Monday Meeting: Ray Celedinas, CEO of booming insurance group
Celedinas, who's also the chairman of the
Hometown: I've lived all my life in
About your company: The company was founded in 1959 by my father. We just moved into a new headquarters in
First job: When I was 12 or 13, a buddy and I thought we could cut lawns in the neighborhood and make some extra money. It was one of those typical hot, muggy, rainy
Biggest challenge: We've grown since 1985 at an annual rate of about 17 percent. Our biggest challenge is finding new associates that have what we call the right stuff -- integrity, intelligence, motivation, people skills. It's not that easy to find. The business has certainly become very complicated. In the past, 100 percent of the people we hired had an insurance background. Now, we're resorting to looking for people with those four qualities who we can train in insurance.
Best business advice you've ever received: Follow the golden rule. Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
Best business book you've read:
Biggest business mistake: We're a pretty conservative firm. We don't have a lot of debt or leverage, and we grew through the downturn. Our mistakes are usually missed opportunities -- maybe passing on a chance to expand or passing on somebody we should have hired who went on to do well somewhere else.
Outlook for
Favorite breakfast spot: Cuccina Dell' arte in
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