On July 1, 2015, Bill Bogle, President and CEO of Genesis Packaging Technologies, assumed duties as Chair of the CCEDC Board of Directors.  As he finishes up his first year in this role, Weekend Edition decided to get to know him a little better.

A Global Experience

Bill Bogle’s career began at a glass factory in Millville, NJ where he had the support of four men who offered him career guidance and advice.  He left to join the West Company in 1972 and over the next eleven years rose through the ranks of sales and marketing.

During this time, Bogle was taking night classes at Temple University for his MBA when he wrote a paper about West that evaluated various options for entering the Asian markets.  This paper turned into a presentation to the board who thought Bogle should be sent on his first trip to Singapore which was followed by a three week trip to China.

Soon after, he and his family moved to Singapore for what was supposed to be three years. Seven years later, they returned to the US and that is when Bogle formed Global Market Management.

The Singapore experience was fantastic for my whole family and provided the cornerstone for everything about me that relates to business.  Building business relationships in fourteen countries while living in one of the most successful countries in the world, changes one’s vision.

I had the opportunity to be Vice Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce and served on the National Wages Council for three years.  I learned that dynamic countries look at a company’s value not by counting the number of jobs that are created but the number of good jobs that are created.  They use measurements like capital investment per employee to determine who to entice with tax incentives.  They may also look at gross margin generation per employee as criteria in a non manufacturing environment.

Eventually, Bogle joined Genesis Packaging Technologies, a small privately held company that has its roots right here in Chester County.  The organization manufactures equipment and test instruments for pharmaceutical and biotech companies that produce injectable drugs.  These companies are located throughout the United States, In Europe and Asia.

Bogle noted that his company’s “strength is in our relationship and service to our customers.”  To solidify this commitment, Genesis Packaging Technologies never makes a part obsolete and promises a response to service calls within 24 hours in the US and 48 hours across the globe.

The Impact of CCEDC

Bogle’s first involvement with CCEDC was through the organization’s International Business Council.  He notes that,

“as a former expatriate, I have always looked for ways to be involved with other international business specialist and the thirty plus members of the IBC were a perfect interaction for me.”

Bill eventually became Chairman of the IBC Advisory board which led to a seat on the CCEDC board.  For the past year, Bogle has served currently as Chair of both CCEDC and IBC boards because he has,

“groomed several successors for the IBC chair but each time I am successful the person gets promoted by his or her company and they move out of the area.”

Throughout his 17 years of board service, Bogle notes that,

“no business operates in a vacuum; we rely on the advice and counsel of others.   I have gotten some of my greatest advice from professionals that I have met through the CCEDC.”

This professional give and take extends to the implementation of VISTA2025, the public-private partnership to implement the county’s ten-year economic development strategy.

“When you look at the great number of very talented people and all of the public and private organizations that are working together for this achievement, it is truly humbling to be involved with the CCEDC let alone be Chairman.  One of the greatest concerns for me is the meeting our financial objectives for the portion of VISTA2025 that falls upon us at the CCEDC,”

Bogle also wanted to reinforce all of the work that CCEDC has done for the county and the region:

“When many people think of economic development their first thought is “paved paradise, put up a parking lot.”  Our primary goal is “quality of place.”  Certainly we work with companies and individuals from the outside and help them find the correct site and situation for their business here in Chester County but more importantly we work with companies and individuals that are already here who have a dream that we help them achieve.

If you look at the county thirty years ago the largest employer was Lukens Steel and the second was Unisys.  Today the largest employer is Vanguard followed by Cerner.  These two along with companies like QVC, CTDI and many others all started right here and the CCEDC played a key role in their development.”

The Tao of Bogle

Twenty five years ago I remember Dean Palmer of the Wharton School answer the question, “What does it take to be a leader?”  His answer was incredibly simple.  He said, “Followers!”  To me that means just four things:

1) Know and constantly update your mission

2) Never ask anyone else to take a risk that you would not take yourself

3)  Never promise anything that you can’t deliver

4) Be impeccably honest.

Going hand-in-hand with that is the fact that I have never been afraid to hire people much smarter than I am.  There are so many of them and they can help one achieve much more.

Success is completely dependent upon your priorities.  For me it is who I am with my family; as a husband and father.  If I have treated people fairly in business and achieved some level of financial success, then that is icing on the cake.