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UOPX alumni spotlight: Jeff Simonic

Jeff Simonic (BSB/M, 2009; MBA, 2015) is a 鈥減eople person.鈥 Energetic and enthusiastic, he embraces the demands of his role at UPS as president of U.S. transportation (central zone) as eagerly as he does a golf getaway to Arizona with his friends.

Here, he reflects on how he transformed that gift with a Gen X work ethic and flexible education to reach a level in his career that surprises even him.

A slice of Americana

Simonic grew up in northwest Chicago, the second of three boys in an Italian-Croatian American family. Simonic鈥檚 parents divorced when he was 12, and he moved with his mom and brothers into their grandmother鈥檚 house soon after.

A rotation of uncles helped keep the boys in line, while Simonic鈥檚 mother worked two or three jobs at any given time to make ends meet and to pay Simonic鈥檚 tuition at a private Catholic school. Simonic, meanwhile, channeled what was becoming his trademark energy into playing football and baseball, and life tumbled along.

Jeff Simonic

Jeff Simonic
UOPX alumnus

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 talk about college,鈥 Simonic recalls. 鈥淚t was like, 鈥榊ou boys gotta get to work.鈥 So, we got to work and helped out as much as we could.鈥

Simonic鈥檚 dad knew someone at UPS and recommended his son apply for a job after graduation. Simonic seized the opportunity. He took a part-time position at the O鈥橦are International Airport location, hoping to work his way up to become a driver. That required years of experience, though, and fate intervened.听

鈥淚 did not think I鈥檇 get to this level鈥

It didn鈥檛 take long for Simonic to catch the eye of his manager. 鈥淗e said, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 you become a part-time supervisor? You seem like you鈥檙e in a pretty good mood a lot, you like to laugh a lot. You might be good at this supervisor thing.鈥欌

His manager was on to something. Simonic not only became a part-time supervisor, but he also landed a full-time position after three years at UPS and advanced from there.听

Daryl Heppner, the former vice president of air operations with UPS, witnessed Simonic鈥檚 ascendancy. Now retired, he first met Simonic in 1999 and worked with him in various capacities over the years.

Daryl Heppner

Daryl Heppner

听鈥淛eff is an outgoing person who has the best people skills I have ever seen,鈥 Heppner says. 鈥淗e excelled at leading people and forming successful teams to accomplish goals.鈥

Heppner adds that Simonic is also a natural leader focused on improving efficiencies, productivity and outcomes. 鈥淗e learned quickly what was important, what was urgent and what was just noise,鈥 he says.

Simonic began to diversify his skills. He worked in different departments. He moved locations. He was promoted, put in positions where he had to grow professionally, and offered the opportunity to prove himself 鈥 which he did again and again. 鈥淭hey put me in the industrial engineering department,鈥 he says, marveling at one such transfer. 鈥淚 knew nothing about engineering!鈥

All these experiences made him a better operator and manager. But at the end of the day, professional growth was simply the driver of his career. Education would become the delivery truck, so to speak, of his potential.听

A body in motion

Simonic is not the type to sit still, literally or figuratively. He is used to juggling tasks and coming up with plans to get things done. He likes talking with people. But sitting down with books and a deadline? Not so much.

That鈥檚 why he initially saw his career as a driver with UPS. 鈥淚 was like, OK, well, I can make good money,鈥 Simonic recalls. 鈥淏ut once I got to a certain step in management as a full-time supervisor, I wanted to be a manager. That鈥檚 when I got the talk from my boss, and he was like, 鈥楬ey, there's no way around this college thing. You gotta get it now.鈥

Mentors and managers explained that promotion at UPS wasn鈥檛 exactly impossible without a bachelor鈥檚 degree, but if Simonic were competing with someone who had one, he might be at a disadvantage.

鈥淯PS was developing people for advancement and stressed the importance of education and personal development,鈥 Heppner recalls. 鈥淚 discussed the importance of this with Jeff and felt he had the skills and capability to become much more than a manager.鈥

That reality broke through Simonic鈥檚 resistance. He enrolled at UOPX, which Heppner recommended for its flexibility, and took a practical, almost operational approach. First, he explored ways to apply his work experience toward college credit, which can sometimes be awarded to eligible students through the University鈥檚 Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). In Simonic鈥檚 case, he received 30 credits, which he viewed as a critical step toward completion.

UPS also offered tuition assistance, which helped with the cost. As Simonic progressed, his operator brain kicked into gear. 鈥淭he 5-week [course structure] really intrigued me, because in my brain I鈥檓 like, 鈥極K, week 1 is done. So, I鈥檝e got 20% of the class already done.鈥欌

Even better, the classes covered content that applied to his work. 鈥淎 lot of the classes,鈥 Simonic says, 鈥測ou鈥檙e writing about what you do every day in your work experience. It really wasn鈥檛 that bad.鈥

Simonic would go on to earn his MBA with UOPX as well. An in-person program was available at that time, and Simonic opted to try that format. It spoke to his people skills, says Heppner, who ultimately joined Simonic to pursue an MBA.

鈥淗e was committed to classes, assignments and completing the program,鈥 Heppner says. 鈥淚 think it helped him to understand more of the business side of management: marketing, finance, human resources, structures and the need for all to work together toward the organization鈥檚 goals.鈥

32 years and counting

Now at 32 years with UPS, Simonic鈥檚 tenure can鈥檛 help but impress. It has outlived career trends. It offers a counternarrative to the idea that you have to . Perhaps most importantly, it鈥檚 given Simonic a chance to become the leader he never knew he could be.

Simonic embraces a coaching leadership approach. Taking care of people, growing their potential and connecting with them have been hallmarks of his career in management. This hearkens back to his love of sports, both as a high schooler playing football and as a midlife golfer who takes his wife and child to any sporting event they can get tickets to.

鈥淗e does a great job developing people for more responsibility and recognizes their talents. Jeff is hands-on and engages with all levels and people,鈥 Heppner says.

He confirms Simonic鈥檚 value, citing his perseverance against challenges, whether they were internal or a blizzard that threatened their schedule. But for Heppner, one accomplishment stands apart from the rest, because it leveraged all of Simonic鈥檚 strengths:

鈥淥ne of Jeff鈥檚 best accomplishments was a challenge our air network was going through with service related to on-time deliveries and aircraft arrivals and departures. He developed a detailed plan, pulled together the people needed to accomplish the 鈥極n Time Network,鈥 trained the people, showed his vision and accomplished this in 30 days. There were challenges that he overcame with other leadership, and he learned how to overcome obstacles. He did a great job.鈥

Not bad for a would-be driver who found his calling working with people.

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Portrait of Elizabeth Exline

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Exline has been telling stories ever since she won a writing contest in third grade. She's covered design and architecture, travel, lifestyle content and a host of other topics for national, regional, local and brand publications. Additionally, she's worked in content development for Marriott International and manuscript development for a variety of authors.

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