PPB October 2015

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HEN BIC GRAPHIC ASKED

Emmanuel Bruno to move his

family from France to the Tampa

Bay area five years ago, he was understandably hesitant.

“My wife, Florence, had to put her sales manager job

and city council duties on hold,” he says. “We were con-

cerned about the integration of our daughter, Marine,

because she didn’t speak English. It was a big decision

for us as a family, so we agreed to a one-year contract

initially.”

After a while, with the school systems in France and

the U.S. being very different, the family had to choose to

stay or to go back to France. “We’ve decided to stay,”

he says, adding that Marine will graduate from high

school and go to college next year. “It has been an

amazing experience for all three of us.”

Besides the obvious communications difficulties

that come from speaking a non-native language, Bruno,

the supplier’s vice president, general manager North

America, says one of the things that he just can’t under-

stand in the U.S. is the predominance of cinnamon—

“it’s everywhere!”—and the number of commercials on

TV. “I’m always wondering if I’m watching a movie with

a few commercials or if it is a huge commercial with a

few bits of movie mixed in.”

Since he doesn’t watch much TV, Bruno has plenty of

time to play golf, which he took up when he arrived in

Florida. The challenge of it intrigues him. “You never get

to the level you would like and you’ve always got to

readjust your game. One bad shot can ruin your round

but one good shot can make your day. My problem is

that I play more bad shots than good ones,” he says.

What has made Bruno’s transition to the U.S. easier

is accepting that “you have to understand the cultural

differences and adjust, not the opposite. If you get that,

everything is easier,” he says.

How long have you worked in your present position?

I took over BIC Graphic North America three years ago

but I have been at BIC for 15 years. Previously I was in charge

of operations (i.e. manufacturing and supply chain) for the BIC

Graphic division worldwide, including Europe, North America

and Latin America, as well as our sourcing operations in Asia.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Before moving to BIC Graphic, I worked for the con-

sumer division until 2008. I will admit that when the company

asked me to work for the BIC Graphic division (promotional

products division) my first reaction was negative. I believed it

was an old-fashioned industry with a limited ability to change.

I’m not sure I was totally wrong, but this is why this industry

is exciting. Since then I have learned to like this industry; it’s

a very entrepreneurial, challenging and interesting industry. I

oversee all aspects of the business and when you have such a

good team like we have at BIC Graphic, it’s an everyday

Emmanuel Bruno with his daughter, Marine, and wife,

Florence.

American Adventure

EMMANUEL BRUNO ADJUSTS TO LIFE IN THE U.S. ONE SWING AT A TIME

BY JULIE RICHIE

OCTOBER 2015 •

PPB

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