We had the good fortune of connecting with Gerry Romanelli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gerry, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Early in my corporate career, I did not have much balance. I left my house around five am to catch a train to NYC and got home after seven pm. The only good thing was that we did not have the technology that we have today so you were really off after leaving the office. As communication technology started to take hold in the workplace the hours stayed the same but you could never disconnect. Now that I own my own businesses, I advocate for work life blend over balance. I am available all the time but I am not working all the time. I have the flexibility to accomplish tasks and resolve problems at different times of the day while also being able to do things that are not work related when I want to do them.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

When I graduated from college and entered the work place everyone was told to go get a job at a big company where you get vacation time and benefits. I spent the first 28 years of my career in corporate America focused on being a loyal high performer. Success is never easy but I was able to develop my leadership skills by learning for good and bad managers. The biggest challenge for me was not being a leader but being a follower. As I grew more experienced I struggled with towing the company line. By the time I made the decision to leave loyalty to employees was more of a buzz word than A value. Companies were trimming benefits and reducing headcount to make numbers. Now as a small business owner I can uphold the values that we set for the company even if we are not performing to the level we expect.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I would take them to downtown Greenville. We would visit Reedy Falls, stroll around town and window shop. I would have lunch and drinks at gather Greenville. Later in the day I would have dinner at Rick Irwin’s west end.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family deserves the credit for my success. Growing up I always knew something was missing from my life. That void was filled when I had my own family. The gave me purpose. I attribute my success to them. They give me the motivation to work everyday to improve our quality of life. They also remind me how important giving back to the community is. We have earned everything we have but we recognize that we are fortunate and try and share that with others.

Website: Www.furryland.us

Other: UnitsGreenville.com Fetchpetcare.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSouthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.