ALumni alumni Gee ’84, Limouris ’94:
Paving your way with entrepreneurial success
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s we progress though a time of job insecurity and economic hardship, many people search for the answers and options that will render success during these unstable times. Even though embarking on a new business venture may not seem like a viable option, Rich Gee ’84 and Andrew Limouris ’94 would argue otherwise. Their entrepreneurial stories prove that when options are slim, perhaps paving your own course is the true key to happiness and success. Gee graduated from Ripon with a degree in art, but his primary focus was architecture. After a holding a few retail positions in Madison, Wis., and Minneapolis, Gee took a position at an architectural firm. “After approximately one year, I found out architecture was not in the cards for me, and I moved back to my home state of Connecticut,” he says. “I went out and purchased the book What Color Is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-changers, and proceeded to find out that my true vocation was marketing and advertising.” After taking some classes to broaden his skill sets, Gee went on to hold several positions in the marketing and advertising fields. He was an advertising coordinator for a newspaper and moved on to a role as marketing director of Waldenbooks, where he met celebrities and authors such as Bill Cosby, Martha Stewart and Stephen King. He eventually landed a position at the advertising company ADVO. “Over seven years, I held many management positions within the company in marketing, product management and IT,” he says. “Finally, I ran a global, multi-million dollar e-commerce business and led various Web production teams at Gartner Inc., a technology research and advisory firm. When I left Gartner, I was managing $150 million in various product lines.” Even with all that success, however, Gee yearned for a change. 22 RIPON MAGAZINE
“After more than 20 years in a corporate atmosphere, I yearned for an opportunity to run my own business,” he says. “During that time, I was working with my own executive coach and decided to use my experience and explore my own path in the profession of corporate coaching.” Gee invested his years of managerial and professional experience into starting his Andrew Limouris ’94 own business, Rich Gee Coach- Rich Gee ’84 ing. “As owner of an executive Limouris. “That’s what I did, and I’ve coaching company, I deal with all things never been happier.” business,” he explains. “I work with people After graduating from Ripon with a who want to energize their career, deal degree in communication, Limouris with an obstacle in their life or take moved to Zakynthos, Greece. advantage of an opportunity.” “My family is Greek, and when I Rich Gee Coaching currently has two moved back, I actually ended up wanderoffices, a satellite in Stamford, Conn., and ing around the island selling toilet paper the home office in Oxford, Conn. Gee and and Nivea products,” he reveals. “Needhis company have been featured on NBC’s less to say, it was not an ideal situation.” “Today Show” and in other prestigious Limouris then moved back to the media outlets. But for Gee, the true sign of United States to pursue a divergent and success is happiness. challenging career path. He began work“Let me ask you something — when ing at a staffing and consulting agency was the last time you woke up so in love and quickly embraced the industry. Durwith what you did that you couldn’t wait ing this time, he devised his own busito get to work? When was the last time ness plan to improve the company, but you actually found yourself deeply the executives never followed through engaged by your work, immersed in projwith his ideas. ects and relationships that were meaning“At the time, I tucked the business ful, truly significant and even fun?” Gee plan away and went on with my career,” asks. “Consider how different your life he says. “But after Sept. 11, 2001, I was would be if you found a way to earn a livforced to dust it off again.” ing that filled both your heart and your After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 bank account. I’ve been in both places, sent the United States into an economic and I can tell you no matter how much recession, many employees, including money I made as a corporate executive, it Limouris, were left without jobs. didn’t compare to the high of loving what “I figured I had nothing to lose, so I I do now.” moved to launch my old business plan for a healthcare staffing agency,” he says. ee is not the only Ripon graduate “My parents organically said, ‘You’re who will attest to the benefits of crazy. Everyone’s losing their jobs, and following your dreams and taking the economy’s terrible. This is not somerisks, even in troublesome times like the thing that is going to work.’ ” country’s current economic state. Despite his parents’ warnings, Limouris “If you have a great idea, plan out the went forward with his business plan, and necessary steps and make it happen,” says
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