Member Profile: Rick Trivane
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The Navy recruiter promised him he would see the world and never be shot at. Wrong! Rick Trivane was assigned to the US Naval Air Command at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, NJ, a scant sixty miles from his home in Linden, NJ.
Rick Trivane with his wife, Beverly.
He was trained in aviation photography there and flew over the Atlantic in a blimp where he photographed ships, submarines and airplanes during war games. When they returned to the Naval Station, local farm boys would occasionally take pot shots at the blimps. Upon landing, the ground crew would tape up the holes in the blimp. Fortunately, no holes in Rick.
Following his enlistment, he attended the New York Institute of Photography, then worked for a professional photography company to hone his skills. He then opened his own studio in Morrisville, NJ, then branched out into the new technology of closed-circuit video where he saw a bigger future in electronics.
Changes were coming in the industry and Rick joined SPRINT to learn the intricacies. The government broke up the AT&T monopoly on long-distance calls, allowed private ownership of in-house telephone equipment, and car phones became available. Everything was new, competitive and confusing to the average person and business. Seeing an opportunity, Rick started another company that offered telephone consulting services that provided considerable savings to clients by identifying the best choices with the best terms.
As the industry matured and simplified, he sought other avenues. “When one door closes, another opens. The door I saw read, INTERNET.” Rick joined his wife in marketing classic Amish cupolas and weathervanes made in the Lancaster area. They took an early and prominent place with Google AdWords and continue selling nationwide.
Rick has been a Rotarian since 1979, when he joined the Philadelphia Rotary Club and served as its president in 2000. He relocated and joined the Bala Cynwyd Narberth Rotary Club, where he served as president twice. The club changed its name to the Lower Main Line Rotary Club to embrace a wider market of new members and service projects. Since Covid, it has been a hybrid club that enjoys 20% remote participation. Rick handles the video. He also served as an Assistant Governor for six years and on the District Membership Committee for three years.
If you live in Southeaster PA, there’s a Rotary club near where you live or work. Learn more about Rotary and how to join here.
This Member Profile was written by Paul Quintavalla.