Suzanne Giardino
GE Polymerland, Huntersville, NC
GEPolymerland.com Portal Leader, e-Business

- Of all the acronyms that have worked themselves across Suzanne Giardino's resume in her four years at GE Plastics, by far the most influential was DYB.

"DestroyYourBusiness.com" she spells out.

Doesn't exactly sound like the typical big "E" initiative of the new millennium. And it wasn't. Contrary to its name, Destroy Your Business was a very constructive way of thinking. It was about looking at GEP from the outside and asking the question, "If I were a competitor, and wanted to beat GEP, how would I go about doing it?" The answers didn't just provide insights into the competition, but provided ways for GEP to drive industry-wide innovation.

"I was really lucky to have been selected for the original Destroy Your Business team - which has now been transformed into the Grow Your Business team," says Suzanne. "It enabled me to learn tons about the internet, work in a creative environment with a bunch of great people, and think of new ideas for GEP on the web."

She should know, after holding eight different positions since joining GEP in 1996. Suzanne's career spans the globe: starting in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, developing the Six Sigma Intranet site with the Information Management Organization; moving to Europe for work with Commercial IMO; returning to the States to handle order management for GE Polymerland; travelling to Tampico, Mexico to implement Oracle Financials and Business Objects; back to Pittsfield for ColorXpress, the Destroy Your Business Team and GEP.com; and finally to Huntersville, North Carolina, to become the Portal Leader for gepolymerland.com.

All this globetrotting began with Suzanne's involvement in the Information Management Leadership Program. "IMLP gave me a cross-functional opportunity to learn about GE and GEP," she explains. "It enabled me to learn other cultures and other ways of doing business. Professionally and socially."

Her horizons have been further widened by ongoing education within GEP, Six Sigma training, and being a part of the Women's Network.

"The Women's Network illustrates how women in the workplace can succeed," she says. "I joined because it's a chance to meet new people, get fresh ideas from different backgrounds, and have fun."

She thinks being able to think differently and having a sense of humor are just as important to success at GEP as are drive and a willingness to learn. "This is an extremely hardworking, intelligent, deliverable-orientated place," she says, "but still a very good time!"

And rewarding. Especially in Tampico. "Every day, I was making the employees' jobs easier by implementing very useful systems," she says about her time in Mexico. "I was learning new skills, adapting to a different culture and learning a new language (and dealing with 100 degree temperatures plus humidity!)."

Working in e-Business and dealing with the massive daily changes that the internet brings has taught her how to get things done quickly, creating ideas that the competition hasn't even thought about.

Suzanne sums it all up: "I am taking advantage of all the career opportunities that have been presented to me. I am working hard and fast. I keep an open mind. And I smile a lot."

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