Alumni Profile: Greg Amoruso

Pod

“I moved my life forward since CCE was the key that opened the door for me,” says Greg Amoruso, alumnus from the Project Management Certificate Program. Greg’s now reaping the benefits of his education with a career on the fast track to success.

Even before he had graduated from the program in December 2011, Greg Amoruso was in demand. “I was approached by two headhunters at the same time,” he says — one from San Francisco and one from Chicago. Coincidentally, they were both seeking him out for the same project management position at SynapSense in Folsom, which happened to have very lucrative starting pay.

“It just about bowled me over,” says Greg. “They hired me due to my background, my PM schooling and PMP registration.” High level officials within the Project Management Institute (PMI) claim that Sacramento ranks among the top cities in the nation for project management education and project management success rates.

After almost a year at SynapSense, Greg decided to branch out on his own. “I started my own HVAC company 22 years ago called Perfection Environmental Management. But then I realized that merging Data Center Infrastructure Management within my business plan would make for a very formidable company, especially with my project management background.”

Upon rolling out his new venture in fall 2012, Greg says he received immediate interest when reaching out to contacts. “Other companies want to outsource their services to me — so in essence, I’ve become my own product.”

This new business path is also fueled by Greg’s passion for energy conservation. In addition to being a certified mechanical contractor and general contractor, he has certifications from BPI, LEED and SMUD. “We have to be more proactive with energy management in the future, on an international level.  I want to save customers money, but also help them operate more efficiently.”

Greg cites two particular instructors in the program as instrumental to his achievements, Jerald Erickson and Craig Duehring. “They taught me the importance of using your influence and understanding your stakeholders, two factors that can determine the success of a project,” he says. But the most important factor in his success is dedication. “The program helped me extensively, yet education is only as good as you apply yourself towards it.”

Duehring is proud to see Greg join an elite group of professionals. “I’m confident Greg will impress others with all the knowledge and hands on training he received.  I’m also confident he will go far and become one of the more successful and recognized PMs in the field.”

Project management skills may also be in Greg’s genes. “I come from a family of small business owners, and found that most of my natural work methods matched the course methodology,” he says. “I have had no formal business training, since I couldn’t stop my life for four years to study.” Instead, Greg spent time at technical schools and had hands-on experience managing projects. “So this CCE certificate validated my life’s work.”

Now Greg travels regularly to manage client projects, and gets to see project management tools being applied in the workplace internationally.  “I’ve been in Sacramento all my life, so this is an exciting time for me,” he says. “Now, the world is literally at my front door.”

Greg is also proud of his son, who is currently a student in the engineering program at Sacramento State. During these uncertain times, he advises him and other young people to “have good work ethic, knock on doors and put yourself out there. Lunge completely forward… don’t look back and don’t fear the unknown.”

CCE is proud to have contributed to Greg’s success and we wish him continued growth in his career.