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Roncari's 2012 Road Warrior

David Cannata is a man who marches to the beat of a different drummer as he stands, walks, and runs through airports all over the country. After all, you’ve got to love a guy who in 2012 wears his hair long, shoulder length or longer, drives a Chevy Cavalier Z24 with 164,000 miles on it, and travels for business 2/3 of the year.

He didn’t know the actual number of days he was gone, when we sat down to talk with him recently, after informing him he was being awarded Roncari’s “Road Warrior of the Year” but he took a good guess at somewhere over 200 days. The 56 tickets he accumulated from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31st, 2011, actually totaled 249 nights on the road.

The bulk of Cannata’s travel is work related, as a service engineer for Farmington-based Trumpf, Inc., manufacturers of laser metal cutting machinery. A normal schedule finds him leaving Bradley Airport at dawn on Monday morning, and returning home late on Fridays. His destination city can be anywhere in the US where one of Trumpfs customers is located, recent stops being Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Portland OR, and heading soon to the Carolinas. Asked if he ever has time to explore these great places, sadly the answer was “Not usually.” Like all of us at the end of the day, after-work hours are spent wrapping up work and preparing for the next day. Doing his job is the simplest part, traveling is the battle. That’s why we call them “road warriors.”

He is a frequent face for airline personnel and TSA security, who can just about set their watches by his schedule and all those frequent flyer miles are good for upgrades on flights and free rental cars. He speaks of his accounts as half a million here, half a million there. His airline of choice is US AIR and his #1 pick for hotels is Hilton, with Holiday Inn coming in 2nd. (He also gives unsolicited kudos to Roncari Valet for the service he receives, and our friendly, family atmosphere. He knows our counter people by name, identifies himself just as “It’s Dave” to let us know he’s at the airport, and has shown up on several occasions with cookies for our staff!)

The Road Warrior of the Year award also carries with it a $100.donation to charity. He has selected “All the Kings Horses” equine rescue, located in Northford, CT.

Does all that work make Dave a dull guy? Not exactly.

Cannata likes to stay in motion, as evidenced by his off hours work as a musician. A guitar player, who also sings, he works on the weekends as a DJ, fills in when a band needs an extra, and is always looking around for a new gig. His unorthodox schedule seems to work out fine at home in Rocky Hill, where he lives with Dianne and daughter Nikki, and the highlight of a few days off later this year will be as father of the bride for his daughter at her wedding in Sept.

So, I had to ask, “How about that hair? Do you get a lot of looks?” “All the time; everywhere I go. I guess if I’m seen in an airport with my long hair and sunglasses on, people just have to ask if I’m a rock star.” (There IS a little resemblance to Frank Zappa.)

Roncari's Road Warrior award is based on the frequency of stays and the total number of days a customer parks at Roncari.

Roncari - Official Parking Place for UCONN Husky Fans

You know Roncari is the closest and best valet parking place at Bradley Airport, but did you know it's also the official parking place for UCONN Husky fans? Show your ticket stub from any Huskies game and receive 20% off the regular rates when you park at Roncari! Great rates, great service, and only 1 minute from the airport.

Start saving now at Bradley's #1 parking place, Roncari Valet.

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Meet the Roncari Valet Parking People

Roncari Voted Best Valet Parking by Hartford Magazine

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Congratulations to Chris Maggipinto, who was recently promoted to assistant manager at Roncari Valet.

  •   Job: Assistant Manager
  •   Years with Roncari: 5
  •   Home Town: Windsor

This native of Southington has been with Roncari Valet for five years, working as a lot attendant, so you may recognize him as the man behind the sunglasses that helps you with your luggage, or brings up your car when you return.

His quiet friendly demeanor belies his competitive nature and enthusiasm for all kinds of sports, especially the Red Sox. The proud father of a 6 month old, he now resides in Windsor with his family, and is patiently waiting for the time he can put a bat and a ball in his son’s hands.

Say hello to Chris next time your check in!

Roncari's 2011 Road Warrior

Roncari's 2011 Road Warrior

Road Warrior Stanley Ritterbusch has learned to deal with an overloaded air transit system.

  •   Job: Licensing Manager, Westinghouse
  •   Years on the road: 41
  •   Days away in 2010: 228
  •   Quotable: “You need a good wife."

There are lessons to be learned during a life of traveling for business — and not all of them come easily. Ask Stanley Ritterbusch of Canton, a licensing manager for Westinghouse.

“When I began traveling in the 1970s, it used to be simpler,” he said. “I used to make a challenge out of arriving at the airport 15 minutes before departure. Now it’s an hour and a half to two hours before departure. It’s a marker of how things have changed. It’s a lot busier, more crowded.”

Although his days of long-haul flights to South Africa and Korea are behind him, Ritterbusch still travels virtually every week. Nowadays, a typical destination is Westinghouse headquarters outside of Pittsburgh. Another frequent destination is Washington D.C., where he represents his company before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

While most of his travel is now confined to the Northeast, his days away from home are still numerous. His car was stored at Roncari’s an amazing 228 days since last March.

What other lessons has Rittenbusch learned as a Road Warrior? “You need a good wife,” he said.

Roncari's Road Warrior award is based on the frequency of stays and the total number of days a customer parks at Roncari.