Ted Nederostek Invests in More Ways than One
this is the full text of a donor profile that appeared in Vol 1 Ed 1 of our newsletter The Weave.
Thomas “Tom” P. Nederostek is a man for all seasons.
This past spring, he could be found at the Spartanburg Soaring! International Kite Festival lifting and toting to help get vendors set up. And last season, he was casted in the Spartanburg Little Theatre’s production of The Music Man. He was one of the traveling salesmen who sang in the standout scene and song “Rock Island.” It wasn’t a big part, but he was doing his part.
He and his wife, Vicki, are established donors to The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, but support of the United Arts Fund is not the only way he supports what goes on at Chapman Cultural Center and its outreach into the community.
“I’m on the finance and facility boards,” Tom said recently. “I’ll help with the physical labor part, if the scheduling works. Before the start of the last kite festival, I was with a former mayor, a retired Milliken CEO, and a semi-retired executive director. We just finished helping a lady set up for face painting, and she said she never had anyone help her before and asked if she was supposed to tip us. I missed the opportunity to say ‘I’m not sure about those three, but I’m good.’ All three of those guys could sit back, rest on their laurels and still have everyone think they were great people. Yet, they are helping set up tents, carrying boxes, and moving garbage cans so a couple of thousand fellow residents can enjoy the day. They are role models for me and everyone who lives here.”
Educated to be an engineer and now the Vice President of Operations for NWS Technologies, a Spartanburg company that tests and repairs nuclear valves, Tom keeps his field of interests pretty broad. “I take adult piano and tap lessons. I’ve taken sculpting lessons at CCC, and my wife and I have taken shag and other dance lessons there, too. Then for something completely different, I had a part in The Music Man.” Recently, he took a summer sabbatical to do some people watching and noticed how many are lonely. “Well, if you’re in Spartanburg and you’re lonely, it’s time to get involved. I’m really calling BS on being lonely. Get involved.”
As someone who has a long history of investing and participating in Spartanburg’s arts and culture, Tom is in a leadership position to see the big picture. “Chapman Cultural Center is very fortunate to have had and still have people with foresight, especially the current staff,” he said. “If you see a business that is doing well, look at the leadership. Look at the people running things. If things are going great and the leadership has been in place for a while, you’ve got something good going. Then look at all the volunteers who have a smile on their faces, while explaining what in the history, art, or science museums, and it makes me have a good bit of optimism for the future.
“Spartanburg is very, very fortunate to have several families who are in a position to financially support a wide range of activities in the community,” he continued. “I think each and every one of them is deserving of as much thanks as we can give them, but as a community we can’t rely on them to always be there. In my vision of a perfect situation, everyone would support community activities by participating, giving financially or just by attending some of the events. If everyone would give something to the arts and cover the baseline of what is needed, then what we all get from the few very generous would provide a heck of an icing for the cake.”
“Tom’s leadership in the arts is the total package,” President and CEO Jennifer Evins said. “He serves on our Board; he participates in dance classes and music lessons; he is the first person to roll up his sleeves, moving tables and chairs, like during the South Carolina STEAM conference. He auditioned for and landed a role in The Music Man. He supports the United Arts Fund, which fuels all the activities here. He is fully vested in the arts in Spartanburg. Tom exudes the vitality that the arts can bring into one’s life.”
With good humor, generosity, modesty, and hands-on experience, Tom always brings not only business sense to the table, but his sense of humanity. “I went to school for engineering and was taught to judge on facts and hard science, so for me to say I’ve started to believe in karma shocks me a little,” he admitted. “Maybe I’m self-serving, but it sure seems the nicer I am and the more I put out there, it comes back in at least equal quantities. So, it’s rewarding from every angle.”