The decision to come to Penn State for Carl Bartuch ’75 was very similar to that of many of its students. Unsure of what particular major he wished to study, he chose Penn State because of the endless options he had to pick from. “I wasn’t really sure which educational discipline I wanted to pursue after high school.
“It’s Just the Right Thing to Do”
Carl Bartuch ’75 Shares the Influence Kappa Sigma had on His Life and Why He Chooses to
Support the Organization Today
The decision to come to Penn State for Carl Bartuch ’75 was very similar to that of many of its students. Unsure of what particular major he wished to study, he chose Penn State because of the endless options he had to pick from. “I wasn’t really sure which educational discipline I wanted to pursue after high school. Penn State offered a wide variety of educational colleges and program choices to choose from and I didn’t have to decide until after my first year,” Carl said. Attending his first two years at Penn State Beaver, Carl was first introduced to Kappa Sigma when he transferred to University Park. “I found my way to Kappa Sigma in my junior year through the fraternity rush program,” Carl said. “I was impressed with the quality of individuals at Kappa Sigma and the variety of interests and backgrounds that each of the guys brought to the house.” Carl reminisces about his initial and
fond memories of the fraternity. “I still remember clearly when Hooter (Don Coretta ’75) and Bill Scullery picked me up at my Blue Bell apartment for the first rush event I ever went to at Kappa Sigma. I had a lot in common with many of the guys right off the bat.” Dating back to initiation, Carl recalls making a trip to Lehigh University as one of his favorite parts of the process. “We captured brother Ron Derzak ’74 to take with us and we all had a great time socializing with [the] brotherhood at Lehigh and bonding as a group,” Carl said. After becoming a brother, Carl remembers many crazy nights hanging out with fellow Kappa Sigs. “I can recall a number of occasions when Larry Carretta ’77 attempted to turn [the] campus walkway system into his personal roadway with his Volkswagon Beetle only to be stopped and near arrested by the campus police,” Carl said. “The remarkable thing was how smoothly Larry was able to talk his way out of the situation every time.” While being a member of Kappa Sigma undoubtedly gave Carl countless memories and friendships, he took away many lessons that influenced his life ever since. “[Kappa Sigma] taught me the importance of being part of an organization, a community and a family,” Carl said. “In any type of organization, there are many different personalities, viewpoints and opinions. It taught me how to communicate on many different levels, the value of character, honesty and integrity in dealing with others and the
importance of considering other peoples interests in decision making.” Those valuable lessons carried into Carl’s career today where he currently resides in Houston, Texas as President and CEO of High Tech Finishing, a decorative metal-finishing business. “I worked in corporate life right after graduation as a cost accountant and financial analyst for Borg-Warner Corp., Piper Aircraft and then Atlantic Richfield-Chemical division in Philadelphia. I transferred to Houston in 1983 and wanted to get into my own business so in 1984 I purchased the predecessor to High Tech Finishing,” Carl said. While the road to High Tech Finishing’s success was full of speed bumps and obstacles, it is now the leading supplier for decorative metal plating for the business aviation industry. “We provide the manufacturers of business jets with a service by applying decorative coatings, the metal parts found in the interiors of these aircrafts,” Carl said. With High Tech Finishing doing incredibly well in the market, Carl added another aspect of business to his plate. “As the metal finishing business grew larger over the years and began to consistently
produce excess investment capital, I turned that business over to a group of superb managers and formed Bartuch Holdings, Inc. in 2000 to invest in competitively advantaged niche business both in the private and public market place,” Carl said. This ambition led to the purchase of Kegg’s Candies in 2004, an established manufacturer of gourmet chocolate and other assorted candy. With help from Carl’s business management experience, the company was revamped and put in a position to expand and grow for many years to come. Even with business booming, Carl still finds plenty of time to spend with his family. He has been married to his wife, Katherine, for twelve years and they have an 11-year-old daughter, Nicole. Carl says that he feels it’s important to give back to the brotherhood, which he defines as “true lifelong friendships,” because it gave him so much both during his undergraduate days and after college. “I feel it’s important to give back, especially to an organization that was so instrumental in my early development… it’s also important that such a great organization should continue so that others can benefit the way I did,” Carl said. “I think all brothers should support the organization financially. It’s just the right thing to do.”