Finding your true path towards a career, perspective or lifestyle begins with a foundation. That could be through your family and friends, an organization or activity, your school, or more. With Rich Putnam, the foundation began at Fonda-Fultonville, and his pathway is now impacting some of today’s students to get stronger – both mentally and physically. Mr. Putnam is a Class of 1996 graduate of FFCS, and he owes his perspective on work, training, and success to the community.
Putnam has been the co-owner of Frasier Builders in Mayfield for the last 18 years and the founder of the Gorilla Pack Powerlifting team for the previous 26 years. The team consists of many world-class powerlifters who train together three days a week and are as close to family as can be. Local athletes and students to powerlifters from all over New York and from surrounding states come to learn proper form, techniques, and training styles to get stronger. Putnam also has found that powerlifting is making an impact in challenging people, especially students, in such a camaraderie atmosphere that it brings them out of their shells and builds their self-esteem. Powerlifting is a must-have as they seek to strength train for their sports and to create positive outlooks. One such student, Mason Schriner, a sophomore at FFCS, is dedicated and pushes himself every week. Schriner is making huge gains and will excel in upcoming baseball and football seasons at FFCS. Putnam’s pathway took some turns after graduation and like many others, he found his place in home building and became one of the top powerlifters in the world.
We were fortunate to get some time to meet with Mr. Putnam to hear how his experiences at FFCS set his progress forward. Today, he shares his perspective on building a career and finding your passion.
After high school, what were your initial plans moving forward in life?
After high school, I enrolled at Fulton Montgomery Community College for electronics. After my first year, I knew I wasn’t interested in pursuing that field. At that time, I began to work out and started training/lifting at World’s Gym in Perth. I was lucky to be included with a group of powerlifters who took me into their community. That was the beginning for me, and it opened possibilities for me. After nearly 27 years of training and learning, I set an All-Time world record in the bench press of 1,135 pounds. Only four people in the world have been able to obtain a 1,100+ bench press. I’m training five students from my alma mater to help them keep in shape for their respective sports. We train athletes to train in sports ranging from baseball to cross country. We work to ensure their health and safety are met. The training goes beyond improving their physical health. It’s also building their self-esteem and feeling good about themselves.
How did FFCS transform who you are today?
The support of the community was important to me growing up. I remember teachers, classmates, and coaches helping me to build confidence. The closeness of our community played a big role in preparing me to succeed and support my businesses. FFCS played a big role in that.
As an alumnus, how do you feel about FFCS?
I believe in the trades. I love it. There’s something different every day when I head to a job site. We also have students who intern at Frasier Builders, one such intern, Jason Gulick, has turned into one of my best employees with his attention to detail. It’s fun to work with students looking to learn and grow in the construction field. This district gave me the tools to build my future and I feel like through my construction business and my powerlifting coaching, I’m able to give back and allow someone else to receive an opportunity to be better.