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Richard R. Pieper, Sr.

Richard R. Pieper, Sr. (born March 30, 1936), is an American entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist. He is currently Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of PPC Partners, Inc. headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and former Chairman of the Board of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership in Indianapolis. He has served on the boards of Junior Achievement-Southeastern Wisconsin, Boy Scouts of America-Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Florentine Opera, Young President's Organization-International, Wisconsin Council of Economic Education, Wisconsin Diabetes Association, Milwaukee Jaycees, Milwaukee Art Museum, and numerous other professional and community service organizations. He served on the Board of the Character Education Partnership and in 2006 launched the Wisconsin Character Education Partnership (WCEP), to move public and private elementary and secondary education in Wisconsin toward the goal of "guiding, teaching, mentoring, and nurturing virtuous citizens."

Biography

Richard R. Pieper, Sr., was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the last years of the Great Depression. He attended Milwaukee Public Schools but convinced his parents to allow him to finish high school by correspondence while working in the "real world." He moved to southwestern Florida where he worked at various jobs in fishing and holiday resorts to support himself and finish his education before entering the University of Miami. While preparing himself for college he learned masonry, plumbing and wiring trades, as well as a ship's mate on a sailing vessel, a fishing guide, and a driving range manager.

Following college and a year spent developing trade show expertise in New York, in 1961 he returned to Wisconsin and assumed the leadership of Pieper Electric, the electrical service founded by his father in 1947. At the time, Pieper Electric employed three electricians and operated from the Pieper family home on the outskirts of Milwaukee. Pieper worked as an electrician by day and at night he worked on a vision for meeting the current and future needs for electrical contracting and electrical services as he envisioned it. He was confident that Pieper Electric could become a nationwide provider if the needs of the customer rather than the norms of the industry became the benchmark of excellence. Form his evenings spent dreaming and planning, a practical protocol for Pieper Electric emerged. First, survey the customer base asking pertinent and applicable questions. Secondly, from the research gathered, discern the customers' needs - both obvious and "between the lines." From the conclusions in the second step, decide upon an effective, efficient method of meeting the established needs from within existing Pieper Electric resources, or, if the need exceeds current expertise, assist employees to become qualified in the field.

In 1963, Pieper's company became the first electrical service contractor in the State of Wisconsin to double sales in one year. Pieper Electric was not only the fastest growing electrical contracting company in the state; it was the fastest growing non-government enterprise. No electrical service company of any size had achieved this distinction.1 During this time, Pieper was active in the Milwaukee Jaycees and in the Young President's Organization (YPO). He traveled both domestically and abroad with both groups, always looking for examples of excellence in management and customer service to apply to his growing enterprises.

By early 1970s, Pieper's family company had grown to include branches and franchises in Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Kansas. Pieper Electric was rebranded as PIEPERPOWER. The family of companies was united as PPC Partners, Inc.

In 2003, Pieper and his family sold the majority interest in PPC Partners, Inc. to the employees at a fraction of the estimated value of the companies. He continues as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of PPC Partners, Inc., but devotes most of his time to expanding the role of character development in education and the model of servant leadership.

REFERENCES

1. ^ Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Statistics, 1960-1965, Madison: 1966