RONNIE BRUNO

Mr. Bruno graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.  Since graduation, Mr. Bruno has been a very engaged member of the alumni community, having served on the University of Alabama President’s Cabinet and as the Chairman of the Board of Visitors at the College of Commerce and Business. 

Following graduation, Mr. Bruno started working for the Bruno’s Supermarkets, Inc., holding various management positions from 1974 through 1991.  In 1991 he became Chairman and CEO and held that position until the company was sold in 1995; at the time of sale, Bruno’s Supermarkets, Inc. operated 250 stores in six states with a sales volume approaching $3 billion. 

The Bruno family’s philosophy of giving back to the community combined with their passion for golf lead Ronald Bruno and his father, Angelo, to start an annual golf tournament in Birmingham on the Senior tour.  The Bruno’s Classic tournament would celebrate its inaugural year in 1992 with proceeds going to local charitable organizations. 

Tragically, just weeks after the press conference to officially announce the tournament, Angelo Bruno, his brother, Lee Bruno, and seven other valued company associates were killed when the company’s plane crashed.  After the accident, the event’s name changed to the Bruno’s Memorial Classic with both Angelo and Lee Bruno serving as Honorary Chairmen in Memoriam.

The inaugural Bruno’s Memorial Classic was held at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Hoover with George Archer becoming the event’s first champion.  Greystone served as the tournament’s home for the next 14 years, and interestingly 14 different champions were crowned over that time.  The tournament became an annual tradition for Birmingham area residents, drawing some of the largest crowds on the Senior PGA TOUR as well as some of the most notable players including Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Hale Irwin, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino.  The Bruno’s Memorial Classic was recognized as the Best Champions TOUR event by players, tournament officials and media in a Sports Illustrated poll in both 2001 and 2004; the only times the award was given. 

In 2005, Regions Financial Corporation became the event’s title sponsor, changing the name to the Regions Charity Classic.  The tournament also changed venues that year, moving to The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge for the 2006 tournament. 

In 2008, the tournament celebrated a milestone as it surpassed $10 million in charitable giving to the Alabama community.  Giving back to the community was initial reason for starting the tournament and this milestone is something that Mr. Bruno and his family take great pride in.

After retiring from Bruno’s Supermarkets, Inc., in 1995, Mr. Bruno founded an investment company, Bruno Capital Management, where he currently serves as president.  Later that same year, Mr. Bruno formed Bruno Event Team with partner Gene Hallman and he currently serves as chairman.

Since its start in 1995, the Bruno Event Team has grown to encompass five separate divisions employing more than 50 full-time and 20 limited-term employees in eight offices throughout the United States.  The five divisions of Bruno Event Team include Golf, Five Star Catering, Zoom Motorsports, Gameday Operations and Think + Creative Services.  The company is also affiliated with the Alabama Sports Foundation, managing numerous events for the Foundation including the Magic City Classic, SEC Baseball and the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state championships. 

 

• The Golf Division currently manages the following annual events, the Regions Charity Classic and Principal Charity Classic on the Champions TOUR, the Bell Micro LPGA Classic and Navistar LPGA Classic on the LPGA Tour and the South Georgia Classic on the Nationwide TOUR.  In addition to the annual events, the Golf division has managed five of the last seven U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open championships for the USGA and is currently managing the 2009 U.S. Senior Open (Indianapolis, IN), 2010 U.S. Women's Open (Pittsburgh, PA), 2010 U.S. Senior Open (Seattle, WA) and 2011 U.S. Women's Open (Colorado Springs, CO). 

• Five Star Event Catering is a full-service caterer, operating from a large kitchen facility at the Barber Motorsports Park.  The company manages the food service operations on-site at the Park and Vintage Museum.  They also provide catering for numerous charity functions, weddings, private parties and other high-end functions throughout Birmingham. 

• Zoom Motorsports oversees the marketing and operations for events held at the Barber Motorsports Park, ranging from private functions to the annual AMA Superbike Pro Racing and Grand American Automobile Road Racing and new to 2009 will be a test session for the Indy Racing League. 

• Gameday Operations oversees the traffic, parking and tailgating activities for all University of Alabama football, basketball and gymnastics events. 

• Think + is a full-service marketing agency providing advertising, media planning and promotional development support for each event managed by Bruno Event Team as well as numerous other local clients.

 

Mr. Bruno is also very active in the local community having served on numerous charitable and corporate boards over the past 25 years.  The charitable boards include Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Metropolitan Development Board, St. Vincent’s Hospital Foundation where he served as President and United Way where he served as Campaign Co-Chairman and Tocqueville Society Chairman.  He has also sat on the board for the following corporations: Southtrust Bank, Bruno’s Supermarkets, Inc. and Russell Corporation; he currently sits on the board of Books-A-Million.

Mr. Bruno was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Birmingham Golf Hall of Fame in 1994. 

Watch the video tribute shown during the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame induction.

Mr. Bruno and his wife, Lee Ann, have one son, Gregory.  The family attends Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.