Edward J. Pettinella: President and CEO of Home Properties, Inc.

Edward J. Pettinella:

“Work Hard, Play Hard”

By: Joseph W. Norman

For more from Bigger Impact co-founder, Joseph Norman, visit www.normanized.com. 

Enjoy the read about...Eddie Pettinella...below! Thanks for your readership!

One of the first things somebody notices about Edward “Eddie” Pettinella is his incredibly high level of positive energy and down to earth sense of humor. “I’m wired and I have ADD,” he reflects. That hasn’t stopped his career, but rather he claims it has helped him. That type of energy is essential when running a public company because you are on the ropes twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. He thrives in the environment and it has brought him to where he is today, President and Chief Executive Officer of Home Properties, Inc., a $1.7 billion market capitalization Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) headquartered in Rochester, New York.

Eddie is a 1973 graduate from the State University of New York at Geneseo. He admits that he just went to Las Vegas with fourteen of his friends from the college, a testament, he says, of the kind of relationships the college experience creates. As a member and former chair of the Geneseo Foundation Board, he remains intimately involved with the college.

Eddie on the college experience:

“I jokingly tell people, ‘When I came through it was during the Vietnam war. You had to have about a 67 average and a pulse and I at least had one out of two.’ It was a difficult experience because the War was raging. Many kids went to college, probably more than should have. There was a lot of angst and a lot of unsettledness. You knew the war wasn’t right but there was nothing you could do about it. Before Nixon repealed the draft, if your number was 40, you went. It was hard to circumvent the war. Many people don’t like “Tricky Dick,” but he’s my favorite because he abolished the draft for college kids. That’s why I never had to go into the service.”

Before digging more into Eddie’s college stories, of which there are many, it is important to learn about his life before college. He grew up in Batavia, New York with very little. He lived in a 900 square foot apartment for many years with a few of his friends. His sister lived there with him until she was six years old. In downtown Batavia his friends were a couple of African Americans, an Indian American, and an Italian. “You never forget that,” he says. “I didn’t move into my first home until I was about 12 years old.”

He took many lessons from his underprivileged background and now reflects about it from his current position. “I’m in one of the largest apartment companies in the business so I’m kind of the poster child because I started my life that way.” What happened in those early years formed some powerful character traits in Eddie that have no doubt been a key to his success. He says it permeated through high school and college, eventually leading him to be President of his class at SUNY Geneseo, and speaking in front of thousands at graduation.

While his substance and style helped him build relationships with both his classmates and the administration at Geneseo, his credo has always been, “Work hard, play hard.” The declaration of this philosophy led to many, wonderfully told stories about Geneseo. He reflects on the college experience:

“We could drink when we were 18. We had a ratskeller on the campus that we could go to for ‘subs and suds.’ It was coed. We’re talking about the epitome of permissiveness. It was the late 60s and the early 70s - anything happened. You would go to concerts and you thought the place was on fire. The marijuana smoke would blow you out of the woods. It was just a different environment.”

For Eddie, this wasn’t his gig though, as he was a runner in college. In fact, he boasts an impressive career on the track, running professionally until the age of 32. He states about his running career and training:

“I ran right up until the age of 32 on some professional teams. I didn’t train that hard in college. I actually got much better after I left. I ran the 800 in 1:54 or 1:55. The 800 meters I could always coast on the back stretch in the second lap in high school. In college, you’re hammering that. I ran cross country to stay in shape but I hated it. I would run 200 Meter repetitions for speed work.”

Now, he has the pleasure of watching one of his two sons, Ryan, a 6’9” twenty-two year old play
basketball for UVA. In fact, Ryan just recently received an offer to play professionally in Italy
after he graduates. He was a center for McQuaid Jesuit High School when they were ranked second in the nation out of 35,000 teams in 50 states. He was in the European National Championships as a fifteen year old. After high school, he went on to Wharton, but didn’t like the ball side of it there, so he is now at UVA.

Eddie states, “He is a big guy, and real smart.” My other son, he always says to me, “Dad, you and Ryan are both high type A’s, I’m a low C minus type.” He’s got a great personality, Eddie says. “Those two kids are my greatest gifts.”

Notable: Eddie is a gifted story teller. In fact, it is probably safe to assume that his uncanny ability has helped him manage the thousands of people he has in his illustrious business career. A story of his that should not go without saying, because it is a prime example of his sense of humor and style, is as follows:

Eddie Pettinella, the Water Balloon Launcher, and the Unassuming Girl

Eddie’s roommate was a biology student who had no real intentions in college; a classic example of the effects of the Vietnam War era. He went there just to get out of the war, Eddie stated. He was going to go back to Albany and take over his father’s plumbing business – which he subsequently did. He was riding through with C’s, so he didn’t really care. “He was a bad influence, but a great tennis player,” Eddie reflected. Nonetheless, this roommate, who shall remain nameless, brought home a high quality piece of rubber surgical tubing.

“Sure enough we’re playing cards and thinking up goofy stuff,” Eddie says. “Finally we had a balloon launcher perfected and could shoot out into the quad 80 to 100 yards.”

When the people were coming through they would take their shots. “It was best at night because people couldn’t see it coming,” Eddie admitted. “If we saw a lot of guys coming we’d get about 8 or 10 of my buddies on the job and start to run an assembly line.” Some people would get knocked right over because of the surprise and the impact.

One day, Sheila Bear, an unassuming, studious young lady nicknamed by the “catapult crew,” comes whistling by with her books. They hit her right in the side of the head. Now, Eddie states, “We didn’t have much accuracy so we were just happy when we just got close. If we hit somebody it was a big score for us. We hit her in the side of the head and we knocked her down with her books. She gets up and she’s stunned. We’re all rolling on the ground laughing. She goes up to the administration and blows us in. So, when we go up there they tell us we’ve got to shut down and they want the balloon launcher. We gave ‘em a little baby one and we were back in business a week later.”

