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OUR STORY

It started with a few of us talking about today’s economic uncertainties and the need for Catholic businesses to support one another. “Wouldn’t it be great," we thought, "If we could keep money spent by Catholics 'in the family' by directing business from Catholics in the pews to Catholic businesses?” A couple months went by and in our conversations with family, friends, and fellow parishioners the topic always seemed to turn towards families struggling financially. Whether it was an inability to live on one income, trouble saving for a down payment, worrying about affording another child, or a mountain of student loans, it became clear that our Catholic families needed help. 

So we decided to form the St. Joseph Business Guild to do just that: help Catholic families flourish financially in these uncertain times. How? By helping Catholic businessmen and women network, get a better job, find customers and clients, get advice, and find mentors.

We're all in this together. Now is the time to band together to help others help themselves.

Learn more about the history of the guilds here.

Our Story
GUILD LEADERSHIP
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ROGER VASKO

President

Roger spent 30 years working at Vasko Rubbish Removal, the family business started by his dad in 1968.  He began driving on a garbage route in high school and bought the company with his younger brother Gary at the age of 28. The business expanded into different types of services including roll off boxes for construction sites and a solid waste transfer station and public pay dump. His areas of responsibility were sales & customer service management, advertising & marketing, and human resources. Roger currently serves as a parish trustee and on the finance council at St. Peter in North St. Paul and on the Grants Committee of the Catholic Community Foundation.

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JEFF PETERSON

Vice-President

Jeff is a Strategic/Operational Executive focused on developing/executing strategies that drive growth while delivering exceptional strategic, financial and customer outcomes. Operations, sales, and business unit experience developing sustainable/scalable capabilities while leading initiatives that improve capacity, reduce costs, and deliver best in class customer experiences. Ability to influence at all levels and manages diverse groups of people.
Currently Jeff is teaching a class on Entrepreneurship to middle grade students at St. Peter’s Catholic School and is currently a member of the School Advisory Committee.

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BRET SUTTON

Secretary

Currently specializing in small business solutions for Paychex, Bret Sutton works with mission-oriented organizations that need out-of-box thinking and team building where he puts his revenue-building, community-engagement, and entrepreneurial skills to work, spearheading new ideas, concepts, and methods in conjunction with time-tested strategies for advancing sustainable models. The North Dakota native traveled extensively throughout Europe after attending the University of St. Thomas, ending up in the Metro NYC area where he met and married his wife in 2005 and then convinced her to move back to the Twin Cities, where he is now the proud father of five children.

Advisory Board
  • Dr. Michael Naughton, Director, Center for Catholic Studies

  • Anne Cullen Miller, President, Catholic Community Foundation

  • Richard Aleman, Former Executive Director, American Chesterton Society

  • Bob Harvey, Owner, Edelweiss Design

Chaplains
  • Fr. Spencer Howe, Pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church

  • Fr. Byron Hagan, Pastor of St. Mary’s, Lowertown St. Paul

Guild Leadership
FAQ
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