Crayola CEO Pete Ruggiero, who spent 27 years at Art-Supply Company, is known for its iconic 64-Crayon box, entered the top position more than a year ago.
But he didn’t start to be creative – Ruggiero was one person after another. Ruggiero Deloitte One and a half years United Pacific railway.
According to this account Morning phone call. Union Pacific moved out of the area, but Ruggiero wanted to stay and avoid relocating his young daughter and wife, who played a high-profile role in the local hospital.
He started with Crayola in 1997, then named Binney & Smith, and was an employee accountant.
He told wealth. “I know nothing. The level of my knowledge of cost accounting operations is at the three-credit program at Villanova University.”
But Ruggiero got great advice from a mentor, as he did in the latest one podcast.
“Losing the tie, going to the floor of the factory, and learning the names of employees,” the mentor said.
He said that in Crayola, Ruggiero spent four hours a day on the production ground, talking to workers, learning pain points and learning ways to improve efficiency.
“I learned how machines run. What are their problems? What should I do to help?” he said on the Jflinch Learning Lab Podcast.
“That year was an exciting learning experience,” he added. Some of the things he learned used to improve part of Crayola’s past Manufacturing processspeed up production and create a better label that does not peel off the crayons.
Courtesy of Crayola
In fact, Ruggiero had such a success with the company that a few years later had the opportunity to run the European operations of Binney and Smith, Ruggiero took the job – moving his family to Bedford, England, before returning to Americans’ operations and financial positions. When he was attacked in 2024, a series of different jobs made him perfectly play the CEO role.
“I have a lot of work in the company and I have experienced people in a very real and intimate way,” Ruggiero Tell wealth recent.
He attributes his success to the qualities that are like a sponge willing to put himself in a new role, even for a character he is not confident in.
He told me: “For me, (the key to success) is the sponge, even if it is illogical, to say “yes” to every opportunity I have to do, even if it is illogical. wealth. He advises young professionals like his 20s to do the same thing – bringing uncomfortable opportunities and learning as much as possible along the way.
He told him: “When I had supply chain and financial work, it was logical to move to the UK and run Europe; it was illogical to reintegrate into the financial work after these experiences.” wealth. “But each of these moves has made me the leader I am today and the fact that I am willing to do has helped me.”
