Torch Technologies (Torch) planned to host its 10^th annual golf tournament in Huntsville this year, but in consideration of the current COVID-19 pandemic and safety concerns, instead hosted a virtual fundraiser for Village of Promise. Torch and previous golf tournament sponsors are collectively making a big difference, helping ease the funding shortfall at Village of Promise due to COVID-19. Through the combined generosity of previous golf tournament sponsors (listed below), Torch’s employee-owners, retirees, and Board of Directors, as well as employee-owners of our sister and parent companies Freedom Real Estate & Capital and Starfish Holdings, Torch was able to raise $100,000 for Village of Promise.

“We believe in giving back to the communities our employee-owners call home. By investing in the education and support of the children in our community, we aim to provide a better future for all our community’s residents,” said Torch President and CEO John Watson.  “We are so grateful to our sponsors and employee-owners for sharing that vision with us and joining us in support of Village of Promise. With the uncertainty surrounding this virus, it is so important for our community to come together in support of our local nonprofit organizations to help ease any funding concerns they may be experiencing.”

Torch and representatives from the many sponsoring companies presented the $100,000 check to Village of Promise at the Freedom Center on the Torch Technologies campus on September 1, 2020. All proceeds from the fundraiser benefited the Village of Promise and its mission to eradicate generational poverty one neighborhood at a time. The Village of Promise helps children of all ages receive support to help them achieve educational success from early childhood in their Infant University program to college and beyond.

“The community that was hardest hit by the COVID shutdown is the community that we directly serve at Village of Promise,” explained Village of Promise Executive Director Dr. Libby Parker. She continued, “We serve families and scholars from the most impoverished community in Huntsville, so it has been essential to help them get back on their feet and sustain their families during this unprecedented time. The funding provided by Torch and their partners is going directly to the hardest hit areas to combat poverty, and we couldn’t do it without them.”

Thank you to our Village of Promise Fundraiser Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors: Torch Technologies (Torch), Torch Employee-Owners, Retirees, and Board of Directors, Freedom Real Estate & Capital Employee-Owners and Board of Directors, Starfish Holdings Employee-Owners and Board of Directors

Diamond Sponsors: Applied Analytical Solutions, Crossflow Technologies

Platinum Sponsors: Bradley, Essential Ingredients

Gold Sponsors: Avion Solutions, CFD Research, Cintel, Inc., ERC, Gayle T. Milton, CLU ChFC, , Hill Technical Solutions Inc, Integration Innovation Inc. (i3), IBERIABANK, Invariant Corporation, IronMountain Solutions, Inc., ISSAC Corp., Maynard Cooper & Gale, NTA, Inc., Parsons, Progress Bank, Progress Financial Services, Synovus Bank, Wavelink, Inc., Willbrook Solutions, Inc.

Silver Sponsors: Aegis Technologies, BRPH, J. Smith Lanier and Company, KODA Technologies, Millennium Engineering and Integration, SimTech, Turner Construction

Refreshment Sponsors: ArcSpace Studio, Connor Group LLC, Reliant Technologies, Inc.

Hole Sponsors: BB&T, Chris Patty, Christopherson Travel, Campus No. 805, Conditioned Air Solutions, DESE Research, Inc., DW Design LLC, Indoff Inc., Monte Sano Research Corporation (MSRC), nLogic Inc., PeopleTec, Inc., Principal, Redstone Federal Credit Union, The Lioce Group

About Village of Promise – Village of Promise serves the needs of children and families from cradle to college to career in distressed neighborhoods. Education, health, enrichment programs and family support services are simply what they do to help each child succeed in school. Their initial efforts are focused in the neighborhood surrounding University Place Elementary School, Montview Elementary School, Westlawn Middle School and Butler High School. To learn more about the Village of Promise go to www.villagepromise.com

Torch employee-owners have a heart for giving back to their communities, and although this year’s Huntsville Heart Walk was a virtual event due to COVID-19, they still showed their heart for this cause by raising $46,265 for the American Heart Association. Torch employee-owners’ participation in the American Heart Association (AHA) Huntsville Heart and Stroke Walk continued this year with 138 members on the virtual Torch Team.

The Torch Team was the largest team, the top fundraising team, and the top fundraising company, raising $46,265 and contributing to the more than $411,781 that was raised by AHA. This year, a Torch employee-owner, Debbie Overcash, was the Top Individual Fundraiser, and Torch’s Co-Founder Bill Roark was the second Individual Fundraiser. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, this event was a success and we were proud to be a part of it!  

Torch employee-owners and their families laced up their running shoes on Saturday, October 19th, to support the 2019 Liz Hurley Ribbon Run. Torch participants included Torch employee-owners, family, and friends who raised a total of $6,750 for the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund at the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. The Torch team was happy to be a part of this event and support these fundraising efforts to help provide lifesaving diagnostic equipment for the Madison Hospital Breast Center.

The tournament began with an 8:30 shotgun start at the RTJ Golf Trail at Hampton Cove. 60 teams participated in the tournament, enjoying a beautiful day of golf while helping children of all ages receive support to help them achieve educational success- from early childhood in their Infant University program to college and beyond. Through the donations of the players, sponsors, and a contribution from Torch, Torch was pleased to present Cofounder Bobbie Bradley and Executive Director Dr. Rachel Ballard with a check for $57,500 to benefit Village of Promise programs.

