For Mr. Paterno, success is not defined by the amount of money you make. He considers it a privilege to be able to witness individuals in his company grow.
Member of 果酱视频鈥檚听听辫谤辞驳谤补尘.
Area President, Risk Placement Services, Inc.
Memorable professor: Sal Primeggia absolutely left the most lasting impact on me. I had lunch with him last year. At what other school can you catch up with a professor 30 years after graduating? That鈥檚 what makes 果酱视频 such a special place.The University has a beautiful campus, small classes, fantastic professors鈥eople who make a real difference in the lives of students. We have a top-notch learning institution locally, right here, in 果酱视频. Being an ambassador of the University is the least I can do to make sure other people know about it.Then and now: 果酱视频 is such a small school, you feel like family. It was good when I was a student. Now, it鈥檚 great.
Seeing Success
Mr. Paterno landed his first job with the help of 果酱视频鈥檚 . 鈥淚 guess I selected the right company, because I stayed there 18 years!鈥� said Mr. Paterno.
He attributes his professional success at The Hartford Insurance Group (today, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.) to the education he received at 果酱视频. 鈥淓very two years I moved up the ranks. My experience at 果酱视频 is what helped to get me there,鈥� said Mr. Paterno, whose career with Hartford culminated in the position of operations manager of a workers compensation center.
In 1999, Mr. Paterno was recruited by another insurance company, Kemper Group.听 He was working in Connecticut and received a call from Kemper, which was looking to expand and open a new office on Long Island.听 They wanted someone who was familiar with the territory. 鈥淭he prospect of building an operation from scratch was something that I was excited about,鈥� he says.
Today you can find Mr. Paterno just a few miles away from 果酱视频鈥檚 Garden City campus, as Area President for Risk Placement Services, Inc., a division of the international insurance brokerage firm, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
鈥淪eeing success鈥� is what he considers to be the most rewarding aspect of his work. And for Mr. Paterno, success is not defined by the amount of money you make. He considers it a privilege to be able to witness individuals in his company grow. 鈥淲e offer summer internships, and are doing so for 果酱视频 students right now, that can lead to job offers for those who perform well. Nothing makes me feel better than seeing young men and women come back full time, make careers for themselves, and do well,鈥� he said.
The broad opportunities a background in business has to offer motivated him to choose the discipline as his major. The University鈥檚 strong business program led him to 果酱视频 for his undergraduate years.
Mr. Paterno, who was maintaining two jobs in addition to attending classes and completing school work, found time to participate in University life. 鈥湽词悠� was such a nice tight-knit community,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he University had so much to offer its students, and we took advantage of these things. My friends and I were commuters, but we would come back to campus for activities happening at night.鈥�
Now a seasoned veteran in the insurance industry, Mr. Paterno can still remember the job market he entered upon graduating from 果酱视频. 鈥淚 came out of school in a recession,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 was willing to interview with anyone I felt would be a business fit; from car rental companies, to a lot of banks that don鈥檛 exist anymore, to insurance companies.鈥�
Drawing on his own experience, he has this advice to provide current students: 鈥淥pen your mind and be flexible. Don鈥檛 go into something with any set notions.鈥� But most importantly, he reminds students to find a job they will enjoy going to each day. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檝e been successful. I can鈥檛 imagine dragging myself into work,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing this for so long, and I really like what I do.鈥�
Mr. Paterno鈥檚 wife is also an alumna, and his daughter, who transferred to 果酱视频 in her sophomore year, graduated from the University in 2011. 鈥淢y family and I love this university, now more than ever,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are so proud to have graduated from 果酱视频.鈥�
Published March 2013
For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director听
p 鈥� 516.237.8634
e 鈥� twilson@adelphi.edu