It got to the point by late March that people would flinch when they would walk by. You knew if those windows were out in Eddie’s place you were in trouble. Good clean fun. “We did some crazy stuff on the campus,” Eddie said. “We’d study but we had fun too.”

Besides the fun and games, Eddie was poised to make his mark on the business world. He started in the management training program at the Community Savings Bank in Rochester, taking a brief hiatus to obtain an MBA in Finance and Operations Management from Syracuse University, graduating in 1976. Although his interest was banking, he reflects that the Operations Management studying has served him the most over the years, although that was not his expectation at the time.

He then worked as a financial analyst for three years. Eddie states, “That concentrated three year period and grad school set the tone for me; how I think and how I was probably able to move on. I learned so much because I had to.” He got tired of the strict analysis though, because his interpersonal skills made him seek more human interaction.

After applying to work in financial sales for Ford Motor Credit Company, he was denied the job he applied for after his interview because they said he was ‘overqualified.” Eddie thought to himself after that, “Yeah, that’s a nice way to blow me off.” Sure enough, Ford Motor World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan called him in for an interview and hired him on the spot after a grueling day of interaction with senior level executives.

After his former boss at the Community Savings Bank was fired, Eddie went back to the company to manage a $3.5 billion portfolio. He moved up the ranks from Vice President of the Investment Division, to President of Investment Banking, Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, and finally Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer. He helped take the Rochester Community Savings Bank public before merging it with Charter One Bank’s New York Division. Leaving Charter One in 2001, he ended up at Home Properties, Inc. In 2004, he became President and CEO.

After deliberating over his career progression, he reflected on what he learned about life:

“A lot of it is energy, drive, determination, and a large part of it is luck. It is being in the right place at the right time. A lot of people say, ‘Did you see all of this? Did you have a plan?’ You don’t have a clue.

Life is like a big Roulette table. You don’t know where that ball is going to land. You can control it to the point where you can go somewhere you are happy, but you don’t always know where you’re going to go. You have to feel your way around. You keep trying to identify who you are and what you like. Then try to match up to things that will be a good marriage, if you will.”

At the age of 55, Eddie is still healthy and thoroughly enjoying his efforts. “I love getting up every morning and I love coming to work,” Eddie says. “It comes back to finding the right niche - something you really have a passion for. Something you like doing.”

Eddie reflects on Retirement:

“To put it in perspective, I have been doing this since I was 21, so 34 years now. I’ve been in three industries. I’ve been in public companies. I’m a public company animal. I would not want to start a small company. I’m better at a major company and figuring out how to tweak it. I’ve managed thousands of people over the last few decades. That’s what I do.

I want to keep doing it for a few years. It is ironic, but at my age I finally pretty much know how to do this. I’m the smartest on my job today than I have been for 34 years. I’m comfortable with what I do.

What do I do? I move stock prices for the shareholders. I come in to tweak organizations, but don’t get me wrong this company [Home Properties] was a well oiled machine when I got here. But, my public company skills and experience brought me here to mesh with the two chairmen, who are brilliant real estate entrepreneurs. My background was Wall Street, so we work well together.”

Eddie Pettinella’s Ultimate Keys to Success:

“I like to think that I keep my ego in check. My success is based on the principle that I want to treat you the way I want to be treated. When I walk through the buildings, whether I’m talking to service managers making $20 or $25 dollars an hour, or I’m talking to somebody making $400,000 or $600,000 a year, I treat them all the same.

Continuity, fairness, and being equitable is first and foremost. If you are not that way, then the 2,000 people that work for you will see through you and see you as a phony. Even if they see you as a phony, they still have to work for you, but the level of productivity won’t be as high unless they think you roll up your sleeves, you’re into the game, you’re able to motivate people, and they see that you believe in the vision.

What I do for a living is create vision and communicate it. You develop a level of trust and integrity over time. It takes a while to earn it but that is huge for a CEO to be able to develop with their employees. You’ve got to get good people and let them run. If their good you’ve got to make sure you compensate them properly as well, because otherwise you will lose them. Take the low hanging fruit of reasons for people to leave off the table. One of the biggest killers for large companies is turnover.”

In a public company, it is people, people, people. You’ve got to start there. I’m big into participative management. I’ve been in this game for 34 years - I could give a crap if I go into the Board and deliver a great idea - every chance I get I’ll put my people in front and give them a chance to shine.”

Conclusion:

Eddie’s high energy persona, passion for life and his pursuits, and focus on treating people right has helped carry him to where he is today. Wherever he goes, his impact is known whether it is through his words of wisdom from “34 years of getting [his] head beat around,” or his stories of life’s humors. Eddie broke the mold of an underprivileged background to achieve and influence thousands. As a healthy man at age 55 that is on top of his game, he will no doubt continue to make waves in the community, the business world, and most importantly, the people he interacts with.

Joseph, Eddie, and Ben at Home Properties Headquarters in Rochester, New York

P.S. Fresh content at www.normanized.com. Check it out! <<<--- i="i">

Edward J. Pettinella

President and Chief Executive Officer

Home Properties, Inc.

