The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

Robert Bruce Donald

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

East Coast Greenway Alliance
2016-Present

Southern New England Manager
Serving CT/RI/MA

My position carries region-wide responsibilities for all aspects of greenway development, State Committee/volunteer engagement, and fundraising tasks. I have a lot of latitude to perform my work under the direction of the Deputy Director and Director after my promotion in late 2021. I support the ECGA Strategic Plan and specific strategies and goals in the region that I quantify every year in a work plan. A large part of the job supporting and empowering our volunteers (the Alliance) in the region and frequent travel within the region for meetings and events. I also am a frequent public speaker on a variety of topics with the active transportation space. Additional aspects entail data collection, field investigations, and performing technical and GIS data analysis.

The ECGA’s mission statement is to “To partner with local, state, and national agencies and organizations to promote the establishment, stewardship, and public enjoyment of a safe and accessible multi-user greenway linking cities and towns 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida.” I have only recently started in this region having been responsible for NJ, NY, & CT for the last six years. With my new responsibilities as Manager, I guide all aspects of greenway development in Southern New England. Specific responsibilities include completing and monitoring ECG signage throughout the region; keeping the data-reporting system up-to-date for each state and creating reports; coordinating State Committees and volunteers; building and maintaining a strong network of strategic alliances with public agencies, elected officials, and organizations in each state to continue strong Greenway progress; and communicating and helping to promote regional information and engage local and national media. In the last two years I have raised $105,000 in grants, presided over 29 projects in three states, totaling $79 million, was instrumental in lobbying for the initiation and retention of the $3 million (now $6M!) a year in State bonding for the CT Recreational Trails Program through DEEP, completed new trail in all 3 states, and much more. Please visit www.greenway.org for more information.

Farmington Valley Trails Council, Inc.
2001-2016

President; Board of Directors
Tariffville, CT

The FVTC’s mission statement is “To complete a connected, off-road system of multi-use trails in central Connecticut, while building, maintaining, beautifying, and encouraging the safe use of such trails for the betterment of our communities.” This 1,000-member 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 1992, advocates for the completion and benefits of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail and the Farmington River Trail. During my presidency, the organization’s membership grew 500% and the audited annual budget went from $7,100 to $62,000, making the FVTC one of the largest such organizations in Connecticut. During this period, the FVTC successfully converted over $163,000 in grants for various projects and donated over $315,000 in targeted grants for trail-related projects. Many other substantial initiatives were successfully launched.

Personal duties included all of the written and web-based content, public speaking and communications, building alliances with federal, State, town and advocacy organizations, and much more. I sat on multiple boards and spoke at events across the eastern U.S. having become one of the more recognized advocates in Connecticut. I remain on the Board of Directors. Please visit www.fchtrail.org for more information.

Argyll Associates LLC
2000-2010

President/Managing Partner
Farmington, CT

Sole proprietor of a consultancy to numerous corporations of various sizes, from start-up to established entities. Specialties have included management consultancy, start-up financing, deal origination, structuring and syndication. Advisory activities have been carried out for firms such as Rare Medium, Inc., Fluid Motion Biotechnologies, Inc., and Multiple Choice Software Company, Inc., among others. Other activities have included raising funds for both money managers and private and public companies, technical financial writing of 10-K’s, annuals, offering documents, business plans, and many other strategic marketing documents. During this period, four significant and lengthy jobs were undertaken with me taking a leading role in the development of each, as well as Argyll taking equity participation.

Enterprise Interactive, Inc.
1998-2000

Chief Executive Officer, Senior Consultant
South Norwalk, CT

As CEO of Ei, an eleven-employee boutique agency that specialized in internet content development and marketing, I worked with a range of Internet retailers, financial services firms, consulting firms, technology companies, and other clients, helping to plan site-development strategy, on-line marketing and e-commerce programs, and strategic alliances. We also provided custom content for client sites, ranging from splash page updating to daily, weekly, and monthly publications crafted to appeal to targeted Internet users, as by-lined, opt-in e-mail or stand-alone content. I also wrote many financial pieces for our clients.

Enterprise Interactive helped to shape a number of online success stories for several significant clients, including online travel vendor 1travel.com, BankOne’s Internet strategy, Ernst &Young’s business-to-business online consulting tool Ernie, and the strategy and content execution behind FitnessZone, an early e-commerce success. Enterprise Interactive also worked extensively on Internet projects with Goldman Sachs & Co., Deloitte & Touche, Networks Telephony Corporation, Copernicus Interactive, and numerous other online and “real world” firms. Internal corporate duties above and beyond day-to-day operations included acting as CFO and performing budgeting, accounting and banking functions. Ei was sold and integrated into an internet start-up in 2000.

