Paul J. Grillo

While Paul was pursuing his economics and finance degrees, he always chose electives in studio art. Those twin pursuits might explain why he enjoys leading the financial side of architecture firms. “I always thought architecture was a great way to blend the art and structural sides,” he says. “It’s important to recognize that it’s a business. If you don’t manage it well, you jeopardize the very cultural and creative aspects of what you want to do.”

Paul began his career in public accounting, followed by various financial positions in professional service firms. These included several years in management consulting, focusing on corporate reorganizations and restructuring of troubled companies, in multiple industries including hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, publishing, and banking. He took pride in helping the many stakeholders (owners, investors, lenders, employees, and vendors) of distressed businesses preserve their companies—even if it meant downsizing—to keep as many families as possible employed. Paul started leading the business side of professional-service firms as a result of friendships he developed in the construction business. There, he says, “progress is very tangible. The product of your services is right in front of you.” His proudest moment was steering an environmental and engineering consulting firm out of voluntary Chapter 11, helping it rebuild to become a profitable and well-respected company again. His takeaway from that painful, but ultimately satisfying, experience: Always be honest, always be open, accept where you are, chart where you want to go, and motivate those who are around you. “Where we are is the cumulative impact of all the decisions we make,” he says.