850 Clinton Square

Rochester, New York 14604

www.homeproperties.com

Email: edwardpe@homeproperties.com

Letter from the Editor

Life and Times of JWN

A Norman Style Vacation So, I went on "vacation" last week down to Greenwich, Connecticut and New York City. I would like to explain to you what happens when I go on vacation - a page out of the Joseph Norman book, if you will. Last week I may have alluded to not having a plan when I went down to the city, but that was not entirely true. Ideas flow like H2O in my head and they formulate into plans pretty quick. I went down with a list of friends that I wanted to see, for business and pleasure. In fact, thanks to being enlightened by Keith Ferrazzi's book, Never Eat Alone, I think of the two things as one now. Why not bring friends to business engagements? NOTABLE: When you bring a friend to a business engagement, you add another level of comfort and flavor to the outing. Both your clients or business partners and your friend (or friends) will have fun. In my case, I happened to bring along my friend Joe, a Fordham Law student, and my friend Jade, a corporate paralegal, to food and drinks with some friends of mine who work in various capacities at Credit Suisse. They all connected and we had a great time. Why separate your working life and your personal life? When you let yourself get a little vulnerable by opening up all facets of your life to people, you often relate easier and create stronger bonds. Back to the vacation, I operate on over-drive. I pop the vehicle of life into fifth gear and "zoom, zoom, zoom." Saturday I visited a few friends (Trevor and Gina) in Massapequa, for a send off to San Francisco where they are moving to "make it happen" for themselves. Sunday brought me back to Greenwich to visit Chris for a half an hour before we caught a train into the city to bounce around and catch up after an eight month hiatus of not seeing each other. We covered ground from Central Park to the Financial District and topics ranging from family, work, and philosophies on life - all in about eight hours. Monday morning brought on a flurry of writing while coordinating an evening of events and an air mattress to sleep on (at Joe and Jade's apartment). Upon arrival, I preceded to dinner with a good friend, Chad, a green architect and contractor. In the evening I made a series of phone calls to set up the following days engagements. My first run in Central Park came on Tuesday morning in the pouring rain, an endeavor I absolutely love (running in the rain). I then ventured into the city to see Chad's current project, a beautiful penthouse at One Fifth Avenue. After lunch and some good wandering, I made it back to Joe's to clean up for dinner and drinks. Wednesday was spent in the Financial District wandering, reading in random places, and visiting friends. Caught a train late in the afternoon to Chris' in Greenwich and then preceded to drive home to my mother's home in Kirkwood, New York (an 11 PM arrival). Thursday sent me back Geneseo after breakfast with my mother and then some diner time with my father. I then had meetings the rest of the day in Rochester, capping the evening off with a Rochester Red Wing's game with Chris McVicker (click here for his VIP Profile) and friends. NOTABLE: Some vacation to relax. I vacation to engage with friends in places I don't get to visit that often. Never forget this fact: Life is about the people in it! "I've gotta ride on overdrive." You may operate a little different, but it's always fun to get a new perspective. PHOTO NOTABLE: Me standing in front of Goldman Sachs world headquarters at 85 Broad Street in New York City. Goldman is a potential future employer of yours truly. Let me know if you want to help me get a job there! Warmly, ~ JWN

Roberta Corcoran, Fredonia High School English Teacher

Roberta Corcoran:

“We can all give aid to, and learn from, everyone around us”

By: Michael Reiff

Introduction Roberta Corcoran, currently an English teacher at Fredonia High School, is outwardly warm, inwardly wise, and at times frank in her beliefs. Her long tenure as an English teacher has not only allowed her to master her abilities in teaching students, her life-long passion, but also gain understandings into the human experience and what that experience needs to thrive. Through a lengthy conversation about her passions in and out of the classroom, Corcoran shared snippets of her life story, her unique perspectives on the dynamic of the classroom, and what she perceives as the largest ailments of our global culture.

I began by asking her how she got to where she is today, not specifying exactly, to which she replied, “Michael, I breathed in, I breathed out.” Corcoran briefly noted her travels across the country, “up and down the east coast,” beginning in Wellsville, NY, and then settling in Fredonia, NY, where she resides today. But was there an initial notion behind how she got to where she was? Indeed. An interest “in life” is what has kept Corcoran grounded and continuously learning and growing; shaping herself into what she is today.

Personal History Corcoran began her higher education, after attending school in Wellsville, at SUNY Fredonia, where she acquired both her Bachelor’s degree and her Master’s. Her initial work at Fredonia was a bit different from what she finished with and what she had wanted to really do. “I was kind of in denial about what I wanted to do,” Corcoran remembers. “I wanted to be a teacher since I was a tiny, tiny girl. Before I was in school I wanted to be a teacher. But there didn’t seem to be a market for teaching when I came to school, at all; there were just no jobs.” So Corcoran began her college career as a psychology major, but soon switched her concentration to simply English literature. Corcoran says she did this “so I could spend four years reading and have a really good time, which I think English is supposed to be about, just reading good books and talking to people about good books.”

When Corcoran finished her Bachelor’s degree in Literature she knew that there wasn’t going to be many jobs in that area. Luckily, she acquired her first job through a public relations course she had taken. “Thank God I took that course, because the day before I graduated the County Executive called me and asked if I was interested in a job working in the government.” Corcoran took the job, and the day after graduation began her work in public relations and economic development, gaining an income while she waited for teaching jobs to open up.

Good Teaching Corcoran began her teaching career in 1992 at the Fredonia Central School District, and has taught there since, working in a wide range of grades. She now teaches 9^th grade English students, a section of advanced 12^th grade students, and AIS [Academic Intervention Service] 11^th grade students, “which is the group of kids that are expected to be less likely to graduate,” Corcoran says. “I really, really love working with them.” From her first students to those she teaches now, Corcoran has gained some knowledge of what a good teacher needs to have. “Care even more for who you’re teaching than what you’re teaching,” Corcoran asserts. “I think that almost everybody that becomes a teacher, certainly on a secondary level, is really in love with their subject matter… but if you’re going to be a decent teacher, if you’re going to be an inspired teacher, hopefully an inspiring teacher, the kids have to be more important than the [subject matter],” Corcoran continues.

