Gregory Perrine: Chief Executive Officer
A Little Back Story
From growing up eating at his grandma's restaurant, watching his dad and uncles organize demolition derbies, and seeing other relatives using their crafting passions as side hustles, the entrepreneurial spirit is in Greg's blood.
With a passion for the arts, Greg went to college for music knowing full well that he would be working at restaurants on the side to help pay for his liberal arts education. What he didn't know was that music theory would forever change the way he looked at the world and a fiction writing elective course would introduce him to one of the most impactful brainstorming exercises he has ever come across. When it was time for graduation, Greg knew that music was not the profession he wanted to pursue and started to explore other options related to the hospitality industry.
Flash forward five years later, Greg was able to work his way through the ranks and found himself as Director of Catering for a high-end off-premise caterer in Chicago. Here he learned what hospitality and customer service truly meant, and also some invaluable sales skills. After being recruited to a direct competitor, Greg saw just how many efficiencies could be created through the use of technology.
While contributing to the success of the small businesses Greg was working for, it was not filling the void he had to do something that would truly impact the world. In 2016 he decided to dedicate his life to helping others through technology and founded eGuide Tech Allies.
Gregory strives to never ask his team to do something he wouldn’t have the capability to do himself and always helps out where needed. This mentality is reflected in the core values of eGuide which you can often hear Greg talk about on a daily basis.
Q&A With Gregory
Q: What’s something many don’t know about you? A: I completed a full Ironman in 2014. Just over 13 hours comprised of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles through Madison, Wisconsin. It will be a day I never forget. Part of the inspiration for eGuide came from my Grandfather, who lived in Madison until he passed in December of 2015. So to be able to spend that few days before the race with my grandfather, and have that memory of him at the finish line makes it that much more special. I don’t know if I have it in me to do another one, but having the ultimate endurance race under my belt, makes any issues that face small businesses a breeze to endure and address.
Q: What is your go to karaoke song? A: It’s one of my favorite party tricks. Especially when I am with a group of people who don’t know I was a vocal major in college. I covertly slide up to the karaoke operator, request Michael Buble’s “Feelin’ Good” and act surprised as my name is called to sing. I take the stage looking nervous, and as the strings start the intro I look out to the crowd and see my group’s jaw’s drop as I start to belt out my best crooner rendition of the song. Of course, now that' I’m typing it here, it may ruin the surprise.
Q: What’s been the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome since starting eGuide?
A: Honestly, solidifying the team. I have a heighten respect for recruiters and HR professionals. Employee retention, especially as a small business owner is hard. We have a vetted, four-step, interview process at eGuide and still have a struggle finding the right fit at times. I am so grateful to have both Juan and Lauren on the team who can help in the vetting process. Ultimately we are driven by our core values, and knowing and practicing those on a daily basis makes it easy enough to identify when someone is not aligned, but unfortunately sometimes that isn’t realized until a few weeks or even months into their employment. Since we are so small everyone has to also has to help each other out and where you could potentially blend into the background of a larger company, everyone’s weight is felt for us. We continue to tweak how we approach hiring and on-boarding employees and hopefully it will get easier as time goes on. That said, having a team that gels and that I can trust as much as my own family is what is most important.
Q: What are you excited about this year? A: Growing our family! We just returned from Austin, Texas with our newborn daughter, Ariette, and our son, Campbell. We could not be more excited to officially say our family is complete! Even though this is the end of the adoption journey, it’s just the beginning of the rest of our lives, and we cannot wait to see where this journey will take us!
Q: Best eGuide memory so far? A: Three words: Guacamole and Mojitos. Being a virtual team it’s rare for us all to get together in person and connect. During the 2022 eGuide reTreat a team-building exercise that consisted of customizing guacamole and mojitos turned into infomercials that really let the eGuide personalities shine!