Grove Investment Group, Inc.
1997-98

Marketing Advisor, Fund Director
Hartford, CT

Responsible for the development and implementation of an institutional marketing strategy and presence for the firm’s equity and debt alternative real estate products. Integral in the formation of a real estate debt limited partnership, Grove Mortgage Securities Fund, LP, an innovative fund that invests in the subordinated credits of an emerging commercial mortgage-backed securities market. Generated all marketing materials including a company brochure and investment review. Set up performance reporting standards and processes. Initiated marketing to qualified funds, endowments and institutions. The LP was subsequently sold to a large bond insurer for its personal account.

China Industrial Development Corp./GLD Group, Inc.
1996-99

Chief Financial Officer
New York, NY Chengdu, Sichuan, PRC

GLD started out as a corporation formed to design and produce hybrid electric/gas powered vehicles. The principals had completed and sold a variety of custom cars in clean fuel and composite material models. GLD signed a contract in 1998 to develop a composite body, hybrid-electric automobile, with Sichuan’s NCH Huatong Motors. GLD also had a project in advanced negotiations that would incorporate its advanced technologies in a composite bus for the Chinese and world markets that would have reduced emissions, improved fuel economy, advanced safety and performance features, and significantly lower life-cycle costs.

The firm’s engineering principals had designed, developed, constructed and operated many industrial power plant projects, as well as published many technical and scientific papers and books. Leveraging the successful completion of contracts for public transit properties, power authorities, and many public companies in the U.S., as well as the contract negotiations for the hybrid car, CIDC was developed to design and build power plants in China. We opened an office in Chengdu, partnering with Design Power New Zealand Ltd. proceeding with negotiations in Beijing. Working in concert with the Sichuan Provincial and local governments substantial projects were in the funding stage when the Huatong Motors car project ground to a halt when they could not fund a second round of financing. Limited working capital forced the break-up of the firm and our return to the U.S. Former principals of the firm still do business in these fields in North Carolina, New York and Texas.

Innovative Research Associates, Inc. / Murdoch Capital
1995-97

Advisory Board, Consultant
New York, NY

Engaged in the formation of both public and private equity deals, corporate finance services, and marketing services to public companies. Actively participated in the formation and planning of numerous deals, wrote business and marketing plans, and raised funds for both private placements and bridge/mezzanine financings. Companies included Kfx Incorporated (KFX-AMEX) (bridge, Reg. S and stock promotion), and private equity such as International Pet Foods, Inc.

Oak Hall Capital Advisors, LP
1993-95

Vice President, Marketing and Administration
New York, NY

Oak Hall is the public arm of the private family investment office of the William Rosenwald Family, founded upon the Sears Roebuck fortune. I was responsible for marketing Oak Hall’s “alternative” products to consultants, endowments, foundations, fund-of-funds, and high net worth individuals. Total estimated funds raised totaled $150 million, personally or in conjunction with staff. Oak Hall at its peak managed over $600 million.

Kidder, Peabody & Co., Inc.
1992-1993

Hartford, CT

Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc.
1988-1992

(Bought out Moseley office in 1988)
Hartford, CT

Moseley, Hallgarten, Estabrook & Weeden
1985-1988

Hartford, CT

Full-service stockbroker and investment advisor serving individual and corporate accounts. Member of marketing team at Kidder, Peabody which actively prospected through database management, marketing through mailings, public and corporate seminar series on estate planning, and other topics, and using personally generated research and marketing materials to identify investment opportunities. Areas of expertise include portfolio management, fee-based management, trading, equity due diligence, public speaking, insurance products, and municipal markets. Held federal NASD Series 7, 63, 65 and CT Life Insurance licenses.

EDUCATION

Course work in history, economics and Buddhist philosophy.

Specializing in American Civil War Studies.

SELECTED PUBLISHED WORKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRaaXAgxzfE

https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/sustainability-seminar/2019/fall2019/11/

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

President, Col. Wadsworth Branch #7; Editor, Connecticut Line Newsletter.

AWARDS

• State of Connecticut General Assembly Official Citation, April 2016, Recognition of years of service as President of the Farmington Valley Trails Council. Recognition of building trails in CT and moving the 200 miles of the East Coast Greenway in CT forward, and as a regional force in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy.

• Golden Spike Award, July 2018, Massachusetts Central Rail Trail Coalition; MCRT recognized R. Bruce Donald – “In appreciation for all your years of work in developing trails in your community, region, and state.”

COMPETENCIES & INTERESTS

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