Risky career move paid off | SeacoastOnline.com

Business Monday speaks with Ron Dupler of GreenPages Technology Solutions

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Ambitious go-getters often know from a young age what they want to do with their lives. But others take a zigzag path to reach the pinnacle of their profession, sometimes switching careers midstream before hitting their stride.

Ron Dupler, 52, is chief executive of GreenPages Technology Solutions in Kittery, Maine. In this Business Monday interview, he recalls how a risky move at age 28 turned into a golden opportunity.

Question: What was your first job?

Dupler: My first job in corporate America was right out of college at UniFirst, a uniform company, in its Nashua office. I started as a high school intern and I kept interning there in college.

Q: What did you learn?

Dupler: I was there for six years out of school, and I was in charge of auditing the stuff coming back from route drivers. I was guarding company assets for an ornery manager. I had to get along with labor and management, and I learned about negotiation.

Q: Six years in the same job out of college! Few grads stay that long today.

Dupler: I was in a management development program. After four years, I moved to New York and ran a branch covering all five New York City boroughs. But I realized my family, friends and my home were important, so I resigned to return to New England.

Q: Did you have a job lined up?

Dupler: I was 28 and had nothing up here. But I began to take note of the computer industry. We were at an early stage of the information technology explosion, and I was intrigued.

Q: What happened next?

Dupler: Back in Nashua, the first thing I had to do was find somebody to take a risk on me. I found a small startup in Northboro, Mass., that did "clone" or "white box" computers. They took me under their wing. I was there one year when I moved to another job as sales manager of what was then called Amherst Equipment. I was there 12 years, and I became its chief executive officer in 1997.

Q: What challenges do you face as CEO of GreenPages?

Dupler: This industry's rate of change is not for the faint of heart. You have to read the tea leaves and innovate to drive the company forward.

Q: You have about 195 employees. How do you get them to accept change?

Dupler: I communicate like crazy, try to provide clarity and be honest with people. Providing clarity means showing how change fits into the overall picture.

Q: Is it hard to motivate people in an environment of constant change?

Dupler: When somebody asked (football coach) Lou Holtz how he was able to motivate his players, he said the secret isn't how he motivates. It's hiring people who are motivated the right way. Hopefully, you hire people who are already motivated.

Morey Stettner is author of "Skills for New Managers" (McGraw-Hill), "The Art of Winning Conversation" (Prentice Hall) and three other books. He's also editor of Executive Leadership (www.execleadership.com).

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Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20121015-BIZ-210150307

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