The Southampton Press Western Edition Person of The Year: Brian Tymann

When the coronavirus pandemic bore down on the area last spring with devastating speed, Jim Fogarty was one of many community members who suddenly found himself in need of a helping hand. Financially speaking, he was in good shape. But at the age of 73, the Remsenburg resident and Vietnam veteran fell into the high-risk category, told he should not venture out to public places like the supermarket if he wanted to stay safe.

He needed food, but couldn’t go to the store or secure a grocery delivery time.

That’s when Brian Tymann came to the rescue.

Within 24 hours of seeking out help, Mr. Fogarty had bags full of groceries at his front door — along with some fresh flowers — and was told not to worry about the cost. When he insisted on paying, Mr. Tymann told him he could make a contribution to the charitable organization he’d started to help purchase and deliver groceries and other goods to other families in the area who were in need.

Mr. Tymann, who turned 45 this month and who has been a Westhampton Beach Village Trustee for the past five years, spent more time in grocery stores in 2020 than he ever imagined he would. It started with a request from Dawn Orban, the director of the Bright Beginnings Preschool, who asked Mr. Tymann if he could collect some meals for eight families with children in Westhampton Beach Elementary School who were in need of help. Knowing that the economic downturn caused by the pandemic had created a spike in food insecurity locally, he went on Facebook and started a small fundraiser online, looking to collect money to buy and deliver groceries for more people in need. He had an initial goal of $500, hoping to grab some supplies at BJ’s Wholesale Club. Less than an hour after putting the word out online, people had donated more than $1,000. As time went by, word about what Mr. Tymann was doing spread, and he heard about more and more people who were in need — a waitress who’d never had to ask for help before; people like Mr. Fogarty, who weren’t necessarily cash strapped but were immunocompromised and couldn’t leave their homes — but as the need grew, so did the generosity of the community. What started as a modest fundraising effort blossomed into essentially a three-person concierge service, with Mr. Tymann, along with friends he enlisted to help, buying and delivering groceries for people in the area.

“Anyone who needed anything would get to me through social media or a friend of a friend,” Mr. Tymann said in a video interview in late November. “I’d say, ‘send me the list,’ and we’d have it for them by the end of the day.”

Since the spring, the fund has generated close to $40,000, not too bad for an effort that started with a simple goal of $500. Mr. Tymann has also partnered with other established nonprofits in the area like OLA, a nonprofit that serves the East End’s Latino and Hispanic community, to help extend his reach and be as effective as possible in finding and reaching people who needed assistance.

Mr. Tymann expressed surprise at how quickly the community responded to the fundraiser. But those who know him weren’t shocked at all. Justin DeMarco owns Justin’s Chop Shop, a butcher shop in Westhampton Beach that Mr. Tymann frequented during many of his grocery runs as part of his effort to support local businesses. For Mr. DeMarco, the money raised and the speed with which it was done says just as much if not more about Mr. Tymann than it does about the generosity of the community at large.

“I think Brian has positioned himself well in our community in a time where politics are in a microscope,” he said. “And he handles himself in a manner where he almost takes the politics out of it and puts in the human factor. People are looking for that human element, and whether the person is going to do the right thing. This community has money, and there are plenty of places they can give, but they were giving their money to Brian, and he really handled it in a way that was respectful to people. That says a lot.”

Mr. DeMarco said he didn’t even know right away that Mr. Tymann’s visits to his store were for a bigger cause, because Mr. Tymann would wait in line along with the rest of the customers, never expecting any special treatment.

His unassuming approach and consistent willingness to help out also impressed Minerva Perez, OLA’s executive director. OLA played a big role in responding to the food crisis across the South Fork in the spring, and relied on several people like Mr. Tymann, but Ms. Perez said he really stood out among them.

“He was someone I knew that once he said he had it, he had it,” Ms. Perez said. “There was never a question.

“He’s just so gentle and genuinely caring,” she added. “He’s a wonderful person to work with.”

Mr. Tymann is a man of the community in a way that sometimes belies the fact he’s been involved in some form of local politics for two decades. The 1994 Westhampton Beach High School graduate earned a degree in environmental science from Southampton College, and has owned and operated a number of small businesses, currently running BGT Consulting, a renewable energy consulting firm. Before becoming a Westhampton Beach Village trustee, Mr. Tymann was a Southampton Town Trustee, managing beach access and waterways.

