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Where are they now: Ben Marcacci

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If the Heineken beer commercials claim they have the world’s most interesting man, then the BenGil Post can claim they just interviewed the BenGil area’s most interesting man.

Well-traveled? Yes. An adventurer? Yes. An artist? Yes. Unconventional path to success? Yes. Interesting? Intoxicatingly.  

Ben Marcacci, a 1994 graduate of GHS, started life after high school like most other students. He attended Lewis and Clark Community College and majored in fire science. Knowing the inherent difficulties of finding a job as a structural firefighter, he decided to attend the welding program at Vatterott Institute. After Vatterott, while still waiting for a structural firefighter position to open, he took a welding job at Howden Fan in Springfield, IL, where he worked on huge ventilation fans for steel mills, coal mines, and other large factories. And it’s at that point in his life when he his road to success turned slightly unconventional.

Tired of the monotonous work at Howden Fan, Ben immediately knew he was cut from a different cloth than most. The traditional 9-5 wasn’t for him. “I hated every minute of working there.  It was the same work place every day, same people, and same type of work. I had to figure out how to get out of there and fast!”.

And it was his disdain for the ordinary that led him to the extraordinary. He picked up his things and moved halfway across the country to Colorado and worked for the IronWorkers Local #24.  It was in Colorado where he got his first taste of the firefighting career he longed for. He joined a crew that rehabbed fire lines. Even though he was at the bottom of the totem pole with regards to firefighters, it was just enough adventure to keep him in Colorado until 2000.

By 2000, the mundane life had again crept up on Ben.  He decided his time in Colorado was over.  Because of his new found skill as an iron worker and the booming construction scene, St. Louis was his new destination.  He joined Ironworkers Local 396, bought a house on “The Hill”, and worked on various projects throughout the nation, including the new Busch Stadium, the Indianapolis International Airport, the St. Louis Zoo, and the Las Vegas City Center.

It was during his time in St. Louis that he finally got to pursue his passion for firefighting. After several months of phone calls and overcoming a barrage of obstacles, he finally found his “in.” He took time off from work, went back to school to get the required licenses to become a forest firefighter, and has been fighting forest fighters every summer since. He’s been to Canada, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and Utah.

In 2006, still not having satisfied his thirst for adventure, Ben started his own company Marcacci IronWorks. Building impressive pieces of art from iron, Ben has traveled all over the world including recently to Bimini in the Bahamas to make hand rails for a patio at a private home. He’s also sold pieces to buyers in Kuwait, Brazil, and Germany.  Now not only does he spend his summers fighting fires across the U.S., but he also routinely attends art shows throughout the country.

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Even with the success of his new company, he was once again taunted by the mundane life in 2008. He was presented with an offer to weld in Iraq, but at that time the benefits didn’t outweigh the risks so he declined. By 2009, he was singing a different tune as the offer was presented again, but this time the compensation was too much to pass up. He’s currently in Afghanistan working as a field service rep for a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle manufacturer.  And that’s where his adventurous tale currently stops, even though the story is far from over.

When we asked Ben what he missed most about the area, he poignantly responded “Without a doubt, my friends and family. They are amazing in their support and encouragement.”  And what he missed most about small town life, “I miss the elbow room. The city can get on your nerves. I think at some point I’ll be back for good. Who knows when. Two years; 20 years????.”

After all of his tales of adventures and travels, his most important tip for young people in Gillespie, “I don’t think I’m the guy to give anyone advice when it comes to academics. My academic career was mediocre at best; I might be stretching the truth by saying that. I kicked and bucked the entire way through my formal education. I don’t feel that grades on a report card proves one’s intelligence or worth but if you’re not going to make good grades, you better be willing to make a good effort in finding out what your good at.” He is a shining example that not just good grades open doors of opportunity. Passion, hard work, creativity, and resisting the fear of failure also have been known to kick a few doors down and lead people to the road of success. Ben may have not walked down the worn path, but he’s certainly found the destination of success.

Huge Thanks to Ben for being halfway around the world, and still responding to the questions within 24-48 hours.

 

If you know someone who would be a great candidate for “Where are they now” please e-mail us at news@thebengilpost.com

 

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Gillespie man injured in DUI accident

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Genisio's Ford Mustang in the City of Gillespie's impound lot Tuesday morning.

A Gillespie man was taken to a local hospital after suffering injuries following a single-vehicle accident that occurred Sunday morning, October 11, after he drove off the roadway and into a deep ditch near the intersection of Route 16 and Charles Street in Gillespie.

