Tom Ferrando, CEO of CRGT, Inc. Offers Students “Lessons in Leadership: From Seton Hall Grad to CEO”
Written By: Melissa Vega
On March 22nd, Tom Ferrando, a Seton Hall alum and CEO of CRGT, Inc., returned to his alma mater to deliver an interactive discussion called “Lessons in Leadership: From Seton Hall Grad to CEO.”
Mr. Ferrando began his discussion by sharing stories from his undergraduate Seton Hall career as a computer science major. At the time, the computer science curriculum was centric on math. Mr. Ferrando revealed that he struggled with the math courses, specifically Calculus. In fact, he shared that he failed his first Calculus exam and as a result was in the position of failing the course. Despite being advised to drop the course in order to prevent a negative grade, Mr. Ferrando continued and ultimately concluded the course with a C-. Mr. Ferrando revealed that he was extremely proud of his C-, because he overcame adversity. He revealed that since then, he has built his career by overcoming adversity. From working as an employee at McDonald’s all the way up to his current position as CEO of a technology company, he has encountered numerous situations where he has been challenged.
Mr. Ferrando began his post-graduate career at Prudential as a computer programmer. He revealed that he was the last person out of a group of forty to be promoted for any position. Nonetheless, he stayed at the company and developed himself until he decided to create a start-up company. The idea to create a start-up arouse around the kitchen table in Denville, New Jersey between him and his peers. Although risky, Mr. Ferrando was prepared to take the leap of faith.
Having taken the risk, Mr. Ferrando currently serves as the President and CEO of CRGT, Inc. CRGT, Inc. is a technology company that provides solutions in reducing costs and risks, and improving relationships. CRGT, Inc. is also the technology solutions provider to the federal government, and has even built army knowledge online systems. This involvement has given Mr. Ferrando experience in international affairs that have pushed him to be resilient, agile and fearless.
Mr. Ferrando encouraged the audience to be these items, because he thinks careers are based on character. To further emphasize his point, Mr. Ferrando provided the audience with an analogy involving a birthday cake. He stated, a birthday cake is only a birthday cake because it has candles. Without the candles it is a normal cake with no meaning. He stated that college is the opportunity to put candles on a cake in order to make the cake special. Some of the ways Mr. Ferrando proposed to putting candles on the cake are:
- Showing up to events and speaking up, because first place gets the prize
- Seizing opportunities when you see them, or else they will dissolve
- Throwing yourself into the mix and being involved
- Connecting with people. Every leader needs followers, and followers only want to follow someone who can communicate well
- Getting a job, even if it’s not the best job. Any job will give you experience
- Participating in leadership positions, but not for the money because money is fleeting
- Having passion
These leadership tips were appreciated by the audience. We would like to thank Mr. Ferrando for returning to his alma mater to deliver an insightful discussion tracking his undergraduate career to his role as CEO. We valued your interactive discussion, and appreciated your time!