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Peter Drucker, often cited as the father of the practice of management, wasn't known for his theoretical research, but for his insight about human beings and organizations. He often reminded CEOs of two things: employees need to feel like contributors, and customers need to feel like the boss. This is the kind of management wisdom that's helped Arunas A. Chesonis to grow his company, PAETEC, to become a $1.5 billion provider of telecommunications services to medium and large businesses, healthcare organizations, and universities.

Making employees feel like key contributors underscores the successful corporate culture Chesonis has created. In fact, he takes each employee's contentment to heart. And, under Chesonis' leadership, PAETEC has become known for its highly personal relationship with each of its 400 customers, to whom it also looks when it comes to driving innovation.

Following in the steps of the CEO of Starbucks and the CEO of L.L. Bean, Chesonis has chronicled his "value people before profit" management philosophy in a book called, It Isn't Just Business, It's Personal: How PAETEC Thrived When All the Big Telecoms Couldn't. He says, "We truly appreciate the workforce and make sure they are engaged in the decision-making process in an open environment. We give them access to all sorts of information about the company. They're able to make better decisions as part owners of the business."

Resources

PAETEC Stays the Value-added Course

PAETEC, US LEC Sign $1.3B Merger

RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Press Publishes Book on PAETEC Communications

Bio

In 1998, Arunas A. Chesonis, along with a core team of individuals, founded PAETEC to provide first-rate customer service for its telecom customers. Chesonis's vision and leadership have helped this competitive local exchange carrier achieve remarkable growth. In 1998, Chesonis, led the company to rank in the number two position in the 2003 Deloitte Fast 500 list of the fastest-growing public and private technology companies in North America. In 2001, he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2006, Chesonis received the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award by the College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology.

He started his career at Rochester Telephone Corporation. He then left and went on to serve as president, chief operating office, and director of ACC Corp. Chesonis holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MBA from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Rochester.

Production Credits

Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
Scott Ebner, Audio Mixing