Gillespie Police Chief Jared DePoppe reported that the police department was dispatched to the scene of the accident shortly before 3 a.m. Officers arrived to find Jonathan Genisio, 29, of Gillespie as the driver and only occupant inside the Ford Mustang vehicle.

Genisio was arrested, but give a notice to appear in court so he could seek medical treatment. He was charged with six different counts in addition to having his vehicle impounded. His charges include driving under the influence of alcohol, no insurance, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, failure to notify SOS of an address change and failure to wear a seat belt.

At the time of publication on Thursday evening, the vehicle was recovered from impound and Genisio was discharged from the hospital. The extent of his injuries was unable to be released by medical personnel.

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Community News

Gillespie council discusses budget and meeting process

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Treasurer Dan Fisher addresses the council.

Treasurer Dan Fisher (right) addresses the council.

The treasurer for the City of Gillespie had a lot to say about how city officials handle their subcommittees and how city funds are spent during the city’s committee meeting held Monday evening, July 27.

Dan Fisher, the elected treasurer for Gillespie, spoke to the council for over 30 minutes about how bills are paid and more importantly, how purchases are appropriated for and planned. During the city’s board meeting held earlier this month, Fisher suggested the council move their meeting dates to coincide with how the bills are paid.

He explained that many council members bring up issues or have questions about certain bills during the council meetings, but the questions are left to be answered by the city clerk who isn’t present at the board meetings. In addition to dragging out the meetings, Fisher said the questions should be taken care of before the meeting is held.

“We need to have a standardized process on how we buy things,” Fisher told the council Monday evening. “We need to spend more time on appropriating.”

We need to have a standardized process on how we buy things

Fisher distributed a “Budget Basics” packet to board members during the committee meeting held Monday and said the council should consider implementing a purchase order system to account for all purchases. “That way when the bills come in, we can match the form up with it and everyone knows what the purchase was for and what account it comes out of,” he clarified.

Council members agreed with what Fisher had to say to them. “We need to spend a lot of time when do our appropriation and it’s going to take a lot of time from everyone, including myself,” he continued. “We need to find a way to be collective in how we do things.”

Fisher closed by adding that the council also takes too long at their regular city council meetings, which are held on the second Monday of each month. Speaking of the city’s July meeting that lasted nearly 3 hours, Fisher said the council needs to be much more “business-like”.

“We take too long at our meetings,” he closed. “It’s been proven that people lose focus after 90 minutes and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to get a meeting done in 1 hour and 15 minutes.”

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City clerk Frances Smith spoke up after Fisher referred to the council’s last meeting. She prefaced her statement by saying she didn’t intend to saying anything, but continued by saying that the council’s July 13th meeting took her three days to transcribe. “It makes the clerk’s job hard – whoever it is,” she said. “There is a lot of side conversations and it’s very hard to hear on the tape.”

Ash Street Project

Alderman Steve Kluthe informed the board that he received the bid specifications back for the Ash Street Project which allows the council to advertise the specs to get an idea how much drainage project will cost.

Kluthe said the bid specifications cover everything including equal opportunity employer and prevailing wage information, but said the project could probably be handled by a local contractor. The project includes installing a culvert that will transfer the water to Cherry Street.

The council hopes the completed project will then alleviate the water that currently gets backed up north of Ash Street. “They are going to put a culvert underneath Ash Street to the north and grade the ground on the north side so the water flows to the culvert and down to the south end where there is a storm drain,” Kluthe explained.

TIF District

We should stretch the money out and begin to reinvest the money into community development

Fisher informed the council that the tax bills for the TIF district went out and the city can expect to receive close to $60,000. He reminded the council that even though the city made a big payment to United Community Bank last year in excess of $90,000, there will still be a payment made to UCB for their portion paid into the TIF until the TIF expires, which Fisher said is 12-14 more years.

After the city pays UCB, Fisher said the council can expect to still have somewhere north of $40,000 remaining each year. “I would like us to start to look at other projects that meet the TIF criteria that we could spend $20-$30,000 per year,” Fisher explained. “Long-range projects – projects that could last 10-12 years. We should stretch the money out and begin to reinvest the money into community development.”

