Finalist
Manufacturing
Bonfiglioli USA’s president and CEO, Greg Schulte, literally grew up in the gear industry, working for his father who owned a distribution company. Much of his passion for, and experience in, the gear industry comes from his earliest work as a traveling salesman for his father’s company.
Because of his work in his father’s company, he had more experience in the industry prior to entering college than many sales professionals who had been in the gear industry for several years.
After graduating from The Ohio State University with a business degree, Schulte turned his sights toward a career as a pilot. Though he earned his pilot’s license, the gear industry that had so shaped his formative years came calling, and Schulte was drawn back to the business.
Schulte began his professional career working for another gear company, and after building a reputation as a successful salesman in the U.S. market, he drew the attention of Bonfiglioli, an Italian gear manufacturer attempting to raise its profile in the American market. With no real U.S. presence, Bonfiglioli initially didn’t attract Schulte, and he turned down the company’s first overtures.
However, the idea of helping to build a company’s U.S. market presence from the ground up soon began to appeal to Schulte, and he joined Bonfiglioli as mobile sales manager in 2002.
Schulte started out as part of a sales team of three, and using his knowledge of the American marketplace, he began to reinvent the Bonfiglioli name in the U.S. With his guidance, Bonfiglioli broke into major gear-using industries, such as construction equipment, and secured major companies as clients.
With Schulte at the helm, Bonfiglioli USA is now a growing business with 46 employees. Schulte continues to use his experience and finely tuned business skills to increase Bonfiglioli’s presence in the American market.
How to reach: Bonfiglioli USA, (859) 334-3333 or www.bonfiglioliusa.com
