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Ma t t Gr esge
M
att Gresge grew up in
the quintessential sleepy
small town: Geneva, Illinois,
about 40 miles west of Chicago.
It was the kind of place where
farming and football were woven
into the fabric of life—and
often intersected.
“I played high school football
and used to bale hay on my
friends’ farms to get ready for the
season,” says Gresge. “It sounds
like a corny story from a hundred
years ago, but it’s true.”
Now living in the Chicago
suburb of Western Springs,
Illinois, Gresge is part of a
six-person home team. He
and his wife, Mary, have four
children—three daughters and
a son. Their two oldest are in
college: Gabbie attends the
University of Missouri and Dani
is at Georgia Tech, while the two
youngest, Livvie and Griffin, are
in high school.
In October 2016, Gresge was
appointed CEO of Neenah,
Wisconsin-based distributor
AIA Corporation (PPAI 101364).
He most recently served as
president and chief operating
officer for The Highlands
Group, a service provider to
independent distributors and
their supporting manufacturers.
Before that, he was president of
TOPS Products, a $300 million
manufacturer of business
products sold through leading
retailers, e-commerce resellers
and a nationwide network of over
2,000 independent distributors.
He earned his bachelor’s degree
from Indiana University and
an MBA from Northwestern
University’s Kellogg School
of Management.
What was your first
job and what lessons
did you learn?
My first job out of college was
as a commissioned sales rep with
RR Donnelley & Sons Company
(now LSC Communications),
a large commercial printing
company. I covered Kansas,
Nebraska and Missouri and was
lucky to have opened accounts
AIA Corporation’s
new CEO, Matt
Gresge, believes
in the power of
collaboration.
by
Julie Richie
There’s No
“I” In Team
Gresge and his son,
Griffin, enjoy a recent
trip to Lake Michigan.
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MARCH 2017
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