Stephanie Dremonas
Executive Officer
Pete's Fresh Market
Chicago, IL USA
“Everybody has a story that you can learn from.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationStephanie Dremonas
01:33
Stephanie Dremonas Highlight06:50
Interview01:47
Leading In An Authentic Way01:47
How To Gain More Confidence In Yourself And Your Work03:16
My Career Path01:56
Advice For Finding Mentors01:15
Lean On Support From Others When Working Through Skills Gaps00:51
Leaders Understand And Address The Root Issue01:03
Being In The Room Is The Biggest Opportunity
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
My father started a produce stand in the 1970s in Chicago, Illinois—it eventually grew into Pete’s Fresh Market.
I initially had no interest in joining the family business, and went to Marquette University to study biomedical science in the hopes of working in sports medicine.
After my freshman year of college, I didn’t feel like biomedical science was the right fit for me anymore—my godfather encouraged me to reconsider going into the family business instead.
I decided to change my major and graduated with a double major in real estate and finance, plus a minor in psychology.
After graduating, I was still hesitant to join the family business, so I got a job with a real estate company instead.
A year later, my father convinced me to join the business—I started by working with his real estate portfolio and then gradually transitioned into managing operations as well.
Years of experience and hands-on learning has brought me to where I am today, helping to run my family’s stores as an executive officer.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Real Estate
Marquette University
Real Estate
Marquette University
Bachelor
Finance, General
Marquette University
Finance, General
Marquette University
Career
Executive Officer
I'm a second-generation owner of my family's chain of supermarkets.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Food
Working with Others
Day to Day
My hands are in all of the departments of our businesses. That includes human resources, operations, finance, IT, and all day-to-day activities. I make sure to be as involved as possible so that I can lead the company forward.
Skills & Qualities Beyond School
Soft skills are very important as a leader and as someone who works with other people. Some soft skills I find especially important are active listening and communication. Leadership skills are also critical in my job. As a leader, I focus on being responsive rather than reactive. You also need humility and a great work ethic. It's great to have high ambitions but most people don't start at the top. If you're willing to start low and work hard, you'll be set up for success.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Connect with people and find mentors to learn from. I attribute a lot of my success to learning from mentors. If you're nervous about finding a mentor, it really just starts with asking a question. Just one question about a person's job or experience opens the door for more connection. A lot of people think that they should only speak to people in their own industry or people at senior career levels. I don't agree. You can learn something from anybody.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"The family business is not for me. I'm not interested."
