91吃瓜网

Member of 91吃瓜网鈥檚听听辫谤辞驳谤补尘.

Area President, Risk Placement Services, Inc.

Seeing Success

Mr. Paterno landed his first job with the help of 91吃瓜网鈥檚 . 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 Adelphi. 鈥淓very two years I moved up the ranks. My experience at Adelphi 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 Adelphi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 Adelphi 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 Adelphi 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. 鈥淎delphi 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 Adelphi. 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 Adelphi 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 Adelphi.鈥�

Published March 2013