Life Success To succeed out of the classroom, Corcoran has a few ideas on the matter as well, and fear is the big limitation to overcome she believes. “Try to stay two or three steps ahead of your fears. Literally,” Corcoran notes as the path to personal success. “I think that fear is the biggest limitation. I think that it causes the greatest conflicts between people, and I think that if you look at the conflicts between people, as a mirror on yourself as an individual, you can see that fears are what cause conflicts in yourself. So if you can recognize what your fears are and stay a little bit ahead of them, you’ll be okay.”

Mantras / Limitations In some ways, Corcoran has also succeeded in life by not only understanding her fears, but also coming to terms with her limitations. The mantra, “patience is a virtue” is something she ascribed to in college. “I tend to be kind of an impatient person, and I’ve had to really talk to myself on a regular basis to be patient, to calm down. It’s something I fail at, occasionally, because it’s my limitation,” Corcoran notes. Currently, though, Corcoran has been subscribing to a different set of words. “‘Love, and then do,’” Corcoran says. “I [have been] motivated to consciously think in terms of loving more than anything else as a first impulse. Across the last year as my sister was ill and dying, it became obvious to me that if your first expression is an expression of love, then any action you take is probably not going to be a negative one. So that’s kind of what I’m trying to live by now. Love first, and then take action.”

Influences Corcoran says that she is influenced by “everybody I’ve ever met. I mean literally.” Corcoran says that she is in tune with how people interact with her on a daily basis, whether they know it or not, “even the person who passes me on the street and elects to say hello to me or not say hello to me, and give me a moment of their day.” As a singular figure, though, her mother is the largest influence in her life. “My mother was one of those moms who constantly told the five of us kids that there absolutely wasn’t anything that we couldn’t do,” Corcoran says, “and I think getting that message, and having that message be a reality in your life, really helps you do whatever you want to do… It was hugely influential on me.”

Inspiration When it comes to things that inspire Corcoran in her daily work, she opts for that which impacts her day in and day out during the school year. “It’s going to sound cheesy,” concedes Corcoran, “but I look to my students for inspiration.” Corcoran, who integrates much of how students react to what she herself is doing in the classroom, says “I take my cues from my students, so I take my inspiration from them.”

Strengths When asked what Corcoran thinks her personal strengths are, she doesn’t hesitate. “I know I’m a good teacher; kids learn from me, and that’s unmistakable,” says Corcoran. “It’s considered, I think, unbecoming to talk about your strengths as a teacher. I think we’re all supposed to say, ‘Well, I just don’t know, and my students, they’re what make me golden.’ But the reality is that, when your kids are learning from you, you can’t help but notice that you’ve been involved in that process. I know that it’s important to give my kids room and space and allow them to take risks. I don’t think they know I’m giving them that.” Corcoran also feels her approach to curriculum planning, keeping the topics fresh even if the content is static, as one of her strong suits. “I always know what I’m going to teach,” relates Corcoran, “[and] I change up what I teach. I can teach the same novel five years in a row and never have the same conversation. It’s always about what’s happening in the world at the moment I’m teaching the book, and the world changes, constantly.”

Overcome While in the classroom, most of her students will tell you that her welcoming nature and calm approach to even the most challenging of situations are some of her greatest assets in building student trust and classroom community. Corcoran notes, however, that inner feelings of control and power have been things she has worked to quell since understanding her limitations at a young age. “I had wanted to be a teacher before I had ever been in a classroom,” Corcoran says. “When I was three and four years old I would line up my stuffed animals and conduct classes, and I didn’t even know what class was, which is sort of an argument for reincarnation. But one of the things that I learned early on in that process [is that] if you find yourself beating your stuffed teddy bear because he comes up with the wrong answer, and you’re four, that’s a power thing,” Corcoran remembers. More plainly stated, Corcoran says, “As a small child, I had issues of impatience, power and control. I am a very controlling person.”

However, Corcoran has worked hard to temper that natural inclination, and today relies on her philosophy of education to keep herself in check. “I absolutely believe with all my heart that I don’t have any of the answers, none of them,” Corcoran muses, “[and] that the learning process is absolutely collaborative. I’ve worked really hard to make sure that the environment that I create [in the classroom] is one that allows kids to feel safe in taking a risk to express their reality, because as much as I’d like to think that there is an answer, I also know absolutely that the only way that I’ve gotten to a place where my own head works where I need it to work, is because someone let me make my own decisions.” In the end, combining this collaborative and student-expressionistic philosophy has led Corcoran to temper those controlling urges. “I have to step back and make sure I don’t impose myself,” says Corcoran.

Hobbies When it comes to hobbies, Corcoran keeps it pretty simple. “I just read, read, read, read,” Corcoran says. “[I] swim if I’m able, you know, if the weather’s good.” Corcoran continues with what may be a slightly surprising hobby of hers, considering her lifelong enthusiasm for the best literature. “I have a really nasty, nasty, penchant for reality television,” confesses Corcoran. “I love looking at people’s lives and watching them either make fools of themselves or redeem us as a species, and it happens a lot. People complain about reality TV a lot, but I find an awful lot to believe in, there’s a lot there.” Corcoran is also a fervent member of the Democratic Party, but notes that, “I’m far more liberal than the Democratic Party is, but there’s no venue that’s better equipped to give me a voice.”

