Only in AmericaOnly in AmericaFrom Immigrant to C.E.O.From Immigrant to C.E.O.

By: Nathalie Escobar

Paul OrefficePaul Oreffice Born and raised in Venice, Italy, in 1927 He has an older sibling named, Sandra, his mother is Elena, and

father named Max He lives in Scottsdale, AZ; Lake Tahoe, NV; and Saratoga

Springs, NY He has a wife, JoAnn, with two children and has four

grandchildren Went to Purdue University, graduated in February 1949 with a BS

in Chemical Engineering He is the only recipient to ever be awarded periodically for all

three medals by the world’s chemical industry He enrolled to the US army for two years, then joined The Dow

Chemical Company in February 1953 He then became the president and C.E.O of the company in April

1978 Served on the boards of CIGNA (Health Insurance Company),

Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, and Nortel (Networking Company) Currently the chairman of Fairfield Homes, The National

Parkinson Foundation, is on the board of Spirit Finance Corporation and on the visiting board of MD Anderson Cancer Center

Looking Up to His Idol: Looking Up to His Idol: Max OrefficeMax Oreffice Max Oreffice is Paul’s father, friend and idol Admired different breed of horses and owned a farm He was an optimist, opportunist, an entrepreneur, a

visionary who could see a need and fill it He was highly against Fascism, during the reign of Benito

Mussolini in Italy, 1920s and 1930s Around 1939, he was sent to jail because the Fascists saw

him as a troublemaker; Max was having his freedom of speech about Fascism

He stated that, “Mr. Mussolini was ruining the country, that fascism was Italy’s sham, and questioned Mr. Mussolini’s intelligence … by saying that one of his horses was smarter than Mr. Mussolini”

Max was a very open and caring person, someone that is willing to help others, but he’d always get taken advantage of

He always kept a quote a heart by his good friend Vilfrido Casellati, the mayor of Venice, “Don’t give in to the fear. That’s what they want”

Lifestyle of Paul OrefficeLifestyle of Paul Oreffice He lived in an upper class family in Italy He had a maid by the name of Fraulein Grete Grossman,

she was German and a second mother to Paul Lived through the reign of Benito Mussolini until their

family fled to Switzerland then to Ecuador Paul transferred to various schools throughout his life

just for safety purposes He learned 6 languages through his lifetime such as

Italian, German, Spanish, English, etc. Also, he was treated differently because Paul was Italian

and people in the US were anti-fascists; people thought the majority of Italians were supporting Fascism

During his travels to the US and Ecuador, he and his family felt poor compared to Italy because of the currency difference

He and his family endured never ending hardships throughout his life

Brief Summary of FascismBrief Summary of Fascism Fascism — a government led by the authority of a

dictator having complete power, using force, criticism, racism and aggressive nationalism

Was founded by Benito Mussolini in 1919• Mussolini was a Catholic, but as he gained power he

wanted to propose that Catholicism should become the official state religion

• The Vatican didn’t stop Mussolini’s rise of power because they didn’t want to get involved

He used brute violence and ruthlessness in order to gain power in Italy

Fascism continued through Europe, even through the reign of Adolf Hitler; Early 1920s through 1940s

During Fascism, Mussolini established a paramilitary squad called the Black Shirts — These were Fascist police who used violence and terror as weapons against those who had the gall to oppose fascism

Images of Mussolini and The Images of Mussolini and The Black ShirtsBlack Shirts

Ways of Reaching a Ways of Reaching a DreamDream• To be very ambitious through rough

economic dilemmas, such as the recession

• Only in America that an immigrant can be given an opportunity to be successful and have a fresh start in life

• Through harsh economic and political downfalls, education should always be the primary factor to be concentrated on• Reason:• During Fascism, and Mussolini’s reign, Paul

Oreffice’s parents often cared about their future and education

• With constant travelling from country to country, his parents found everyway possible to put their children to school

Factors That Gave A Better Factors That Gave A Better Insight On A CareerInsight On A Career• Paul described the life of his father as an Entrepreneur, His father was

very determined and always persuaded people to get a reasonable bargain• He never gave up on himself and his family through financial

problems, he eventually found other alternatives to make income and provide for his family

• Even is Max Oreffice (Paul’s Father) didn’t finish his education because of attending the military for World War I, he always had the thought of going back to college to finish his education

• He never gave up on certain objectives, he did everything he can in his power to get a fair share of money whenever he was betrayed by his business partners

• Some examples of Paul Oreffice’s 10 Factors (which made me appreciate certain things in life better):He greatly believed in:• People — Discovering talented people that share the same passion of

work• Motivation — Highly motivating people in creating a better whole• Technology — Discovering and making new products for the greater

good• Second Chances — Learning from past mistakes and to not repeat the

same mistakes