Published: May 05, 2008 12:58 am      

EDUCATION: Industry leader to receive degree

Waterport resident and Western New York business executive Carl V. Petronio will add another accomplishment to his overflowing resume this month.

The news came in a phone call from SUNY Delhi President Candace Vancko recently that Petronio will be granted an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for promoting education and student achievement.

He will receive the award at SUNY Delhi’s 91st annual commencement ceremony May 17 — the same stage he walked across exactly 50 years ago when he graduated with a two-year degree in civil technology. He will be the seventh individual in the school’s history to receive an honorary degree.

The distinction is one Petronio never dreamed he would attain.

“I’m very proud and I’m very humbled by it,” he said in a phone interview Friday. “It’s a very big deal.”

The year Petronio graduated marked the first class to earn the civil technology degree, a curriculum focusing on construction civil engineering. He was one of eight students. Looking back, he says it provided him with the tools necessary to succeed.

A graduate of Albion High School, Petronio left SUNY Delhi to work at Petronius Construction, a company founded by his father Carl S. Petronio in 1954. Thirty years later, he joined forces with three others to found the Allied Group Inc. It is now among Western New York’s largest companies specializing in warehouse, commercial and industrial construction and real estate development.

Petronio grew up in the Town of Albion on a farm with his brother and sister, instilling at a young age the importance of hard work. When he was old enough, he began working for the Frank J. Balcerzak Construction Company in Albion. The experience, coupled with helping out at his father’s business, convinced him to pursue the same career field.

“I like the excitement of building. I like the excitement of a project being built,” he said. “It was something I grew up with. It was just a natural thing to do, for my brother and I both. ... I consider that a plus, because a lot of young people today don’t have exposure to a career field.”

That mindset motivated Petronio to become active in SUNY Delhi’s Alumni Association, donating his time, energy and resources as an advocate for the State University of New York school system. He also served on the University Colleges of Technology Strategy Board made up of executives interested in promoting their alma mater and the Technology Sector colleges.

In 2004, Petronio was named the Alumnus of the Year and a Technology Titan. He returned to the school to speak with students about career opportunities and ways to find success.

His advice is two-fold: 1. Study hard and do well in school. 2. Be persistent.

“When you finally find a career path that you love, and you want to be successful at it, you have to be persistent,” he said. Many students today give up when their career path becomes difficult, setting them back, he added. One solution is for middle and high school students to begin thinking about a career path early on — and then shadowing or interning.

One also has to expect to work for their success, he said. Expecting to go home at 5 p.m. every evening won’t cut it. It is also important to believe in yourself, especially when you’re ready to throw in the towel.

“It’s called intestinal fortitude. You have to force yourself,” Petronio said. “If you love what you’re doing, it isn’t work.”

Petronio’s wife, Carol, also an Albion High School graduate, his two children, two step-children and four grandchildren will celebrate his honor with a family picnic following the graduation ceremony.

His son, Frank Petronio, is a professional photographer in Brockport; his daughter, Deborah Petronio, is a dentist in East Aurora. Dan Redshaw is a member of the U.S. Navy and John Redshaw is studying to become a mechanical engineer.

“(I’m) just so very proud,” Carol Petronio said. “The results of a good education have always been very important to Carl. ... He is being recognized for being such a champion of education and hard work.”

Candace Vancko, the college’s president, has similar sentiments.

“Carl Petronio is a visionary business executive who is passionate about the educational foundation he received as a SUNY Delhi student,” she stated in a press release. “He is an inspirational role model for our students.”

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.