Goals Teaching is fully ingrained in the being of Corcoran, and in the future she hopes to continue to be able to give her time and ability to those who need it, even after she has left Fredonia. “One of the things I would like to do, for example, I would really, sincerely like, when I retire from teaching here, is to go some place like…Belize, or Mexico, or the Philippines, or someplace where I can live fairly comfortably with very little money, very few American dollars…and teach the indigenous population, for free. Find a group of kids who don’t have a teacher and do some work-shopping as writers or readers. That would be a gift to me,” Corcoran says. However, Corcoran is aware of the limitations on this dream. “You can do whatever you want, but if there is not the means, you can’t. You know, if oil no longer provides us a way to get across the country, and across the world, and I think that could happen in ten years,” then her goal wouldn’t be achievable. “I do know that I could certainly be sitting on my own patio with a group of local young people, doing writing workshops,” Corcoran believes, “and I will do that. I’ve done it in the past.” To Corcoran, the goals are all about teaching those that need it, not about the money or the materials. “As long as I can, you know, pay my bills, I’m fine. We don’t care about money,” Corcoran says.

Favorites Corcoran, for all of the books she reads, is able to narrow down her vast reading experience to one novel, A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving. Corcoran believes that novel is her favorite, “hands down,” and also says that Run Lola Run, ranks as her favorite film. “I could watch it 85 times a week,” Corcoran says. Corcoran is also a devoté of the culinary combination of ice cream and potato chips, citing the “crunchy and creamy” match-up as hard to beat.

People to Be With When asked what type of people she likes to be with, Corcoran opts for an eclectic mix over a homogenous group. “I like diversity. I like variation. I like people who have different values from me. I like arguing, I like debate,” says Corcoran. “I can steamroll you in an argument about what’s going on in the world, you know, how the world works. I have very strong opinions,” Corcoran relates with a wry bit of glee. “So I love having people who will argue with me.”

Irks There are few things that ruffle Corcoran’s perpetually calm feathers in the professional world, but she concedes that, like most of her colleagues, the crunch of bureaucracy can be at times a strain on teachers like herself. However, Corcoran understands the minimal need for it, recognizing that, “every job comes with layers of bureaucracy, of administration, that just interfere with your ability to really do what it is you want to do. That said, in order to get your paycheck, there’s got to be some administration.” On the whole though, Corcoran feels “blessed,” at the work she is able to do in her professional life. Corcoran notes that Fredonia was the only district she wanted to work in, that “[FHS is] just a great community, and it’s been a great school. It serves the community extremely well, and the school itself is a community which functions really well.” In addition, Corcoran notes that, “I’ve always been blessed, to be continually surprised that I get a paycheck for doing the things I do. I never know when it’s payday, I always get my mail, and there’s a paycheck. And that’s great, if you can do a job where it’s a blessing, to be surprised, every two weeks, by the paycheck. That’s really cool.”

In the world as a whole however, the irk that Corcoran fights against the most is intolerance. “I don’t tolerate stupidity and intolerance very well,” Corcoran notes. To Corcoran, intolerance of other people, their beliefs and cultures, is a matter of self-imposed ignorance and is something wholly rejected by her.

Further Family History “Family is really important to me,” Corcoran notes, and her family history lives through her, and strengthens her. Corcoran’s parents were relatively disparately matched, as Catholic families could have been in the 1950’s. Her father was from New York City, and her mother was born in Texas. They settled in Wellsville to raise their family, and Corcoran says that “we were renegades and outlaws, in that area,” citing their personal dynamics brought from their different origins. Her mother stayed at home while her children grew up in Wellsville, and was the main parental presence in the family; Corcoran’s father worked during the week, mainly in Ohio during Corcoran’s childhood, and would only be around the house on weekends. Still, Corcoran notes, the entire family would go on some stellar summer trips. “We always took really cool trips, not big extravagant trips, but every summer there would be the trip way up into Canada on the Hudson Bay, or all the way to the tip of Maine, long trips,” remembers Corcoran. “My mother liked to stop at every single educational site on the road, which she would seek out without the assistance of Google or a computer,” Corcoran continues, “all of the potential little hotspots that she could take us kids to see during a three week or four week journey across the summer.” All in all, Corcoran looks back on her childhood with great fondness, and it is a strong ingredient in what made Corcoran who she is today. “I had a great childhood. Loved it,” says Corcoran.

Favorite Time of Day Corcoran prefers the mornings over any other time of day. “In general I like mornings, whether I’m at school or at home. I really have for all my life been a morning person,” Corcoran notes, mentioning that when she was younger, she still stayed up late with her friends, and says that she had to become a “24 hour person” out of necessity. “But I really have always been a person who likes to be up and out and doing things in the morning because there’s such a long stretch of day ahead of you then, and I appreciate that,” Corcoran says. “Even as a child, I appreciated the knowledge that there was a whole bunch of time in front of me, that I could use in a lot of different ways. It was an allowance given every day, and there was a lot of it.”

Favorite Time Period When I asked Corcoran what time period she would like to visit, or live in, she didn’t hesitate, saying, “13^th Century, 14^th Century England. And I’m not an idiot about what those times were like,” continues Corcoran, “it was rough. But the world was changing so rapidly in that time. And it’s amazing to me how far out of the squalor those people brought their art. That just blows me away. Geoffery Chaucer could be sitting in the kitchen, in the castle in London, eating some porridge, and writing a sonnet, while the goats are taking a crap under his feet. It’s just amazing to me, that time period.”

