E13: Former President and Chief Operating Officer of The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Ronald Wilson, has over 40 years in the soft drink industry.

Under his leadership the company grew from the 12th to 4th largest bottler in the U.S. and was one of the largest minority-owned companies . 

He entered the soft drink industry in 1969 as a route salesman for Pepsi-Cola and worked his way up then transitioned to Coca-Cola in 1977 and climbed to the C-Suite. 

He's also an industry leader who served as President of the Coca Cola Bottlers Association and Vice President of the Dr. Pepper Bottlers Association.

Ron came out of retirement in 2008 to become the CEO at Skinny Water, where he stayed until 2010.

He is currently the Vice Chair for the Board of Overseers at his alma mater, Rutgers University, and is an advisor to Rutgers School of Business in Camden, N.J.

Ron’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-wilson-95a37331/

WHAT YOU'll DISCOVER IN THIS EPISODE:

·      What was it like working for Dr. J (NBA Basketball great, Julius Erving).

·      What's the difference between Coca Cola Company and Coca Cola Bottling.

·      The remarkable story about the only interview Ronald had in his career.

·      What was it like being the youngest employee in the company.

·      What made Ron come out of retirement to lead an organization again.

·      The real benefits of committing to one company for many years vs. job hopping

·      One question Ron asks his colleagues to generate creative ideas.

·      A story about why Ron's boss came to his house to fix the running water problem in the basement.

·      How to leverage your own alumni network for service and success.

QUOTES:

“The American dream is still out there but each year it gets tougher and tougher because the gap between the haves and have nots gets greater.”

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets credit for it.”

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