Mr. Tymann’s reputation as a person who can be trusted to do good in the community goes beyond the most important element of his proven service. It’s what’s inside that matters, of course, but the outside can mean something, too. Mr. Tymann does not have the look of a traditional politician — he is a big guy, with a big beard, and a lot of tattoos. He plays the drums with several friends in a band, used to own a cigar company, and spends some of the free time it’s impossible to imagine he has foraging for wild edible plants, an interest he’s passed on to his young daughters, Calla Rose, 6, and Mina June, 3, as well as his wife Kerri.

His tattoos reflect those interests and passions, and the people he cares about most in life. He carries replicas of the signatures of his grandparents, parents, daughters, and wife on his arms, interspersed and woven among flowers, fish, whales and snakes — in addition to insects and Native American tributes.

“To me, it’s fun to see somebody with his caliber and presence in the community look like a regular guy,” Mr. DeMarco said. “He wears jeans, and Vans, and to me that’s cool, and it makes me feel comfortable, and that’s what people love about him. The buttoned up look is great in the board room, but it’s all about getting it done.”

When Mr. Tymann drops groceries at someone’s doorstep, it isn’t simply an act of charity — it’s more like an invitation to connect. He said he wanted people to be open and honest about what they needed, and not feel like they simply had to ask for canned goods or the bare minimum, and by treating people this way, he has created lasting relationships. In more recent months, Mr. Tymann took Mr. Fogarty’s son on a tour around the village, helping him in his effort to find an apartment. One woman, a single mother, was out of work as a house cleaner in the spring and received a grocery delivery from Mr. Tymann. She’s back to work now, and picked up several new clients, including Mr. Tymann, who encouraged several of his friends to hire her.

Mr. Tymann’s dedication to charitable service is extensive and wide-ranging. He supports a number of local environmental organizations, like the Quogue Wildlife Refuge and the Moriches Bay Project, in addition to donating to Peconic Bay Medical Center, and of course spearheading his latest effort. That spirit for service can be directly traced to his father, William Tymann, who was the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island for nearly 40 years, and was active in the nonprofit world for his entire life. He is now retired and lives with Mr. Tymann’s mother, Celeste, in Aquebogue.

“I grew up in a household where helping people was basically first and foremost,” Mr. Tymann said. “I have trouble saying no to offers to help out.”

Mr. Tymann was immersed in the charitable world from a young age because his father always brought him along, an approach he now takes with his own children. Mr. Tymann remembers being 5 years old, at a holiday party for BBBSLI, and asking if the adults with the children were their mothers or fathers, and his father explaining that the children didn’t have parents, and he had helped arrange an adult friendship for them.

“That was an early lesson in the reality of what was going on,” he said. “I grew up in a very nice, stable home and a lot of what he exposed me to I didn’t know existed or couldn’t believe.”

The strongest impressions his father’s involvement with BBSLI left on Mr. Tymann was the way the organization created lasting relationships, and how those relationships were mutually beneficial to both parties. He remembers going to the 100th anniversary event for the charity 15 years ago, and seeing a 95-year-old and a 75-year-old who had been paired together decades ago, and remained close.

For Mr. Tymann, immersion in charitable efforts isn’t just about giving. It’s about creating a two-way street, one that is intended to remain open indefinitely. He says his newfound friendship with Mr. Fogarty is a perfect example of that. The initial grocery delivery, and Mr. Fogarty’s financial contribution to Mr. Tymann, sparked a friendship, carried out initially over email. They finally met in person in November, getting together in town for a cup of coffee, and spending two hours chatting.

“He’s such a funny, cool guy,” Mr. Tymann said of Mr. Fogarty. “I gained a pretty important friend out of this. If I were to say it doesn’t make me feel good to help, I’d be a liar. It’s OK to feel good about helping people, as long as they’re being helped.”

Mr. Fogarty feels the same way, paying Mr. Tymann the ultimate compliment one could get from a former rifle platoon leader and combat veteran.

“When I was in Vietnam, I discovered that the men were more important than the mission,” Mr. Fogarty said. “If I ever did go to Vietnam again, he’d be a welcome addition to my platoon.”