Established organizational continuity and participative leadership
Gerardine strongly believes that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when given the opportunity.
She began her career in social work, committed to helping people reach their full potential. In 1979, after gaining experience working in electronics manufacturing, Gerardine founded Cirtronics Corporation. She knew that Cirtronics could offer high quality jobs while providing people opportunities for personal and professional development.
By attracting people who exemplified Cirtronics’ values, and creating positions that matched their individual gifts, Gerardine guided the growth of the company. This unusual approach continues to be key to our strong, collaborative environment where we benefit from the talents of each individual.
From the beginning, Gerardine infused every aspect of Cirtronics with a mission “to serve and continuously improve under the Do Unto Others philosophy.” Gerardine has always believed that we can do well by doing “good”. Our culture of service to our corporation, customers, employee owners, environment, community and suppliers shows in everything we do.
Gerardine generously served on the boards of numerous non-profits including: New Hampshire Catholic Charities, Business Industry Association (BIA) of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, Vested for Growth, and Rivier University.
In 2002, in service to the corporation, employees and customers, Gerardine transitioned Cirtronics to an employee-owned company, an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Program).
Gerardine’s enthusiasm about the company and belief in each individual’s potential continues to be self-fulfilling. The average tenure at Cirtronics is over 15 years. And Cirtronics feels like family to all 200+ employee-owners.
Mutual respect, transparency, access, and joy underscore Gerardine’s commitment to participative leadership. We’d say she has an “open-door” policy, but that’s not quite accurate. Her door is always open because, by design and request, her office has no doors.