PPB January 2019

Leadership Is In His Genes Gene Geiger, MAS+, has always put the success of his family’s heirloom first and foremost. by Tina Berres Filipski T hose born into family businesses inherit a unique set of expectations, obligations and opportunities. For Gene Geiger, MAS+, the oldest son of the late legendary Raymond A. Geiger, and the fourth generation to lead Lewiston, Maine- based distributor Geiger, the opportunity to join the company 45 years ago resulted in unmatched industry connections, countless ways to contribute to the industry and his community, and inspired his purpose to leave the company even stronger than he found it. When Geiger is inducted into the PPAI Hall of Fame during The PPAI Expo this month in Las Vegas, he’ll be the third family member to be inducted, following his father in 1977 and his grandfather, Frank A. Geiger (posthumously) in 2004. The company was first established in 1878 in New Jersey by Geiger’s great- grandfather Jacob and his great-great uncle, Andrew, and relocated to Lewiston in 1955. Today the business is in the top echelon of distributors as the largest family-owned and family-managed, non- private-equity-owned distributor with sales nearing $200 million and 400 employees, plus 300 independent contractors who are associated with the company. It also maintains a close-knit family culture and is one of the most respected companies in the industry. Initially joining him in the family business were his brothers Peter, Michael and K.C., the latter two who departed to other businesses after a few years. He also has a sister, Barbara, who isn’t involved in the company, but Peter has had a long and illustrious career at Geiger as editor of the Farmers’ Almanac , which the company has published since 1935. “When a business has existed for as long as Geiger has, it goes from being a business to being a family heirloom,” says the soft-spoken Geiger who, as a young man, struggled with his career direction before joining the company in 1973. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame, Geiger took a year off to backpack around the world. Along the way, he fell in love with Japan and spent nine months there teaching English. He was considering a longer stay when he received a letter from his mother telling him his father needed him in the business. “I was torn between my desire to do something else and my obligation to come into the company as my father was getting older,” he says. Geiger spent six months deciding what to do but ultimately his obligation to the family business won out. Still, he admits it took several years before he was comfortable with his decision, and sometimes he still wonders what would have happened if he’d stayed in Japan. Part of Geiger’s reluctance, he says, was that he was set to follow his father—a Gene Geiger was influenced early in life to attend Notre Dame; he graduated from the university in 1971. “When a business has existed for as long as Geiger has, it goes from being a business to being a family heirloom.” FEATURE | Celebrating The Exceptional 26 | JANUARY 2019 |