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- James B. Gamache - Executive Vice President, Sales and Supply Chain
James Gamache has joined Foamex as Executive Vice President, Sales and Supply Chain. Prior to joining Foamex, Mr. Gamache was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for YRC Regional Transportation from 2005 to August 2007. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Gamache was Vice President of Special Services for Roadway Express Inc. Mr. Gamache held the position of director of Roadway Air from 2002 to 2003. Prior to 2002, he was the Vice President of Sales, Western Division, of Roadway Express Inc. Mr. Gamache received his B.A. from Augustana College. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Thermadyne Holdings Corp., a leading welding and cutting instrument company.
- Aurora resident Jim Gamache is currently on his third trip to Ukraine.
He arrived in late March and is volunteering with organizations and connecting with locals during Ukraine?s ongoing war with Russia. As he travels, he?s chronicling his journeys for NCTV17, which we?ll be posting as he sends his reports.
Gamache?s experience in Kharkiv during airstrikes
In the early morning of Thursday, April 4, Russian forces fired drones at a power plant and two apartment buildings in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine.
Local officials said four people were killed and 12 were wounded in the attack. Gamache was only blocks away from the strikes.
?We are in Kharkiv? in the shelter, it?s about 5-5:30 a.m.,? said Gamache. ?Just had some major explosions here. We were just talking about how close (we) were. Figuring anywhere from two to five kilometers. Power?s out here, at least have cell service for right now. But we?re safe.?
Gamache provided an update on the state of Kharkiv the following week.
?I?m here again reporting out in front of a building where the Kharkiv media hub folks are located,? said Gamache on Thursday. ?We don?t have any power, but they?ve got generators working and actually have some wifi service. Even though power?s out, I think for the majority of the city, life goes on.?
Kharkiv has been subject to multiple Russian attacks this year. The city was hit with aerial bombs on Wednesday, March 27, for the first time since 2022.
The April 4 drone strike was followed by a missile strike on Saturday, April 6, and a missile and drone attack on the Trypilska thermal power plant on Thursday, April 11. The facility provides energy for the most populated regions in Ukraine.
Next stop: Kyiv
On Friday, Gamache set out for Ukraine?s capital: Kyiv. He plans to meet with ?business people and those focused on humanitarian efforts.?
?It?s about noon here in Ukraine, I?m in a van with a friend Vitaly,? said Gamache. ?We are on the road to Kyiv. I decided to provide Vitaly with some company, rather than taking the train in the next day or two. So we?re traveling about a six, seven-hour car ride.?
On the way to Kyiv, Gamache and Vitaly stopped for a meal.
?We?re taking a pit stop, we?re stopping for lunch in the city of Poltava,? said Gamache. ?As you can see, you can dine outside the apartment building right behind us. But my friend Vitaly is taking me to a super nice restaurant here. We?re going to eat super tasty food, and we?re probably about four hours from Kyiv.?
Gamache has since arrived in Kyiv.
Jim?s first two trips to Ukraine
Gamache?s first trip to Ukraine took place in May 2023, as he spent four weeks volunteering with a kitchen and Brave to Rebuild, an organization that restores Ukrainian cities and villages.
Gamache returned to Ukraine in September 2023 for another month of service, working with Front Line Kit, an organization in Kharkiv that provides items of need to those around the country.
- Gamache named St. Bede distinguished alumnus
La Salle native to be honored at ?Bruins Brunch? on homecoming weekend
By Shaw Local News Network
The St. Bede Alumni Association announced Sept. 16, 2024, that James B. Gamache has been selected as the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient.
The St. Bede Alumni Association announced Sept. 16, 2024, that James B. Gamache has been selected as the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient. (Photo provided by Goldie Rapp)
September 24, 2024 at 5:18 am CDT
The St. Bede Alumni Association announced James B. ?Jim? Gamache has been selected as the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient.
Gamache is originally from La Salle where he attended St. Patrick?s Grade School. He graduated with honors from St. Bede Academy in 1972. While at St. Bede, he played three sports each year and was the lead in the theatrical production of ?Macbeth.? He credits St. Bede with providing him with the guiding principles and a sound world view that helped lay the groundwork for his future successes.
After graduating from Augustana College in Rock Island, Gamache had a successful 40-year-plus career in the transportation and logistics industry as a key executive with industry leaders, including Roadway Express, Inc., YRC Regional Transportation and CarrierWeb LLC.
Most recently, he was a partner at NexGen Logistics Capital, a private equity firm. Over the years, Gamache has held public and private board of director positions. He also received additional education and training from Columbia University, Stanford University, the University of Virginia and Case Western Reserve University. Over his career, he is most proud of the work he did in expanding diversity in the companies he worked for.
As Gamache?s career responsibilities matured, he managed to find considerable time to give back to his community. As a parishioner at Our Lady of Mercy in Aurora, he founded a ministry to assist the unemployed and underemployed. This ministry was later expanded to include the diocese of Joliet. He also supported a young college student?s missionary work through the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.
Throughout his career, Gamache has continually dedicated his support and commitment to St. Bede Academy and the Benedictine traditions. He serves on the St. Bede Academy Advisory Board and played a critical role in coordinating his class?s 50th anniversary celebration and the raising of more than $140,000 for the renovation of the main stairs and entryway of the school building. He has also been instrumental in providing and raising funds for the tuition of two Ukrainian boarding students at St. Bede and is a strong advocate of the boarding program.
Probably the most amazing aspect of Gamache?s resume began by happenstance when he had an impactful meeting with a mother and her 5-year-old son during a trip in September 2022 in Poland.
As Gamache describes it, ?I made the decision to go to Ukraine after I met a mother and her 5-year-old son at the Ukraine-Poland border.?
After speaking with the mother and hearing her story about how she just saw her husband for the first time in five months, he was determined to return to Ukraine and help in any way that he could. He has since made multiple trips to Ukraine and has volunteered with numerous humanitarian organizations, providing food and medical supplies to civilians and soldiers. Over the course of the last 18 months, Gamache has been able to raise directly or indirectly well more than $100,000 for the benefit of the organizations he has assisted through presentations at churches and social groups.
Additionally, Gamache regularly travels in Ukraine with an American freelance journalist, interviewing individuals from all walks of life throughout the country, documenting their stories of their fight for freedom.
Most recently, in March of 2024, Gamache formed Defendica Systems Inc., a military technology company with a wholly-owned subsidiary in Ukraine whose mission is to support the defense of Ukraine with Ukrainian sourced technology.
Gamache resides in Aurora with his fiancé, Robin. His two sons and five grandchildren live in Oregon. He has a brother, Ken, a 1974 St. Bede graduate, and a sister, Pat Pattelli.
Given Gamache?s tireless efforts for the people of Ukraine, as well as his community service throughout his successful career, he exemplifies how one should live in accordance with the Rules of St. Benedict and the St. Bede Alumni Association is proud to honor him as the Distinguished Alumnus of 2024.
Gamache will be formally recognized for this honor during the annual Bruins Brunch hosted by the Alumni Association over St. Bede?s Homecoming weekend. The brunch takes place on Sunday, Sept. 29, in the Perino Science Center.
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