Changing One Thing When I asked Corcoran what she would change if she could change one thing in the world, Corcoran aimed high, bringing in a radically moral stance uncommon in our current country. “I would declare consumer capitalism invalid and destroy its function on our planet, immediately,” Corcoran intones. “This notion that the way we prove worth on this planet is by producing stuff, and that the stuff has value because you can convince people to purchase it, whether they need it or not, is horrifying to me. And it’s working really well. It’s an abomination, a complete abomination. That which the west is, is most exemplified by what America is, the United States of America, in terms of how we declared ourselves to be, by our forefathers when they wrote those documents. But somehow, we’ve lost the notion, the really important notion, that what we’re really based on is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And that is quintessential to our being, that we have life, and we have liberty, and we pursue happiness and we allow everyone around us to pursue happiness. And sometimes that means that their cultural definitions of what happiness is, is very different from ours, and they have a right to them. And then we have this notion that we can spread all the luxuries that we have around the planet, and thereby better every other society on the planet. Well, yeah, that’s a really cool concept, but you don’t do it by guttering the production process here, taking it to a third world country, not paying those people enough to afford the stuff that they produce, and then exporting it back to us to buy it at 300 times the cost. That’s not anything about what we’re supposed to be doing. Consumer capitalism, I would change that in a heart beat.” Corcoran continues with, “If we did that, then everybody would get what they need, we’d have a glorious world. Everyone would have everything that they need. I saw a guy on ‘American Inventor,’ who has designed these building materials from the grade of plastic that they use in casting molds for metal. So this is plastic that withstands over 3,000 degrees. And he’s fashioned these sort of ‘Lego’ blocks that you can build with, and build indestructible shelters out of these blocks. And he points out how, if we would adopt this process of building homes that were indestructible, generations of your family would never pay a mortgage again. What would happen to wealth then? How much change would that bring? That would change the world. We are capable of changing the world in a lot of ways.”

Global Warming And while Corcoran was discussing her more progressive stances, I asked her what her thoughts on the global warming situation was. “It is the end of the world as we know it, so has it always been,” says Corcoran, with a dash of good-hearted cynicism. “We aren’t getting anywhere if it isn’t the end of the world as we know it. It better be the end of the world as we know it. I have faith that we have, as a species, this incredible capacity to sit on our asses, until the last possible moment, and then pull something out. We’ve done it so many times. Now I know that we’re in trouble, for anybody who doesn’t get that global warming is a big deal, well they just aren’t paying attention. But I also believe completely in our capacity to figure out how to fix this.” Corcoran also has a theory about what may cure the current situation, and how it may be found. “I also have a certain, sort of paranoid, notion because I don’t trust big business,” relates Corcoran, “that the solution is already there, and it’s just being withheld until every last cent is drawn out from us. But if it’s not already solved, I know we can do it. I know we can.”

Spirituality Finally, I asked Corcoran, who has often been known to be critical of organized religions, what her take on spirituality is, and if she believes in any sort of spiritual following. “I did grow up in a Catholic family, but like all good Catholics I’ve lapsed,” Corcoran says with another dash of wry humor. “I don’t think that organized religion is a thinking man’s game, very often. I know that there would be a lot of people that disagree with me. I think I’m quite spiritual. I do think that there is something bigger than who we are, but I think that organized religion is – I believe Karl Marx completely – that religion is the opiate of the people. As long as, you know, religions do a really good job of keeping people down by promising that there’s something better coming in the next life, you know, if you can suffer and suffer well here, the big reward, the golden lottery ticket in the sky, is just out there waiting for you. So I have not a lot of affection for organized religion, at all, but I am a very spiritual person. I think that it’s really important to have quiet conversations on a regular basis, even if in your mind, in your psyche, those are with ‘yourself.’ Because whoever they are with, there’s always an answer to every question that’s asked.

I think answers are implied in questions, so asking those questions spiritually help you get to the next place you need to be on this planet.” Accordingly, Corcoran says, “I’m also a humanist. We’re corporeal, we’re physical. I think that if we keep our focus on what we’re doing here now, the rest will take care of itself.” On the topic of a monotheistic deity, however, Corcoran has this to say: “If God is like, 90 feet tall, and wears a long white robe and has a long white beard, or whatever notion of God you have, if you think what’s bigger than us is ‘godly,’ I think [that God] has an enormous sense of humor, and laughs a lot, at us, for being so bogged down by these questions, by little things like governments claiming moral superiority. You know he thinks that’s a hoot, and he can’t wait to chuck those guys under the chin and say, ‘Ah, come on fella… did you really think…?’ The God that I have faith in will judge, but he’s not going to judge on anything he created; he’ll judge the abomination that we psychologically create.”

Conclusion Currently Roberta Corcoran teaches at Fredonia High School, living with her husband, Joseph Andrasik, in Fredonia. Her first son, Steve, is living with his wife and soon to be born child in Seattle, and her second son, Alex, attends Lycoming College in Pennsylvania. While Corcoran is the teacher with the most seniority in her department, she plans to teach for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, Corcoran remains an outspoken proponent for students’ needs, and the importance of listening to what everyone, especially students, have to say. For future teachers, and those in the field today, Corcoran gives this metaphor in closing: “[Teaching] is theater. There’s this interaction between you as a person who’s conducting this piece of theater, and there’s the impact it’s having on the audience, who’s also participating in the process. And if you are in tuned at all, you can tell right away if the audience participation is a positive or a negative thing and you adjust to what’s going on around you. As part of this theater process, you have to be honest with kids, where you are in your life. If you’re not in tune with your audience, your students, as where you get your feedback from, you should stop teaching.” In the end, Corcoran lives by these words, day in and day out: “I think every human being is a teacher,” noting that regardless of profession or age, we can all learn from, and give aid to, everyone around us.

