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THE AMERICAN CLUB
JUL / AUG 2016
Creating a Home
Like The Club, which has been a central part of their family life reaching back
four decades, SAS has also played an important role in their lives here. Asia,
now 15, attends SAS, just like her parents did, and will be graduating with the
Class of 2019. Both parents play an active role at the school. “Greg’s the football
commissioner,” says Susan, “and I’ve been the cheerleading coach for years.
Two years ago we had our 40
th
anniversary for football, and I was the chairwoman
for that.”
Due to her long history with the school and her ongoing involvement, she was
asked to chair the school’s 60
th
Anniversary celebration, further weaving her
into the island’s history. The celebratory event, which saw a remarkable 262
attendees from around the world, was a resounding success. “Of course it took
some preparation. The first meeting I had was in 2013,” she explains. “It was just
one of those events that will be memorable for a lifetime. I had helped with
the 50
th
and so they came and asked me. I can’t pass up those opportunities
because we are part of this community. I am a part of SAS, and it goes very,
very deep.”
When brainstorming what the alumni would want to see and experience upon
their return to Singapore, the answers were obvious: revisiting the homes they
had lived in, eating Mr. Ho’s food, visiting The American Club, and reminiscing
with their friends. “Martin [Club General Manager] just got it, of all the people I
worked with, he got it. He opened the doors [to The Club] and they just flooded
in. Sixty-eight day passes,” she says. “It was a dream.” (In fact, one alumnus,
Ryan Emge, was also welcomed back to The Club for a special tennis lesson on
the 30
th
anniversary of his first-ever tennis lesson – also at The Club – in 1986!)
Staying Put
“We moved here in ’03 and we’ve been here ever since,” says Susan, and they
have no plans to leave. Greg became a Singapore citizen about six years ago
and his daughter, Asia, has dual citizenship.
“We are in the candy vending machine business,” shares Susan with a smile.
“I found this company out of Canada that had these little candy machines. It’s
a great business. I started out just buying fifty machines and we had some issues
here, because this was their first time in Southeast Asia. He [the owner] was 76
years old, but didn’t like to fly. He never left Canada. And he said, ‘I like what
you are doing. Would you like to buy the company?’ So guess who bought the
company? We’re the worldwide headquarters now. That happened about one
year after we bought the fifty machines.”
And they couldn’t be happier. As Susan puts it – who doesn’t like candy? It’s
something that makes almost everyone smile. And as the business continued
to grow, with Susan as the CEO, Greg came on board to head up Business
Development. “It’s a marriage made in heaven,” she smiles. “I love my husband,
and I can get along with him every single day. And I’m with him 24/7. We like it
that way. It’s just worked out.” Now they have business across North America,
Southeast Asia, and Australia.
“This is a place we call home,” explains Susan. “I don’t see myself going back [to
the US]. I pinch myself every day.”
And so, her love story continues…
Gregory 12
th
Grade
Susan 8
th
Grade
SAS 60th Anniversary 2016
–
SAS alumni including Greg
Rutledge (third from left), Susan Studebaker-Rutledge (fourth
from left) and Susan’s brother, Steven Studebaker (extreme
right)