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Elementary School News

Elementary school releases supply lists for fall

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School Supply 2

Kindergarten

  • 5 boxes CRAYOLA brand crayons (24 count)
  • 1 box CRAYOLA brand broad-line markers (classic)
  • 1 backpack
  • 1 box of water paints
  • 1 pair FISKAR brand scissors (children’s)
  • 6 large glue sticks
  • 1 small plastic school box
  • 4 pocket folders
  • 4 large erasers
  • 20 pencils (#2, lead, plain yellow)
  • 2 boxes of Kleenex
  • 2 rolls of paper towels
  • 2 containers of anti-bacterial wipes
  • 1 large box of sandwich size ZIPLOC bags (girls)
  • 1 large box of gallon ZIPLOC bags (boys)
  • 1 clipboard
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 spiral 1-subject notebook (wide ruled)
  • Extra set of clothes to keep at school
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

First Grade

  • 1 plastic school box
  • 3 packs of pencil top erasers
  • 2 large pink erasers
  • 5 packs of Ticonderoga brand pencils
  • 2 yellow highlighters
  • 2 boxes of CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 12 Elmer’s brand glue sticks
  • 1 pair of FISKAR brand scissors
  • 1 spiral 1-subject notebook (wide ruled)
  • 2 plastic 2-pocket folders
  • 1 8ct classic CRAYOLA fine line markers
  • 2 dry erase markers
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • 2 boxes of Kleenex
  • 3 containers of Clorox Anti-Bacterial Wipes
  • 1 box of sandwich size ZIPLOC bags (girls)
  • 1 box of gallon ZIPLOC bags (boys)
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.
  • Extra set of clothes to keep at school

Second Grade

  • Handheld pencil sharpener
  • 8 large Elmer’s glue sticks
  • 1 large zippered pencil bag
  • 24 – #2 pencils
  • 1 wide ruled spiral notebook
  • 1 package wide ruled loose leaf paper
  • (2) 1” three ring binder
  • 1 pack of pencil top erasers
  • 1 pair of FISKARS brand pointed scissors
  • 1 yellow highlighter
  • 1 box broad line classic CRAYOLA markers
  • 2 boxes CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 2 plastic pocket folders
  • 1 CRAYOLA watercolor paints
  • 1 box of Kleenex
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • Large Ziploc bags
  • Sandwich size Ziploc bags
  • 2 containers of Clorox wipes
  • 1 box of CRAYOLA colored pencils
  • 2 dry erase markers
  • Extra set of clothes to leave at school
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Third Grade

  • 1 small school box
  • 4 packages of pencils (#2, plain yellow)
  • 2 boxes CRAYOLA crayons (24 count)
  • 1 box CRAYOLA colored pencils
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 pair pointed scissors
  • 6 ELMER glue sticks
  • 2 pocket folders
  • 3 boxes Kleenex
  • 2 containers of CLOROX wipes
  • 1 roll of paper towels
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper (wide rule)
  • 2 notebooks (wide rule)
  • (2) 1” binders
  • 2 packs of pencil top erasers
  • Gallon-sized Ziploc bags (boys)
  • Sandwich-sized Ziploc bags (girls)
  • 2 packages of post-it notes
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Fourth Grade

  • 2 packages of wide rule loose leaf paper
  • 48 pencils
  • 3 packs pencil top erasers
  • (1) 2” binder
  • 1 box 24 or 48 count CRAYOLA crayons
  • 1 pair FISKAR scissors
  • 1 box of colored pencils
  • 1 single subject notebook (wide rule)
  • 3 folders
  • 2 packages of white index cards
  • 4 highlighters
  • 4 packages of post-it notes
  • 2 boxes Kleenex
  • 1 container of Clorox wipes
  • Hand held Pencil Sharpener
  • Dividing tabs for binder
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

Fifth Grade

  • Art Box
  • Pencil Pouch
  • 36 pencils (mechanical preferred)
  • 12 pencil top erasers
  • Crayola crayons
  • Markers
  • Crayola Colored Pencils
  • Red or Blue Pen
  • Scissors
  • Clear Ruler
  • Clear Protractor
  • 1 Bottle of Elmer’s Glue or 2 Glue Sticks
  • (1) 3 Ring Binder (2 inch)
  • 2 notebooks (one subject-wide ruled)
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper (wide ruled)
  • 3 folders
  • 2 highlighters
  • 2 boxes Kleenex
  • Girls-Antibacterial Wipes
  • Boys-4 pack of post it notes
  • Hand Held Pencil Sharpener
  • Pocket Dictionary
  • Tennis shoes for P.E.

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