Episode 20: Acquiring Skills and Building a Strong Financial Foundation
Jerry earned a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota. His first job out of school.
Did the strategy to acquire a wide range of skills and build a strong financial foundation before leaping into business ownership work for Deb and Jerry of Pitzrick and Associates, Inc.? If so, in what ways? If not, what went wrong? Find out in this second of three episodes.
Where did we leave off? In our first episode we explored Deb and Jerry’s childhoods. Deb grew up in Minneapolis. Jerry lived in Rice Lake, Wisconsin; Houston, Texas; several cities in Louisiani; Titusville, Florida where Jerry experienced segregation; and Missouri. Eventually Jerry’s family settled in Minnesota as a long-term resident where he and Deb met and eventually settled into their third home in Eden Prairie where their grown daughter, Stacey lives with them.
What work experiences did they acquire before launching Pitzrick and Associates, Inc.?
Deb worked for a number of advertising and marketing firms providing marketing help, bookkeeping and office management services. When she was laid off she took private flying lessons and earned her BA from Metropolitan State University while launching her advertising and marketing consultancy.
Jerry earned a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota. His first job out of school turned into a 24-year stint helping MA Mortenson Construction Company grow in 1974 from $30M per year to $1B per year when he left in 1994. Jerry held a range of positions within the company from engineer to a super intendent role, project manager, and division manager before joining Deb. Pitzrick and Associates evolved from an advertising and marketing consulting sole proprietorship to an S-Corporation consulting firm within the building industry.
Early entrepreneurial characteristics learned in childhood carried into their adult lives. Frequent moves for Jerry encouraged an adventurous, curious, receptivity, comfortable with change, optimistic spirit. For Deb, stability without moving led to freedom to spontaneous play, becoming an independent decision-maker, and a risk taker in breaking the 1950’s homemaker mold.
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Episode 20: Deb and Jerry Pitzrick, Pitzrick and Associates, Inc.
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Episode 20: Acquiring Skills and Building a Strong Financial Foundation
Before Leaping into Business Ownership?
Author: Nancy Meyer, MA
Nancy Meyer, M.A., an entrenovation mentor, author, podcaster, and founder of WeMentor, inc. Nancy has invested more than three decades guiding entrenovators and creative leaders in developing the self-leadership, clarity, and resilience required to bring meaningful ideas to life. Her work blends strategic thinking with mindful practice, helping clients evolve themselves as they redesign their businesses. A former entrepreneurship and small business finance professor at two private universities, Nancy has shaped curriculum and leadership programs that integrate research, innovation, and emotional intelligence. She is known for uniting practical business insight with relational literacy and a deep respect for the creative process. Raised on a Minnesota dairy farm, she learned early that work can be both contribution and calling—a lesson that informs everything she teaches. Nancy lives in Minnesota with her husband, Matthew, and their miniature schnauzer, Letty, and delights in the unfolding adult life of their daughter, Olivia. Nancy founded WeMentor, inc. in 1992 to transform the leadership in our country by providing experiential mentoring to entrenovators - where innovative thinking dances with entrepreneurial action. She has mentored thousands and is eager to work with you! Assert self-leadership and get started today! Clients say, “Nancy is a compelling, engaging, and...