The Reisz file
Tony Reisz
President and CEO
Ontario Systems LLC
Born: Owensboro, Ky.
Education: Bachelor of arts degree in business, University of Dayton
What was your very first job?
I was a paperboy for the Waukesha Freeman. There were two things that I had to do as a paperboy that were really important. It was a morning paper. So I had to get myself up, stuff the papers and deliver them. So it taught me a lot about responsibility.
But the second piece was it taught me a lot about how to deal with customers. I had customers who would complain that I put the newspaper in a spot that it blew in the yard or it didn’t get there at exactly the time they wanted it to. Then I had to collect money. I had to go door to door every single week and collect from my customers. That was my job.
I learned a ton about how to interface with customers at 10 years old. You’re intimidated and you have to go door to door and say, ‘Look, you owe me $1.50 for the newspaper.’ It gave me a lot of confidence. I delivered a service, and as a part of that service, I deserved to be compensated.
If there was one person you could sit down and speak with, who would it be and why?
My dad, Jerry. I lost my dad a long time ago. The lessons he taught me growing up, I’m still learning today. I’d love to sit down and talk to him again. I’d give anything to sit down and have a conversation with my dad.
