American Lung Association - Fighting for Air

Dave Duy
Vice President at M & I Bank
Dave.duy@micorp.com

Tim Friedmann- Former Committee Chair and 4th Year Committee Member

Tim Friedmann
Step It Up
timf@inventorysales.com

Ryan McCarthy- 3rd Year Committee Member

As the original constructor of the Metropolitan Square Building, McCarthy is excited to be a part of this great event benefiting the American Lung Association.  This cause is especially personal to me having lost two close family members to lung related illnesses.

Ryan Freeman
Project Manager
McCarthy Building Companies
rfreeman@mccarthy.com
314-968-3300

Ellie Sertic- 3rd Year Committee Member

Hello Everyone! My name is Ellie Sertic and I am very excited to be involved with the Fight for Air Climb 2012 event.   Having been active with the St. Louis event since the beginning I am thrilled to be a part of the event committee this year.  My background is in event marketing so I hope to bring ideas and suggestions to help make this year’s event even bigger and better. 
This event is important to me because I have family members that have been affected by lung disease and Asthma. Getting the message out there through events like this can help us win the fight and bring us closer to a cure.

Ellie Sertic
Emmis Communications

Dennis Purkis – 3rd Year Committee Member

This will be the third year participating in the Fight for Air Climb and I am excited to be part of the Master the Met committee for the 2012 event.  Raising awareness about lung disease is important to me since I have family members impacted by the disease. Regardless of your level of competitiveness, mastering the Met is a fun way to raise awareness for the American Lung Association and the importance of finding solutions to lung disease. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the Fight for Air Climb please do not hesitate contacting me.  

Dennis Purkis
Dennis Purkis, CPA llc
dennis.purkis@gmail.com

Susan Keck – 2nd Year Committee Member

Hi, I am Sue Keck, Director Executive Compensation at Emerson.  I was convinced to join Master the Met/Fight for Air climb in 2009 for the first time by a fellow fitness center member at Emerson as we were doing the stairs at Emerson on a regular basis as a workout.  Emerson employees have been involved in the climb since 2008.  In 2010, I was the captain of the Emerson team and was honored to be the top fund raiser in St. Louis for the 2010 climb, raising over $4,000.  I consider the climb a major personal challenge for me and hope to beat my 2010 time in 2011.  The important thing is to just make it to the top which I have achieved the last two years.  I also hope to exceed my fundraising by 50%! I am happy to be on the 2012 planning committee and look forward to a terrific climb in 2012!

Thomas Kramer – 2nd Year Committee Member

Tom is currently an elected official for the city of Brentwood where he makes his home.  He has a residential real estate brokerage in Clayton.  Almost two thirds of his life has been devoted to broadcasting and real estate.
 
At 15, Tom worked for his very first of eleven radio stations, KSLQ-FM.  He made his way on the air before he was able to vote.  His eighteen year broadcasting history included a one year run in New York City.   There, he studied acting and appeared on ABC’s nationally televised soap opera “One Life to Live”, among others.    His voice appeared for almost a decade on KSDK NewsChannel Five.  He went on to be voiceover spokesman, and On-Camera newscaster for KDNL –TV/FOX30, the original Fox Television affiliate for St. Louis.
 
Tom’s life was immeasurably impacted by the loss of both of his parents to lung cancer and related diseases.  He has committed to assist as many lives as he can to prevent for them what has happened to his parents.  With the wonderful work and scientific achievements of the American Lung Association, Tom has pledged to help them make a difference in any way that he can.  The ALA 2010 Fight For Air “Climb the Met” stair climbing event will be Tom’s second climb.  He is a member of Lung Association's St. Louis Leadership Council.

Thomas Kramer
Alderman, Ward IV
City of Brentwood, MO
TKramer@Brentwoodmo.org

Alyssa Groeteke – 1st year Committee Member

Hi, I am Alyssa Groeteke, Recreation Specialist for the City of O’Fallon, MO. My first Fight for Air Climb was in 2010. A co-worker, who is also a firefighter, asked me to join his team. He was climbing in all his gear so if he could do it then surely I could too, right? It was a lot tougher than expected but our team had an awesome time cheering on the other climbers and firefighters.

Seeing him and the other firefighters climb with their gear and knowing they put their lives, and lungs, on the line daily was a huge inspiration. In 2011, our team grew and so did our fundraising as we realized how important this organization is to our community.
 
This is my first year on the committee. I’m looking forward to the Fight for Air Climb, not only because it’s fun, but because the American Lung Association is a fantastic organization and this event raises much needed awareness to the cause.
aly_313@yahoo.com

James L. Williams – 1st year Committee Member

I first learned about the Fight For Air Climb a few months before the 2011 race when a friend suggested I join her team.  A unique athletic challenge to benefit a good cause sounded like a great way to raise awareness of lung disease and an excellent opportunity to raise money for a good cause.  But it wasn't until I began interacting with the American Lung Association staff that I realized what a wonderful opportunity this really was.  Not only is the climb and the after-party a lot of fun, the event is well organized and collecting pledges via the website is easy.  After climbing 40 flights of stairs, you not only have a new appreciation for every breath you take, but you also raised money for a good cause, became more physically fit, and, hopefully, made a few new friends.

The American Lung Association provides important services for all of us. Smoking cessation and prevention programs are familiar to most of us, but clean air advocacy and lung disease education, assistance, and research are other important functions the donations will support.

I see the effects of lung disease in my work as a rehabilitation medicine physician. From patients suffering from primary lung disease, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, to patients who have conditions affected by their lung function, like spinal cord injuries and strokes, the importance of maximizing lung function is obvious to me. Although my current practice is primarily concerned with caring for people with musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions, I still regularly see patients who are affected by lung disease or are limited by factors such as lung function. I hope you too will dedicate your time, energy, and effort to this worthy cause.