A Conversation with C. Richard Panico: Leading an Ethically-Based Organization

Abstract

Rich Panico began his professional career with Johnson & Johnson in Chicago in 1973. During his fifteen years there he was part of the operations group and held positions of increasing responsibility within the engineering and maintenance organizations. While at Johnson & Johnson, Rich developed a reputation for building strong organizations, promoting and enforcing high standards of quality and performance, and, most importantly, for placing an emphasis on developing relationships based on honesty and trust.

Rich received the prestigious Supervisor of the Year award in 1975 in recognition of his outstanding leadership. Rich was promoted to the position of Chief Engineer at Johnson & Johnson's Personal Products Division in Wilmington, Illinois in 1982. He served in this position until he left in 1988 to fulfill his lifelong goal of founding his own company, Integrated Project Management Company, Inc. (IPM).

IPM started in 1988 with 2 employees and a few contracts. It is now an innovator in the field of professional project management utilizing proprietary processes across its six business segments (Product Development and Life Cycle Management, Business Process Optimization, Strategic Planning and Organizational Alignment, Manufacturing and Chemical Process Analysis and Capital Project Management; Site, Facilities, and Infrastructure Capital Project Management; and Information Management and Technology Applications). IPM's project managers have led over 2000 projects for over 100 major corporations, most of which are Fortune 500 companies. IPM has grown to nearly 100 employees with offices in Chicago and St. Louis.

Besides his role as president of IPM, Rich has been actively involved in the De Paul University Institute for Business and Professional Ethics and has served as its chairman since 2001. Rich maintains a strong passion for influencing how business is conducted and promoting the responsibility of leaders to incorporate an ethical conscience in every decision.

When he is not devoting his attention to his business or volunteer activities, Rich can usually be found keeping physically fit in his home gym, restoring classic cars, riding his motorcycle, or enjoying quiet time with his wife, Kristy.