Be Successful at Whatever You Put Your Mind to Achieve
From Trainee to V.P.
When I first started with Stanley Black & Decker, I never imagined I’d have a 27-year career with the same company, but it has more than fulfilled my professional ambitions.
Right after I finished my education, I was 21 and my first role with the company was as a Trainee Sales Representative, which I found through a recruitment agency. For a year I shadowed experienced salespeople and learned the business. Over the years, I’ve been an Area Sales Rep, Business Unit Leader, Director, General Manager – and as of last year, a Vice President. I’ve been in nine different progressive growth roles, in four different markets, and during this time the STANLEY® Engineered Fastening division has grown, too, from less than $2B in global revenues to around $12B today.
In my current position as Vice President, most of my time is spent working and traveling across Europe giving on-the-job coaching to my current leadership team as we transform the STANLEY® Engineered Fastening Industrial Europe business into a high-energy growth entity. I live in the UK and work out of our European HQ in Brussels, and my team is located across Europe in eight different offices.
I’ve advanced dramatically, both professionally and personally, by grabbing the work and life experiences this organization has presented and using them as growth opportunities.—Tony Prueitt
I’ve been fortunate to meet, work with, and lead amazingly talented people from around the world. Lately, my work has been in Europe – but who knows where the next career step within this diverse company could take me. To me, that has to be the most exciting reason I could give to anyone considering joining STANLEY® Engineered Fastening. I’ve advanced dramatically, both professionally and personally, by grabbing the work and life experiences this organization has presented and using them as growth opportunities. If you are ambitious, tenacious, open-minded, and seeking to be inspired, then this will be a good place for you.
I’m proud of all the work I’ve done at Stanley Black & Decker, but if I had to pick one achievement, transforming Mac Tools Europe into a double-digit-percentage profit growth business – with a high-energy passionate team and customer-centric culture – is probably my proudest career moment. I’m also proud to know this business continues to experience strong growth since my departure to a new role.
I’ve learned many business skills here, but I’ve found that attitude often tops any ability a person may possess. The most important skills I’ve learned are actually examples of will and attitude:
- Make the current situation better.
- Serve the people, serve the business.
- Inspire people, create leaders who will live by the above two beliefs.
Within Stanley® Black & Decker and STANLEY® Engineered Fastening, I've discovered that with positive attitude and tenacity you can be successful at whatever you put your mind to achieve.