Buddy Bengel, a Quinnipiac graduate, is running for Lt. Gov. in North Carolina. Photo Courtesy: https://buddyfornc.com/
A Quinnipiac University graduate is making a name for himself in North Carolina.
Buddy Bengel, a graduate of the class of 2004, recently ran for Lt. Gov of North Carolina. The election, which took place on Tuesday, March 3rd, had Bengel come up short as a republican primary candidate. However, despite receiving less than 10 percent of total votes, Bengel isn’t discouraged about his future in politics.
“We’ll see what tomorrow brings,” Bengel said. “For the immediate future, I’ll be focusing on my companies and making sure they are running smoothly.”
Bengel, who attended Quinnipiac on a scholarship to play Division I baseball, now owns a restaurant called Baker’s Kitchen in New Bern, North Carolina.
He can also be found on the baseball field mentoring players of the Morehead City Marlins, a collegiate summer baseball team Bengel founded in 2010. The Marlins are a dream that became a reality after his college business plan came to life.
“I actually wrote the business plan for the Marlins in a class at Quinnipiac,” Bengel said. “It was really where I made a blueprint for everything during my senior year.”
Bengel acknowledges that he wouldn’t have this professional success without his experiences at Quinnipiac.
“Overall, it was a wonderful experience. From the classroom to the baseball field, it taught me a whole lot of things and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Quinnipiac.”
John Arcangelo, a 2002 Quinnipiac graduate, serves as the Senior Director of Alumni & Parent Relations and Annual Giving at the university. He shared his thoughts on what it means for Quinnipiac to have such influential alumni.
“We’re very proud of our alumni who demonstrate their commitment to uplifting their communities by running for elected office,” Arcangelo said. “Working to improve our local and global communities is one of the four pillars of our strategic plan.”
Arcangelo also says that Bengel’s success can have a positive impact on alumni-related goals.
“Fostering lifelong connections and success with our alumni is at the heart of everything we do in alumni affairs,” Arcangelo said. “Celebrating and connecting with alumni such as Buddy will inspire other members of our Bobcat family to get involved with not only the QU community, but in their local communities as well.”
Bengel says he has been in touch with Quinnipiac about helping to build new baseball and softball stadiums.
“We’ve formed a booster club, where we have been raising money to help the baseball and softball programs,” Bengel said. “We’ve been raising money every year to support those programs. It’s important to us and we want to see baseball and softball get a new playing facility on campus there.”