Page 2 - Jewish News_January 2022

2A January 2022 FEDERATION NEWS

Bruce Udell...continued from previous page
look at the project while we were still in ready done in Cincinnati. I’ve spent a Top of the Table best life insurance for the month of May, and 60 for June.
the midst of the design process. Prob- lot of time with Shep, and he is already agents.” It was just tremendous,” he said.
lems create opportunities, and without addressing a lot of our goals. He is an When Congress passed the Em- “What brought me to Sarasota in
problems there is no progress. Covid amazing guy, and we are so fortunate ployee Retirement Income Security 1996 was public speaking. My plan
led us to hold a strategic planning ses- to have him here. Act in 1974, companies were getting was to do estate planning seminars,
sion here with all of our major donors, “We are building a safe, secure en- out of the pension and retirement plan and my search for snowbirds brought
board, executive committee and staff. vironment that provides programs for businesses. “I thought to myself, if me to Sarasota. Janet’s mom was al-
So, we created storyboards, and when all who come here, supports Jews in all these companies are getting out, I ready living there in the winters, as was
we did, it became clear we were going need, and creates a deep and abiding should be getting in,” he said. With his her aunt, so it seemed a good place to
to have to do this project in stages and connection to Israel. At the same time, dad, Bruce started a business called start,” Bruce said. In 1998, Bruce and
look at our plans from a completely we want to deepen our relationship Creative Financial Services in 1976. a partner founded Retirement Wealth
new perspective,” Bruce said. with the synagogues and the Chabads, Bruce also took a 25-week advanced Specialists. The company was sold in
“What I see for the campus now is working together on events and en- course in estate planning. After writing January 2020, with $400 million in
phenomenal and will be largely cen- abling them to use our campus when two books on the subject, Bruce began assets.”
tered on the Morganroth Event Cen- it suits their needs. We will be the cen- receiving invitations to speak at con- Today, Udell Associates is an es-
ter. We know that, because of Covid, ter for Jewish life in Sarasota,” Bruce ferences across the country on innova- tate planning and insurance business,
we will have to raise more money, so said. tive estate planning ideas. though Bruce maintains a relationship
we are going to have a second stage of Bruce’s background By this time, Youngstown was in with the investment business. It has
our capital campaign. We want to re- Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, decline, and Bruce and Janet, and their also grown into a family business, with
energize donors to bring us into their Bruce attended the University of Cin- two children, Jeremy and Megan, had son Jeremy working in the Orlando of-
circles of influence, to introduce us to cinnati. He met his wife Janet while in tired of Ohio winters and were ready fice and daughter Megan working in
those with whom they spend time. We college. Both were from Youngstown, for a move to a warmer climate. Sarasota.
want to meet these people, have them but they had never met there, even “In 1988, I sold the pension com- Since moving here, Bruce and
come to our campus and introduce though they had attended the same pany, kept the estate planning com- Janet have become very involved in the
them to what we are doing here. high school and were both active in the pany and made the move to Orlando Gulf Coast community. “As with every
“We will be hosting amazing local Jewish Community Center. in 1990,” he said. “We did not know other place we have lived, our closest
speakers and events at the Morganroth Bruce was studying pre-med at the a single person in Orlando when we friends were people we met through
Event Center, we will have a camp time, with plans to become a dentist. moved there.” different philanthropic causes,” Bruce
here (Camp Marci Lynn) for the chil- Although he had been accepted to two When he was preparing to make explained. One of the first organiza-
dren and the Chaifetz Family Holo- dental schools, he ultimately decided the move from Youngstown to Orlan- tions Bruce called upon moving to
caust Remembrance Park, among other that was not the field for him. do, Bruce hired the Creative Think- Sarasota was The Jewish Federation
things. What I see during my tenure is “Not knowing what I wanted to ing Association, co-founded by Mike of Sarasota-Manatee to see how he and
building out the campus, making sure do, I went into the insurance business Vance, who was then the dean of Dis- Janet could become involved. After
we have the right people in place for all like my dad,” Bruce said. “In 1973, ney University. “I hired the organiza- a meeting with former CEO Howard
of these new programs and, of course, I became an employee of New York tion to storyboard how I was going to Tevlowitz, the couple sponsored the
meeting our budgets.” Life. I studied voraciously, becom- pick up and start over in a city where Women’s Day event, started making
Bruce is looking forward to work- ing the youngest person there to get I knew absolutely nobody,” Bruce ex- annual contributions and volunteered
ing with new CEO Shep Englander, a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) plained. “We did the storyboards in when they could. “And then they asked
whom he calls “the right guy at the designation, and finishing its three- February 1990. I opened Udell Associ- me to serve on a committee, then the
right time.” “Everything we are trying year training course in one year,” he ates on May 1, and when I opened my board, and now, here I am, president of
to do here,” Bruce said, “Shep has al- said. “I was named one of the 400 door, I already had 80 appointments set the board,” he said.

2021 – 2022

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Edie and David Chaifetz

AN EVENING WITH NOA TISHBY
NOA TISHBY
Leon R. and Margaret M. Ellin
Debbie and Larry Haspel
Israeli-American actress, activist, and author
Rosenthal Roots Family Foundation
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MARY COLLIER
Bunny and Mort z”l Skirboll
SPONSORED BY
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We offer our very deep appreciation
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Questions?
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