shopping and meal preparation instead of wasting food or eating processed food from a box or a quick serve restaurant.

To introduce you to the Chef and the menu items, My Chef To Go is offering 6 hours for the price of 3, definitely a treat for a busy or stressful time. Call Chef Rody for pricing and details or visit her website at www.mycheftogo.com

They also cook for Special Events, and offer personalized Private Cooking Lessons in your home. The services are especially popular as gifts for birthdays, for a new Mom and Dad, a client appreciation, or new graduates heading off on their own, new brides, employee reward, Mother’s Day gifts. The list does go on!!

Her key to success and her advice is to, “be good and take care of yourself FIRST! Nourish your body, mind and soul. Then you will be able to take care of the people and things you love.” Rody makes time to enjoy canoeing and working out at the gym. On her “Bucket List” is to visit every Baseball Park in the country.

Rodanthi Manousakis
Chef Rody
My Chef to Go
(203) 522-9445
594 Federal Road, Brookfield

Dr. Reiss has become a household name in Brookfield as he has been practicing dentistry for 36 years, 29 years at his present location on Federal Road in Brookfield.  He has served three and sometimes 4 generations within a family.

Dr. Reiss, originally from Long Island, attended the University of Missouri where he played Baseball and graduated with a BS degree from Adelphi University. He received his DDS degree from New York University College of Dentistry. The opportunity to move to Connecticut became available soon after graduation because of a change in state licensing exams that allowed him to take one certification test which was recognized in CT as well as in NY. Longing for a great quality of life…and to be closer to skiing… Steve, settled in first Danbury and then Brookfield where he and wife Elsa raised 2 daughters, Sara and Rachel.

Dr. Reiss’s goal in setting up his dental office was to provide outstanding and caring dentistry with the most up to date techniques and technology. He knew that he wanted to have an in town business in order to become a part of the fabric of the town and be present for his family.

Dr. Reiss is an avid gardener and his home has been a visitation stop for the local garden club.  The grounds around his office show that same love. “It’s OK to have weeds in your garden and in your life” is one of his mantras, as he points out that everyone just needs to slow down and appreciate every moment and each other more.

His practice currently houses 2 other full time dentists and a periodontist. About 2 years ago he added Annamarie Faubel as his Executive Director. Together, they make quite a team as Annamarie handles the facility, IT, compliance and HR functions which frees up Dr. Reiss to be present for his patients. It is all about the people for Dr. Reiss. As he put it, “Molars are important, but the PEOPLE behind them are phenomenal and take precedence.” His patients become his friends, his family, and his primary concern. The values he brings to his practice include kindness, communication, compassion and education. He wants to make the process of dental health fun and stress free.

Dr. Reiss has been appointed by the Governor as 1of 6 Dentists who serve on the State of Connecticut Dental Commission. He believes everyone deserves adequate care and will accommodate any patient to make sure their dental needs are met.

The majority of his staff have been with him for decades. His key to success is to surround yourself with the best and most talented people. To be able to trust people and to delegate without hesitation is critical.

Dr. Steven Reiss
Annamarie Faubel
The Dental Team
(203) 775-1771
109 Federal Road, Brookfield

Krissy is a new face at Computer Trouble Shooters. Owned by Rick VanAkin, she answered an ad about a year ago and has taken on the role of Marketing and Client Relationship Director for the already successful business. Krissy oversees the overall marketing operation from managing the budget to posting on social media including Facebook, Pinterest, Angie’s List, Twitter as well as working with the website to increase SEO activity. She researches and has identified media outlets that will work and not work to attract and support their ideal client base. This, she identifies, as local individuals and small professional businesses within the Greater Danbury Area. They have great insights into the business needs of professional offices including insurance, chiropractic and attorney offices, among others. Statewide and regional advertising has been eliminated in favor of client referral appreciation and strategies that include Angie’s List, Groupon and Google Ads. Networking and Business to Business activities help get them in front of their ideal clients.

She pointed out that, with a small business, Rick will assess what will work best for the client, thus optimizing the clients technology dollar. Computer Troubleshooter sells cost-efficient, high quality technology solutions and services that helps their clients become more productive and help solve business problems …not just computer problems. They spend time analyzing and counseling the client in order to SMART SIZE their technology. They help the client budget for continual improvement and reduce down-time.

Services include all things IT from selling new and refurbished equipment, voice over IP phone systems, servers, data storage, backup and recovery, tune ups, hardware repairs, software configuration, to hosting of both email and websites, building inter office networks and offering “peace of mind “ service plans.

Krissy is excited to learn from Rick, as her background is in customer service in the Health and Wellness Field. She has served in the capacity of Member Service Director for a New Jersey YMCA and worked with various large companies to create wellness marketing plans. Krissi enjoys the creative side of working at Computer Trouble Shooter, the learning and the client interaction. Krissi and her husband have lived in Brookfield since 2013. She has three children, girls 16 and 14 and a 9 year old son, three step children and three dogs. Her husband is a Captain at the Garner Facility in Newtown.

A lesson in DELEGATION, Krissy allows Rick more time to work in the field assessing client needs. Her keys to success are to treat everyone with equal importance and to be her authentic self. Rick’s keys to success is delegating so that he can be the touch point for his clients and never treating the question from a client as a “stupid question”.

Krissy Morris
Computer Trouble Shooters
(203) 702-2103
355 Federal Road