Making a Connection

Alumni Walter Bridgeman and Skip Tappy, tethered by shared experiences and a successful business partnership, reflect on the school's enduring influence and sense of community.

Written by Anna Maria Della Costa.

Walter Bridgeman and Skip Tappy are sitting in a Panera Bread about five miles from the Providence Day campus, and nostalgia enters.

The men graduated from the school years apart—Bridgeman in 1979 and Tappy in 1991—but the memories are the same. Students were only allowed to wear jeans once a week, and shorts were absolutely not allowed. The campus was small, and parent involvement was huge—they even ran the lunchroom.

The sense of family at Providence Day was deep-seated. Still is, they say.

“You knew everybody,” Tappy says, “even the kids two or three years ahead of you and behind you. You still have those lifelong friends.”

Bridgeman and Tappy are a testament to Providence Day's connections. Their time at the school never overlapped, yet they are talking about their school days amid a business partnership. Bridgeman, a former member of the Board of Trustees and owner of Remedics Restoration Carolinas, and Tappy, a partner in Hood, Hargett & Associates, work together to ensure families’ homes are taken care of in a disaster.

Bridgeman’s business, which he bought in 2016, provides fire, water, and mold repair services—a perfect match for Tappy’s clients if they need that type of service.

“It’s really cool,” Tappy says, “to be able to connect with someone with whom you have that common bond in Providence Day. It’s fraternal in nature. We were molded in the same way by the same school. In a lot of ways, Walter and I have the same ideals.”

Bridgeman agrees.

“Providence Day is what brought us together,” he says. “We have that same level of respect. Business is about trust. If you don’t have trust, it’s not going to work. We trust each other and feel connected with each other.”

The duo met during an alumni event.

“Walter was a number of years ahead of me,” Skip says. “But I really appreciated how friendly and welcoming he was. Everyone was older than me. He was just so friendly, and that really impressed me. He’s an accomplished guy. It can be intimidating even though you have that common connection. We reconnected years later.

Bridgeman and Tappy, whose brother is Lee Tappy, the Middle School Dean of Students, started in public school before transferring to Providence Day.

“It changed my trajectory,” Bridgeman, who recently received Charlotte Business Journal's Fast 50 award, says. “I remember getting Cs, and I got to Providence Day, and students were upset they got an A minus. I knew my game had to get better.”

Adds Tappy: “There was more accountability. Providence Day was just a good, healthy environment. We took that with us, and that’s what helps make the (business) relationship we have really solid.”