President John Watson stated, “We believe in giving back to the communities where our employee-owners live and work. By investing in the future of the children in our community, we aim to raise the standard of living for everyone. We are so grateful to our sponsors, participants, and volunteers for sharing that vision with us. We were excited to be able to grow last year’s donation of $37,500 that is going to Village of Promise programs. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Village of Promise in support of their invaluable programs.”

Village of Promise – Village of Promise serves the needs of children and families from cradle to college to career in distressed neighborhoods. Education, health, enrichment programs and family support services are simply what they do to help each child succeed in school. Their initial efforts are focused in the neighborhood surrounding University Place Elementary School, Montview Elementary School, Westlawn Middle School and Butler High School. To learn more about the Village of Promise go to www.villagepromise.com

Torch employee-owners have a heart for giving back to their communities, and this year’s Huntsville Heart Walk was an example of their heart for helping others. Through Torch Helps, Torch in Action, and Torch corporate charitable giving and company-sponsored events, Torch employee-owners and families have set a high standard for involvement and community outreach. Torch employee-owners’ participation in the American Heart Association (AHA) Huntsville Heart and Stroke Walk continued this year, with Torch’s co-founder, Bill Roark, co-chairing the 2019 Huntsville Heart Walk. The Torch Team had 150 members and Torch employee-owners, family, and friends joined the Torch Team on Saturday, April 13^th in downtown Huntsville for the annual event. The Torch Team was the largest team, and the top fundraising company, raising $63,000 through 196 donations and contributing to the more than $510,000 that was raised by AHA during the walk. This year, Torch’s CEO and Co-Founder Bill Roark was the Heart Walk’s Top Executive Fundraiser, and a Torch employee-owner, Debbie Overcash, was the Top Individual Fundraiser. Like Torch, this event continues to grow each year, and we are proud to be a part of it!  

The tournament began with an 8:30 shotgun start at the RTJ Golf Trail at Hampton Cove. 60 teams participated in the tournament, enjoying a beautiful day of golf while helping children of all ages receive support to help them achieve educational success- from early childhood in their Infant University program to college and beyond. Through the donations of the players, sponsors, and a contribution from Torch, Torch was pleased to present Cofounder Bobbie Bradley and Executive Director Dr. Rachel Ballard with a check for $37, 500 to benefit Village of Promise programs.

President John Watson stated, “At Torch, we believe in giving back to the communities where our employees live and work. By investing in the future of the children in our community, we aim to raise the standard of living for everyone. We are so grateful to our sponsors, participants, and volunteers for sharing that vision with us. We were excited to be able to grow last year’s donation of $35,000 that is going to Village of Promise programs. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Village of Promise in support of their invaluable programs.”

Village of Promise – Village of Promise serves the needs of children and families from cradle to college to career in distressed neighborhoods. Education, health, enrichment programs and family support services are simply what they do to help each child succeed in school. Their initial efforts are focused in the neighborhood surrounding University Place Elementary School, Montview Elementary School, Westlawn Middle School and Butler High School. To learn more about the Village of Promise go to www.villagepromise.com

The program, held at the Von Braun Center North Hall, was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. More than 170 companies were nominated, and 15 were named as the “Best Places to Work.” This is the fifth time Torch has been named a “Best Place to Work” by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, receiving recognition in 2008, 2012, 2016, and again in 2017.

Quantum Workplace, a national company that specializes in measuring workplace satisfaction, measured and selected companies based on the following criteria: team effectiveness, retention probability, alignment with goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement and people practices. The selections were based solely on anonymous employee survey inputs, and the top three companies from each category were awarded.

Torch President John Watson said, “We are honored to be recognized as a Best Place to Work in Huntsville/Madison County for the third consecutive year. Great people make up the core of every great company. Thank you to all of our employee-owners who truly make Torch the best place to work.”

The award was presented by Birmingham attorney and BCA board member Stephen W. Still, BCA Chairman Perry Hand, chairman of Volkert Inc. in Mobile, and BCA President and CEO William J. Canary, during the BCA board of directors meeting Feb. 7, 2018. The award is named for Still, who is the chairman of the BCA’s Ambassador program, a ProgressPAC board member, and a shareholder of Maynard Cooper & Gale.

BCA Ambassadors advocate the advantages of BCA membership to Alabama’s business community and in investing in the BCA to ensure that business is represented at the table in Montgomery and in Washington, D.C. “The BCA is a great return on investment,” said Watson, who became president in 2013 and was named to the Torch board of directors in 2014. Watson has more than three decades in the defense industry spanning numerous roles in project engineering support, line and program management, and corporate management. He is a graduate of Auburn University.

The Still Ambassadorial Award is presented to BCA members who show outstanding efforts and consistent contributions to the BCA’s Next Level Investor program.

Torch CEO Bill Roark stated, “We are proud of the success that Watson has had at Torch, and we are equally proud of his efforts within the community. As Torch has continued to grow, so has our commitment to giving back, and we are proud that our president leads by example through his commitment to organizations such as the Business Council of Alabama.”