Cliff Dunbar and Fred Lagomarsino (19): Ag Leadership Alumni World Ag Expo Breakfast

Featured in Horizons/Winter 2023

The Ag Leadership Alumni World Ag Expo Breakfast came to be from a very long-standing relationship. Cliff Dunbar estimates the relationship between his firm, Gallagher Insurance, and the Lagomarsino family goes back somewhere between 70-80 years. “The Lagomarsinos are our longest-standing client,” said Dunbar. With the breakfast now in its 27th year, Fred Lagomarsino (19) recalls when local alumni formed a committee to launch the first event. “The committee was just trying to make people aware of the foundation,” said Lagomarsino. “But it only took one year and everyone wanted to know why we weren’t raising money alongside.” With that in mind, Lagomarsino enlisted Dunbar and his team, including alumni Steve Chrisman (10) and Richard Nunes (37), to start fundraising. They were more than willing to take on the job. “I’m totally committed to the program and its vision and its objective,” said Dunbar. “Several alumni are clients of ours. We have personal relationships with alumni and with all of these alumni supporting us, this is a way we can support them.” Today, the breakfast garners nearly a dozen sponsorship supporters and 700-800 people in attendance. “When you give your time, you get more than you give,” Lagomarsino said. Dunbar agrees; “It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my career.”

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