Alumni

Anthony Peachey

Accounting & Business Administration

He came to Penn College thinking he wanted to major in architecture. But Anthony’s favorite marketing instructor convinced him that he belonged in the business world. And that’s where he’s thriving today. As the senior marketing manager at Construction Specialties, Anthony oversees 10 different product lines and manages the entire marketing team.

Q&A with Anthony

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE THAT MARKETING WAS FOR YOU?

I have to contribute much of this decision to one individual who caused me to fall in love with marketing as a profession. That individual was Dr. Gerri Luke, who I had my starting year for Marketing 101 in the business administration program. Originally, I was planning to go to school for architecture, but two weeks before classes started, I decided to start with business administration as a foundation prior to pursuing anything else. I can remember how much I enjoyed our conversations in that class. One day she really pressed me to consider marketing as a concentration and it didn’t take long for me to come to that conclusion as well.

WHAT MIGHT SURPRISE SOMEONE ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Something that many people do not know about Construction Specialties, which is located primarily on the East Coast, is that we are very well known for our solutions that allow for buildings to move in earthquakes. We offer a full range of expansion joint covers, which are often utilized in earthquake zones to accommodate as much as 6-8 feet of building movement. Solutions like this require some serious engineering and testing to ensure performance in major seismic events. One of the projects that I was fortunate enough to work on, when I worked in product management, was a solution to allow stairs to accommodate earthquakes. We researched, developed, tested, and just recently, launched a stair system engineered for earthquake zones called DriftReady™ Stairs.

TELL US SOMETHING REALLY COOL OR REWARDING THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN TO DO?

So companies all around the world are adapting and adjusting to the changing norms of working within a brutal pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, most of the tradeshows were canceled, and so that required us to rethink how we engage and deliver content to our audiences. We decided to take our tradeshows live and created a two-day event that walks folks through the range of products that CS offers. In addition to overseeing that event, I also had the opportunity to speak on behalf of our expansion joint covers in the live event (Shake It Up!), which was very rewarding and an experience I never could have imagined.

See him in action

WHAT MIGHT YOU TELL OTHERS WHO ARE CONSIDERING PENN COLLEGE?

My experience and education at Penn College was invaluable. Not only was I provided a great education, but the program forced me to get practical and use what I learned. There was also a big push to get students into the workplace through internships, and those experiences shaped my understanding and expectations prior to graduating. In addition, that experience paved the way for my career and gave me a network to lean on in ways that continue to give back. For example: My wife works for the company where I did two internships, and that was through a connection that I had made during my internship.

WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT PENN COLLEGE FACULTY?

For me, it was their accessibility and willingness to help in any way possible. The faculty at Penn College care about your success. I utilized the after-class hours to better understand concepts from class, and through that time, I developed a personal friendship with many of my professors. Believe it or not, I was introduced to Construction Specialties through one of my professors, who still bugs me about getting his cut of my salary every time I run into him.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK?

In the middle of 2019, I was promoted to senior marketing manager to oversee all of the domestic marketing efforts for Construction Specialties’ 10 different product lines. I manage a team of amazing marketing individuals, and together we work to make CS stand out and communicate our leadership in the construction industry. On any given day there are a lot of meetings, which can be to facilitate work being done, report progress on initiatives, manage priorities and resources, and/or discuss various needs from our team.

Real-World Ready

“Education is only as good as an individual makes it. It’s not just about time in the classroom. Penn College offers opportunity outside of the classroom, and that hands-on time is what makes the graduates of the PCT programs better equipped, in ability and expectations, to succeed in their respective careers."

Anthony Peachey

Guaranteed Momentum

Sharing the wealth

Anthony was among a group of successful Penn College business alumni to return to campus and share their insights with current students.

Rewarding experiences

In the May 2009 graduation ceremony, Anthony Peachey received the Business Management Faculty Award presented for achievement in the field of management, leadership qualities, and cooperation with faculty and peers.