Paul Delmerico ‘88, partner and general manager of local SpecialMade Goods & Services, Inc. is a native of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. Finding his way south to Winchester, Delmerico became involved with Shenandoah first as a graduate student. After graduation, he wanted to remain a supporter of SU and became a member of the Business School Advisory Board. Now, Delemerico is excited to be the chair of the 5th annual Business Symposium that took place Thursday, April 4. Winchester has become a vital place for his family and business, and Delmerico feels that the symposium envelopes all of the connections he has made in the Shenandoah Valley.
“We have developed lifelong friends, contacts and relationships here in a community that we feel is very giving, loving and supportive,” Delmerico said. “It has also been a great foundation for our kids to grow up in and for me and my wife to develop our careers.”
As a husband and father, Delmerico is deeply rooted with strong family values. Along with being a family man, he enjoys reading historical novels and biographies, travel, the arts and staying physically fit to defy age. Aside from family, Delmerico enjoys education and the opportunity to learn from his peers.
“I really enjoy being around stimulating conversation and people that think,” Delmerico mentioned. “This is probably why I enjoy being involved with Shenandoah University.”
Delmerico received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Design in 1976 at the University of Bridgeport located in Connecticut. He immediately moved to Washington, D.C. to work in product development. While there, he made connections that led him to Winchester and Rubbermaid Commercial Products where he held a number of product development positions, including product design manager. His background in product development and product design assisted him with this quick transition.
“While at Rubbermaid I was able to see and experience all the facets of a business and of a manufacturing organization all in one place,” Delmerico said. “This made me much more interested in the bigger picture of business beyond product development.”
With a natural curiosity and interest in business, Delmerico wanted to further his education in order to further his career. He explained how this motivation of wanting to be better each day was something he always had.
“My motivation is within me and I’m very interested in not being the same today as I was yesterday,” he explained. “It’s about learning constantly, it’s about improving, it’s about doing things better and I’m just hardwired to want to move ahead in that way.”
After examining many curriculums and conversing with many individuals, Delmerico chose Shenandoah University’s Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business to receive his Master’s in Business Administration. Acquiring a lot from the MBA program, Delmerico appreciated being able to take what he learned in the classroom and directly applied it to his full-time job at Rubbermaid. This positioned him for bigger opportunities, such as product manager, within the company and ultimately helped him begin his very own company.
Transitioning from Rubbermaid, Delmerico became partner and general manager of SpecialMade Goods and Services, Inc., which was founded in 1997. SpecialMade Goods and Services is a distributor that sells products in a business-to-business model. A big part of this business is that they add personal value to the products.
Along with being a partner and general manager of SpecialMade Goods & Services, Delmerico is also on the Board of Director of Blue Ridge Hospice and the Business School Advisory Board. As chair of this year’s Business Symposium, he was excited about the event and is very pleased with the group of individuals that are on his team. Delmerico and his team are worked diligently to make this year’s Business Symposium a great success.
The Business Symposium featured two keynote speakers. One of which was a representative of a multi-national company and the other a renowned futurist. During the day, there were timely breakout sessions on the affordable care act, family owned businesses and others.
Delmerico was extremely excited to debut the “student track” for the symposium. There are several breakout sessions that directly corresponded to what students are asking.
“We created a special a session just for students,” commented Delmerico. “It focused on how to get started in their career and how to manage their career along with some tips and caution points to be aware of as they start out fresh.”
In conclusion, Delmerico saw this event as “an opportunity to learn, engage and grow.”
–Written by Myles Hairston