H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H Must Read | Rising Stars Alex Paschal, 27 President Warwick Publishing St. Charles, Illinois Getting Started As a student, Paschal didn’t intend to wind up in the family business, instead going to school for chemical engineering. But when health concerns of senior family members emerged, he switched to business studies and went to work at Warwick Publishing at the beginning of 2020. By the next summer, he was its president. Earning The Honor “Although he’s only been in the industry a short time, he’s really been part of it all his life because he is fifth generation,” says nominator Phil Martin, Warwick’s national sales manager. What’s Your Biggest Career Challenge? “I think the biggest challenge for me has been getting past the generational stigma. We have a lot of people that held me as a newborn baby that still work for us today, or they still kind of look at me and say he’s still that 4-year-old that was running around trick-or-treating on Halloween or laughing with the tour guide for take-a-kid-to-work day. So, getting past that, and hey, I’m actually capable. I’ve been trained. I know what I’m doing.” What Are You Most Proud Of? “In 2021, our water main burst underneath our building and flooded about a quarter of our shop. This was at the same time my father was just going into surgery, and my uncle was unfortunately on his way out with some medical complications. I had to scramble the jets, get everyone together, do damage control, work with insurance agencies that I’ve never talked with before and work with remediation companies, all while my family is dealing with something else, and make sure all my employees get paid and that they have work and they’re safe.” What Inspires You To Do Your Best Work? “I have 75 families that are relying on me to make the right choices day in and day out, and if I screw that up, their paycheck is on the line, their career is on the line. That’s what pushes me every single day to make sure that I cross my T’s and dot my I’s. 54 • DECEMBER 2023 • PPAI
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==