Roberta Corcoran
English Teacher
Fredonia High School

Letter from the Editor

Life and Times of JWN

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone In the spirit of my current adventure in New York City, I am recommending a process I like to push myself through as often as possible. That is "Getting Out of MY Comfort Zone." Presently, I am shacked up in Greenwich, Connecticut at my older brother, Chris Norman's apartment (this is actually quite comfortable). However, starting tomorrow I will be spending a few days getting lost in the city. I have some air mattresses and couches to sleep on, but no real plan of attack -- just some coffee, lunch, dinner, and drink dates with some old friends. Sometimes I like to just "wing it," if you will. I have little exposure in the city, so this will be a good test of my ability to "make it happen" for myself. I'll let you know how it goes next week. My thoughts on "getting out of your comfort zone" have been developed over quite a few years. When in high school, I consistently participated in conferences with hundreds of strangers because I knew that meeting them and interacting with them would help me learn more about myself. The peak "out of my comfort zone" experience so far was my trip to Costa Rica between my junior and senior year of high school. In fact, when speaking about the trip, I often explain it as "hurling myself recklessly out of my comfort zone." I moved in with a family that did not speak English while my Spanish was sub par at best. As many of you know, I am one that enjoys communication, so this was a problem. I started by immersing myself in the language through studying, writing, and interacting with the grandchildren of my host family (the Santamaria's). Then I progressed to conversations with the students and other host families (that spoke considerably slower than my family). By the end of my three week tenure in the gorgeous country, I was trying to pick up the lovely Costa Rican ladies (a story for another day). After quite a bit of reflection on the experience many years ago, I developed a philosophy that I use to this day; break out of the mold and make it happen. KEY FACT: When you challenge yourself with exposure to new places, ideas, or people, you learn a considerable amount about yourself. "So Joseph, what did you learn in Costa Rica?" I learned that no matter what I put myself into, or how prepared (or in this case, unprepared I am), I can always pull it off if I completely immerse myself in the task. That's important knowledge that I have used to help further develop my skill sets. Invaluable information that I would have never figured out if I had kept it "comfortable." ACTION PLAN: Do something that makes you a little nervous or scared. GO for IT!!! Then reflect and figure out what you learned. Best to you, ~Joseph

L. Jack Norman III

Louis Jack Norman III:
Norman Style





By: Joseph W. Norman

Louis Jack Norman III, better known as Jack, is the oldest of the three Norman brothers. Chris (Unit Clerk at the New York Presbyterian Hospital) and Joseph (co-founder of the Notable and Newsworthy) are the other two members of the upstanding clan. As the oldest, Jack was influential by paving the way for the other two, while he ironically, made life more difficult with his sarcastic wit and sense of humor. Both are distinguishable characteristics of the Norman brothers.

Jack, 27, has been a Software Engineer for L3 Communications in Orlando, Florida since he graduated from college. He has big plans for his future and he shares many of his insights in a candid question and answer session.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I want to feature Jack because he has been a great influence on me (as has my brother Chris as well). You get to read about me every week, but my two brothers are just as motivated and passionate about their respective interests as I am. Chris will be featured in a future "VIP Profiles." Enjoy this step into the life of another one of the "Norman boys."



VIP: Give us the short story. (Briefly explain your family, education, work experience, etcetera…not too deep yet).

LJN: Born and raised in Kirkwood, NY. Attended Bell elementary where I used to walk to school …through three feet of snow, all uphill ….both ways. Attended Palmer middle school where I was introduced to the trials and tribulations of puberty and also the joy and pain that is cross country and track. Middle school set the tone for my high school career at Windsor High where I received 12 varsity letters in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. I also graduated with honors and around twelfth in my class.

My running career scored me a scholarship to Delhi College which I attended for two years and received my Associates in Engineering Science. Upon graduation from Delhi I transferred to the University at Buffalo where I opted to spend three years instead of two years to get my Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. I do not regret spending an extra year at Buffalo as I had a great time with my fraternity, my colleagues on the crew team, and everyone else I met. However, the extra 10k in loans due to not being able to qualify for TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) my fifth year hurts a little.

After graduation I was bartending and not really ready for a true blue engineering career yet, however, one found me. It turned out L3 Communications - Link Simulation and Training, a military subcontractor that I had interned with after my freshman and sophomore year of college had been keeping tabs on me and looked me up once they heard that I graduated. Its funny I remember the conversation with my mama like it was yesterday. It went like this:

Mama: L3 called and I think they want to offer you a job.

Me: Ehh, I’m pulling a grand a week bartending.

Mama: Does bartending have benefits?

Me: Yeah, it has tons of benefits.

Mama: Are they health benefits?

Me: Uhh, no.

One week later I was living in mama’s basement and beginning my career at L3. I spent about ten months in that basement and was quickly ready for a change of scenery so I took a transfer to our L3 branch in Orlando. I had never been to Florida but I thought “What the heck…most people in New York seem to like it down there so I’m sure I will to.” So I moved, and I’m having a pretty good time.

VIP: What are some interesting things you have ever received or given as gifts? (the flask to Mama Bear maybe…haha)

LJN: My mama once gave me a “glass of shut the hell up” …because my brethren and I kept quoting that line from Happy Gilmore. It was great. We were having the typical Norman family dinner and the brethren and I were carrying on as usual and I asked my mama if she could grab me a glass of milk while she was up. You have to understand that my mama is one of the sweetest, soft-spoken, well-mannered women I know. So, when she came back with a glass that had a post-it in it that said “Shut the hell up!” I nearly peed myself. And in fact, I think my kid brother Joe shot milk out of his nose because he was laughing so hard.

Another story involved a gift that I gave to my mama. My mother was a board member of a local organization (name excluded to protect the innocent) and she used to always come home and say “Geesh …those meetings go sooo much longer than they need to. Some of those people just talk, and talk, and talk." So one day I suggested to her that she should bring a flask (of water) to the meeting and every time someone is droning on for too long quietly pull it out, take a swig, and silently offer it to the people sitting next to her.

Now, my mama has never drank a drop of alcohol for as long as I’ve known her, and her fellow board members know this. So I figured for my mom to do such an act would not only be hilarious, but it might help move her meeting along. Anyways, this was a running joke in our house for awhile and when Christmas came around, I decided that to help my mama out by getting her a flask. Not just any flask, a nice flask with the engraving:

“To Mama Bear,

For those rough days...

