Asher Tees Off for Its 10th Annual Golf Open  

Asher and Company, Ltd. was filled with excitement and anticipation on March 17th.  Although the celebration of St. Patrick's Day may have been a contributor, the main reason (we hope!) was that this date marked the 10th Anniversary of the Asher Open.  

The level of excitement increased further when Don Polec, from ABC's local affiliate Channel 6, paid a visit to cover this historic event. This was the second time the Asher Open was covered on his lengthy special interest feature, Don Polec's World.  The first time was in 1998.  

A History Lesson

What started humbly as a way to provide a break for staff during the rigors of tax season has grown to become an Asher tradition of fun and community support.   For one day, the entire office is transformed into a visually-stunning indoor golf course with holes designed and constructed by staff as part of a team-building contest.  Each participant pays a nominal ‘greens fee’ which is donated to an organization chosen by the defending champion.  Asher also solicits friends of the firm to support the event. 

Creativity Comes Into Play

According to Asher Open historians, this year's Asher Open Design-A-Hole Contest raised the bar in terms of creativity.  Golf hole themes included a tribute to the U.S.A. Curling Team using makeshift curling stones as obstacles; a tribute to the Sopranos with a windmill crafted to look like wooden bats as an obstacle; an Independence Day theme decorated with alien space ships used a computer program as an obstacle in which participants were asked three questions from the Independence Exam - the number correct determined the tee location.

The winning hole was "Over the Rainbow" designed by Randee Mellon, Jen Silvan, Elizabeth Pilacik, and Robin Fritz.  Based on the Wizard of Oz, the hole included yellow bricks as obstacles along with various themed items such as a witch's hat, bicycle, pictures of flying monkey's donning the faces of various Asher staff members, and large cardboard cutouts of the main characters with faces of staff members placed on them. 

This Year's Benefactor 

This year's defending champion, Michael Palagruto, designated the Brian Forgione Memorial Fund as this year's benefactor.  This memorial fund was established to celebrate the life of Brian Forgione, younger brother of Jim Forgione, a manager in Asher's accounting and auditing group.  A bright student and exceptional athlete, Brian passed away from cancer in 2002 shortly after graduating from Susquehanna University.  The memorial fund provides college scholarship opportunities to high school students and has donated a baseball scoreboard and other athletic supplies to Dunmore High School through its annual event, the BDF Memorial Golf Tournament.  The Fund will make a donation in Brian's Memory to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a portion of the proceeds from the Asher Open.

The Grand Total 

With the support and participation of Asher clients, vendors, alumni and friends for a second consecutive year, the Asher Open raised approximately $2500.

Sponsors contributed at special levels and Asher expressed gratitude to the following for their generosity: 

• Eagle donors: Interstate Realty Management
• Birdie donors: TransAmerican Office Furniture, R.J. Gallagher and Associates, Inc., RJS Properties, Zutz Insurance Group, and Upstream Academy
• Par donors: Citizen's Bank of PA, Eureka Growth Capital, and All Wrapped Up Custom Gift Packaging Inc.
• Friend donors:  Asher Alumnus Susan Lang, The Guided Tour, Inc., and Harriet Carter Gifts

Closing Ceremony and Party

The day concluded with a catered staff party during which the day's top golfers and Design-A-Hole Contest winners were recognized and staff members who recently passed the CPA exam were honored.

This year's top golfer, Frank Baratta, was presented the 2006 Asher Open Champion trophy - a metal colander.  The day's top golfers were as follows:  Frank Baratta (23), 2003 Champion Jim Kochanski (24), Andrew Passano (25), and Jim Forgione (26).

The Design-A-Hole Winners,  Randee Mellon, Jen Silvan, Elizabeth Pilacik, and Robin Fritz  were presented their $100 Barnes and Noble Gift Certificate.

Christina Morro and Jennifer Silvan from Asher's Tax Department and Jim Hamill from the Accounting and Auditing Group were honored for recently passing the CPA exam.  

All participating golfers received a small prize that they could choose from the “Pro Shop.”

Click on images for larger versions.

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		The official Asher Open rules are prominently displayed outside the Pro Shop  - whether they are followed is questionable.
		The Pro Shop contains items to fit the likes of all Asher Open participants.
		The first round of golfers prepare to tee off.
		Jeri Chiodetti poses for a picture before teeing off at the "Tribute to the U.S. Ski Team" hole - will she make a hole-in-one?
		The "Sopranos" hole before Avi Das attempts to make a well-calculated putt.
		The "Sopranos" hole after Avi Das - at least he attempts to repair the windmill.
		Nick Durso breezes through the Independence Exam questions on the "Independence Day" hole.
		Asher Open Champion Frank Baratta attempts to maintain his overall high score on the "Independence Day" hole - watch out for the alien spaceships!
		Asher Open creator, Jack Kolmansberger, and Tony Plakis from ADP take a trip down the "Asher Open Memory Lane" hole.
		Vicki Dworski lines up her shot on the "Tribute to our Marlton Office" hole.

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