NCS New Canaan

Founding Chapter

A Tale of Tragedy, Triumph and Changed Lives

by Leave a Comment

Tom Mallon humbly shares the incredible journey that took him from growing up in southern Ohio (a la “Hillbilly Elegy”) as one of seven children with nine people living in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home to building and selling his company in an innovative way that changed the lives of his employees.

Tom describes a turning point in his faith when he asked God what it meant to be “saved”, and God vividly revealed situations in which He had provided for Tom supernaturally. From that revelation, he knew God loved him and that he was “saved”.

Tom recounts his career path from working in the local glass factory, to selling books door-to-door for seven summers (including as a Harvard Business School graduate without a job), to 11 years in commercial real estate, to watching his first business venture fail due to a bad partnership, to starting the business that he would eventually build, sell to an ESOP and then sell to a Catholic health system, resulting in the lives of his employees being profoundly changed (13 employees becoming millionaires, 3 more receiving $900,000 and even the lowest-paid employees walking away with $400-500,000).

Tom vulnerably shares how God used a triple-tragedy (death of his first business dream, death of his father, and a health challenge) to “roto-rooter” his soul in preparation for his second business venture.

He describes the growth of his second venture and the drawn-out sale process that took the business through two letters of intent before the Holy Spirit convicted him to pursue an ESOP sale by asking “what is the best business decision you can make for your company’s future that will increase the ministry and mission of the business?” Tom also shares how the faithful culture of the business grew after the ESOP sale.

Finally, Tom explains the lessons he learned about the importance of “aligned capital” and how those lessons led to the formation of his current venture, Perpetuate Capital.

Adventures of a Urogynecologist (Dr. Bob Lobel – 1/6/23 – NCS New Canaan)

by Leave a Comment

With incredible courage, humility and vulnerability, Dr. Bob Lobel shares the challenges and pain that can come from “family of origin” problems–in his case never feeling he could meet his father’s expectations.

Bob explains that, despite being seen by others as a hugely successful and confident surgeon, those childhood feelings manifested as intense “shame” that has impacted his marriage, relationships, career and life. He describes it as a “chronic illness” that requires daily “medication”.

Despite growing up in a home devoid of religion or God, Bob talks about the deep faith that has helped him survive horrific tragedies, including the loss of a child to SIDs and his first wife to cancer.

As the founder of the NCS Albany chapter, Bob shares the profound impact NCS has had in his life: his first NCS experience was a Retreat at Mohonk Mountain House, an NCS Retreat at Hershey opened the door to understanding his shame, and an NCS Retreat at the Homestead helped his family heal from the loss of his first wife.

This is an NCS brudder truly taking off his mask in the hope that revealing his pain may help others begin to face and heal from theirs.

The Journey of an Ordinary Man (Edward Russell III – 10/7/22 – NCS New Canaan)

by Leave a Comment

With genuine NCS vulnerability and authenticity, Ed Russell describes what he humbly calls the journey of “an ordinary man”. It is Ed’s unique journey, and he is an extraordinary man in many ways, but in many ways it is every man’s journey.

Ed explains that there were no cataclysmic events like divorce, affairs, prison or loss of a fortune–the things that can make faith stories exciting.

Describing what he calls an “Ozzy and Harriet” childhood, Ed tells about life growing up with church-going parents in the upscale Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe. He explains how his father began getting him involved in the family business from a very young age how he navigated the road to becoming the third generation leader of Russell Development.

Russell shares the story of meeting his wife in high school, getting married, having children, putting his own mark on the family business and chasing money, success, status and toys. He then emotionally opens up about the valleys and the lessons painfully learned, such as a family tragedy at the climax of his biggest business deal. Ed describes how his relentless pursuit of “success” strained relationships with his wife and daughters and how he came to see that what he thought was “all for them” was really “all for him”. He also tenderly shares about the opportunity to ask their forgiveness.

Ed explains the journey that introduced him to a Bible study led by a man who would become a mentor and friend, how he began to grow as a husband and father, and his path to the New Canaan Society that began on a private plane to Belize.

Ed ends with a heartwarming and powerful story of how one man’s life was transformed by finding friendship and meeting Jesus in the “boiler room” of NCS Grosse Pointe.

How God Can Transform Pain into a Gift (Eugene Schneeberg – 6/10/22 – NCS New Canaan)

by Leave a Comment

With NCS vulnerability and humor, Eugene Schneeberg shares the 20-year journey to find his father, and he reveals how God can transform our pain into a gift.

Although Schneeberg never did meet get to meet his father, Eugene describes the circuitous path to discovering his father’s identity and meeting his relatives.

Schneeberg also talks about the various Godly men–particularly his father-in-law–that God brought into his life to show him the love of his heavenly Father. Eugene explains how they shaped his ability to be a loving father to his own four children.

Pointing to Genesis 50:20, Schneeberg describes how God transformed his pain to a gift by breaking his heart for the fatherless and for kids in detention and then leading him on an extraordinary journey. In addition to writing a book titled I Never Met My Father: My Journey from Fatherless to Fatherhood, Eugene’s painful past led to:

  • Being appointed by President Barak Obama as the Director of Faith Based Partnerships for the Justice Department.
  • Leading DOJ’s efforts as part of the President Obama’s Responsible Fatherhood Initiative, and the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, which resulted in over $30 million dollars in new grants for Juvenile Justice Involved Young Fathers and an increased focus on Empowering Parents within the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
  • Co-chairing the Obama Administration’s efforts to support and improve outcomes for Children of Incarcerated Parents.
  • Helping lead the Attorney General Eric Holder’s Federal Reentry Council.
  • Helping expand DOJ’s Youth Violence Prevention efforts helping to build the capacity of more than 30 major US Cities to combat youth violence.

Stay Connected

Sign up to receive news and updates about local events and happenings.