The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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  • Kip Stilley of Dalton, right, helped ring the Nasdaq stock market opening bell in New York City Friday morning. He was selected in a drawing to join Windstream President and CEO Jeff Gardner, center, and other company officials at the event to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the company. Also pictured is Stilley’s girlfriend, Jennifer Stirnemann. Stilley is a service delivery order review specialist with Windstream. (Contributed photo)

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July 19, 2011

Memorable trip to the Big Apple for Windstream employee

Rings opening bell at Nasdaq

Jamie Jones jamiejones@daltoncitizen.com

After a four-day trip to “The City That Never Sleeps,” Dalton resident Kip Stilley needed some rest.

“I’m exhausted,” Stilley said Monday morning.

Stilley made his first trip to New York City compliments of his employer, Windstream, after winning a company drawing. While in New York, Stilley joined executives in celebrating the company’s five-year anniversary by ringing the Nasdaq stock market opening bell along with Windstream President and CEO Jeff Gardner on Friday morning.

The trip was a memorable one for Stilley, who works for Windstream in Dalton as a service delivery order review specialist, and his girlfriend, Jennifer Stirnemann. They were joined by two other drawing winners from Windstream.

Stilley flew in to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Thursday morning and returned home Sunday night. In three days he was able to “get the full blown New York effect,” he said.

That included a subway ride into the city, a 10-course dinner Thursday night at the restaurant Le Bernardin owned by renowned chef Eric Ripert, taking in the Broadway show “Wicked” Friday night and a “hop on, hop off” bus tour of New York City on Saturday.

“It does 24 stops around Manhattan,” Stilley said. “The World Trade Center, Empire State Building, Chinatown, Little Italy. You just hop off when you want to stop. Buses are running every 15 minutes. So you go hang out at the bus stop for five minutes, then there’s another bus and you take it to the next stop.”

And how did ringing the Nasdaq bell turn out? Well, he didn’t actually ring a bell. He pushed a button that sounded the opening bell.

“It’s all electronic now,” Stilley said.

Stilley, 27, was born and raised in Tunnel Hill and now lives in Dalton. He graduated from Northwest Whitfield High School in 2002 and has worked for Windstream for five years.

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