Ralph Scozzafava Celebrates 30 Years of Being an Executive

ST. LOUIS, MO, March 22, 2014 (Press-News.org) In many ways, Ralph Scozzafava is a classic American success story. For thirty years he has been associated with some of the top global organizations in the business world, and he has guided them to profitability, often under very trying circumstances.

Today, Ralph Scozzafava lives in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of Furniture Brands International. Ralph Scozzafava served as Furniture Brands' Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board, where he was accountable for all facets of $1.1 Billion, publicly traded company. Ralph Scozzafava developed Furniture Brands' successful corporate strategy and turnaround plan that brought it back from the brink of financial collapse. "I am excited to have been the CEO of Furniture Brands International," Ralph Scozzafava says today. "I am proud to have helped the company survive the recent financial crisis and to have successfully restructured the company to ensure its future."

Ralph Scozzafava developed into the dynamic corporate leader he is today by applying himself in his studies. He began attending the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California in 1982. There, he worked hard to obtain his Bachelors of Science in Marketing. After graduating, Ralph Scozzafava attended the University of Rhode Island, which is located in Kingston, Rhode Island, where he earned his Masters of Business Administration in Finance degree in 1986.

Ralph Scozzafava began working for Johnson and Johnson after this, but he never stopped improving on his education. He returned to school after being accepted into the Executive Program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He graduated from the program in 1997. Later still, Ralph Scozzafava would return to school once more. In 2004, he graduated from the Kellogg Management Institute One-Year Graduate Program at Northwestern University in Chicago.

He attended the Kellogg Management Institute while serving as the Vice President for Worldwide Commercial Operations at the Wm. Wrigley, Jr. Company. At Wrigley, Ralph Scozzafava was accountable for the company's entire $5.2 Billion business, including all Regions (the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and India) and key functions with business units in 180 countries and over 8,000 associates globally.

Ralph Scozzafava was also Wrigley's Corporate Officer reporting to the Chairman and CEO, and member of a six person Executive Leadership Team. He led the Worldwide Commercial Leadership Team and served on the Corporate Strategic Planning Team and Merger & Acquisition Committee.

Other highlights of his time with Wrigley were the delivered of industry-leading growth for the entire company business, with 2006 Net Sales and Profit at record levels increasing versus 2005 by 14% and 11%, respectively. He delivered this record profit performance while increasing the company's worldwide operating margin by 70 basis points. He also drove strong market share increases in 31 of the top 40 key countries, with record shares in the U.S.

Throughout his professional life, Ralph Scozzafava has enjoyed fruitful associations with various worthy causes. He is the former Director of the Heartland Alliance Board of Directors, and the former Director and Chairman of the Board of Keep America Beautiful. He is a contributor to the United Way Toqueville Society.

For now, Ralph Scozzafava serves as the director of the Saint Louis YMCA.

About: Ralph Scozzafava has been an executive for 30 years.