Employment Challenge Led to Recruiting Career for Class of 1978 Alumnus

After first attending Furman University and then graduating from Sacred Heart University, Gregg took a job at a manufacturing software company, Creative Output, in his hometown of Milford.

“It was a fast-growing company with an all-star lineup in leadership positions,” recalled Gregg. “But like many smaller companies that grow at a very robust rate, they lost sight of areas of the business that led to a very large layoff, a reduction in force of 40 percent, and I was laid off along with many others.”

While Gregg could have put all his energy into his own job search, he found joy helping his former co-workers.

“I was extremely diligent and was sharing information and sharing leads with others,” said Gregg. “‘I heard this is happening.’ ‘I heard that company is hiring.’ ‘You might want to check this out.’ Looking back, these are conversations that I still have today. Like that old saying, ‘the more you give, the more you get.’”

So, while Gregg was searching for a job for himself and his friends, he received a pivotal phone call from his former boss.

“He said, ‘I'm hearing that you're very helpful to others who are unfortunately in the same boat as you. Did you ever think about recruiting as a career?’ I remember thinking that job research and helping others are things that I really enjoyed.”

The lightbulb went off over Gregg’s head, as they say, and that question sparked his recruiting career.

Gregg grew his management recruiting experience, and received his initial training, at Cambridge Group in Westport.

“I learned an awful lot there. That's where I got more specialized in technology and retail recruiting. It was a rough and tumble environment, but they provided me with the training and resources to help me help myself. I learned an awful lot about what I wanted to be, and what I didn’t want to be,” he said.

After about a decade at Cambridge Group, Gregg had to make a decision on whether to specialize in retail or become a general recruiter.

“Once you start to do something in retail, it gets you something else in retail, which gets you something else, and eventually, I found myself being pushed in that direction,” recalled Gregg. “In time, I reached a critical juncture because, while I thought the best way to offer value was through specialization, I wanted growth and opportunities to bring more to the table. In the end, however, I did not want to be a jack of all trades and master of none.” 

With that realization in mind, Gregg joined Masserman & Associates, a boutique recruiting firm in Stamford and Westport, as a partner with accountability for all retail technology placements. Then in 1998, Gregg started his own executive search firm, G.M. Jerolman and Associates, which is exclusively dedicated to national placements of senior-level, retail/consumer brand technology professionals.

“Over the past 25 years, I have been blessed with a lot of placements at big companies in the industry, like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, TJX Companies, Talbot’s, and Zumiez, as well as vendors and major consulting firms, like Price Waterhouse, KPMG, Peat Marwick, and Deloitte,” he said.

As Gregg explains it, executive search firms work from a company perspective, looking for resources and people. Management recruiters are more like an employment agency, looking to place good people.

“Among notable placements that come to mind, the Trader Joe's chief information officer (CIO) placement happened like most search opportunities,” recalled Gregg. “They were looking to fill their CIO position. So, we worked out a search agreement, and we went to the market to look for the best candidate. Thankfully, because of our specialization, I'm blessed with the largest database in executive recruiting for the retail/consumer brand technology marketplace.”

As an indicator of his extensive network, Gregg was an early and avid power user of LinkedIn and estimates that he has almost 30,000 first-degree LinkedIn connections and second-degree connections with 3.2 million people.

“People try to make it more complicated, but at its core simplicity, search boils down to networking and relationship building,” said Gregg. “In the beginning of my career — long before LinkedIn — you had to pick up papers, read trade journals, make cold calls, and hold face-to-face meetings. But those tools are coming back now because of the effort required. Technological innovation is great, but there can be a law of diminishing returns. You can lose sight of tools that are also important, like professional relationships.”

Much of the wisdom Gregg received early in his career about building a brand and solution selling came from his father, Andy, who was a vice president with Beazley Company Realtors and often was the one driving Gregg to Hamden Hall in the morning. Gregg has since passed down these personal and professional values to his son, Noah, who is building his own career in the automotive marketplace with knowledge, reliability, and credibility as his guiding lights.