PPB October 2017

Je r r y De l gado , MAS T he year 1981 was a significant one in the life of Jerry Delgado, MAS. That was the year he began working for Cartagena, Inc., a commercial printing company in his hometown of Caguas, about 20 miles south of San Juan. That May, he graduated from the University of Puerto Rico earning a bachelor’s degree in communication arts with a concentration in advertising and marketing. In August, he married his sweetheart, Mayra, with whom he recently celebrated 36 years of marriage. It was also the year he got his first taste of the promotional products industry. Although his job as a production planner was focused on increasing the company’s monthly sales, Delgado—now a sales associate at The Vernon Company’s operations in Puerto Rico— was also challenged to launch a division for promotional products. It was in that capacity that he began to meet with promotional products suppliers and recruit sales reps to grow the division. Within nine months he had increased the company’s monthly sales from $35,000 to $120,000. His achievements didn’t go unnoticed, and for the next six years he worked his way up to vice president of sales and marketing. By the time he left Cartagena, Inc. in 2005, the company was invoicing $280,000 per month in commercial printing and promotional products, and counted among its printing and promotional products clients all 13 of the Johnson & Johnson plants in Puerto Rico. Riding high on these achievements, Delgado accepted an offer fromNewton, Iowa-based distributor The Vernon Company to represent the company in Puerto Rico. He was able to take the Johnson & Johnson accounts with him. A Zeal For Lifelong Learning by Tina Berres Filipski “I feel a passion forwhat I do. I love promotional products to the extreme.” — Jerry Delgado, MAS Jerry Delgado, MAS, center, with (from left) son-in-law Luis Miguel Borri, daughter Mayra Jeris, grandson Luis Miguel, wife Mayra, and sons Luismi and Jose Gerardo. 90 | OCTOBER 2017 | CONNECT