Love, Jack”

She loved it. It actually made her cry, and to this day even though I don’t think she’s ever taken a drink out of it, she still adorns it proudly on her book case.

VIP: With your current efforts, personal and professional, what is the impact you try to have on people on a daily basis? (How I would ask it: When you leave a room, what is it you want people to be saying or feeling because of Jack Norman?)

LJN: “Wow, what an inspiration” …that just about sums up what I would like people to think about me when I leave a room. I love instilling a person with an undying zest for life, even if it’s for just a moment. Not only does it make an impression but I believe if everyone on this planet harbored an undying zest for life it would be a better place.

VIP: What are some of your goals? (3, 5, 10, whatever you prefer)

LJN: 3 year: I want to finish my Executive Masters in Business and Administration at the University of Central Florida, move to New York City with some of my friends and family, and pursue some real estate opportunities, and entrepreneurial endeavors involving my little brother's business in personal marketing services and training, my father's business in sales of a green cleaner, and whatever other ideas we can come up with in the next three years.

5 year: To have a focus on one of my entrepreneurial efforts and be making a difference in society with it.

10 year: As us Norman brethren would say I would like to have a “Norman take over of the entire world” strategy in full bloom. It is important for me to be able to leave a legacy that will improve the world for everyone.

VIP: What are some of your hobbies? I.e. what do you do in your spare time?

LJN: I enjoy computers, working out, mountain biking, visiting the local pub with my friends, and researching everything from money management, to business practices, and new technology …you have got to love Google.

VIP: What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

LJN: Strengths: Confidence, intelligence, great with people

Weaknesses: impatience, too confident sometimes …one of those I should think twice and speak once kind of things

VIP: What are some of your pet peeves?

LJN: Animal hair, unbearably slow drivers, and people that aren’t accountable

VIP: Who are three people, from any time period, that you would like to meet?

LJN: Steve Prefontaine – I respect his mental strength, his toughness and fortitude,

Jesus – He is one of the most influential figures on the planet and I’d like him to answer some questions for me

Adolf Hitler – Although he did it in a negative way, he inspired a nation to carry out outrageous acts with incredible passion. I would just like to learn what made him tick.

VIP: What is some advice you would give a student in college or one that just graduated from college?

LJN: Pre-graduate: Meet everyone you can, and maximize your contacts. Undergraduates are in a unique position to be in an environment where they have access to other intelligent students and also a highly intelligent faculty that are, at the end of the day, there for the students. I believe that this day and age students don’t have an understanding of how many opportunities can be harnessed simply by letting those around them there hopes and dreams.

Post-graduate: Don’t rush into graduate school. Get a taste of the real world first so that you can maximize your higher education.

VIP: What are some attributes of a good leader?

LJN: Motivating and compromising but decisive - one who leads by example.

VIP: Some quick ones; favorite candy bar, food, movies, books, sports, quotes?

LJN Fun Facts:

Candy bar: Snickers

Food: a good steak

Movies: Van Wilder, Prefontaine, Boiler Room, Spy Game

Books: Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Black Book of Networking and Little Red Book of Selling

Sports: Road Races, Track and Field, Football (Giants football to be exact)

Quotes: “Don’t tell me what you can do, show me" and "The only one that limits you is yourself."

L. Jack Norman III

L3 Communications

Software Engineer

University of Central Florida

Executive MBA Candidate

Email: JNorman39@yahoo.com

Cell: 407.206.5400

Letter from the Editor

Life and Times of JWN

"The Go-Zone" I would like to briefly discuss the concept of getting in "the zone" this week. It is an essential component of finding "success" in your pursuits in life. If you can put yourself in this trance of focused energy, your efforts will be more fruitful and fulfilling. This week a friend of mine sparked an intense session of "zone time" with some of her words. When I get in this state I do my best to not let its power slip through my fingers. In fact, I ended up writing for hours, finally going to bed in the wee hours of the morning. This particular evening was what I dubbed a "Really Think" moment, a concept which I will feature in more depth in a later issue. NOTABLE: There are multiple "zones." The most common is the "Go-Zone," and the one I will discuss today. It is characterized by a focused, positive energy directed towards your current activity. The other zone is the far less common and deeply reflective, "Really Think" moment, where the world takes on an incredible vividness. Both zones have meaningful places in our lives. "So Joseph, how do I get into the "Go-Zone?" When I have a particular task to accomplish, I tap into the "Go-Zone" by immersing myself in its content. For example, if I have a series of important phone calls to make, I will first list who needs to be phoned and the purpose of the call. This includes notes or homework I've done on each person, as described in my article, "Make a POWERFUL Impression." Then, I visualize how each conversation will go in a very positive way. This step is essential because it gets you ready to succeed. If you do not truly believe it will happen, then it won't happen. QUOTABLE: "If you think you can do a thing or you think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford Then, once I've put myself into the right mind set with these initial steps, I just do it! I make the calls and I make it happen. The "Go-Zone" can be tapped into for every task you embark on. Let's review the process: 1) Immerse yourself in the content. Know what you need to accomplish, how you're going to get there, and why. 2) Prepare yourself for success by visualizing a positive outcome. 3) "Just do it!" Make it happen for yourself. If you prepare yourself for important activities by getting into this mind set, your tasks will be accomplished quicker and with higher quality. It all comes back to my philosophy on "being present," whether that is during a conversation or completing a task. When you're there, be there! Check back for more insight on "Really Think" moments, the "Go-Zone's" deeply reflective cousin. "Really Think" moments create the concepts and ideas that change the world. Always my best, ~JWN