Page 42 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2015

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY head start
full of ourselves.”
Chinn took over at the Chevron Pascagoula
Refinery in 2014, the same year Brian Cuccias was named corporate vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.
Cuccias’ parents encouraged him to make
the right decisions and would celebrate his successes.
“They were clear that my future was based on my choices and decisions — the ownership and accountability was very clear,” Cuccias said.
Cuccias has found making decisions is not
a passive activity. “Anyone can make the right decisions when everything is easy and the path is clear, but I also believe great leaders make the right decisions when things are hard, even when no one is looking. The decision to have a good attitude, to excel when circumstances are hard, and to not allow yourself to become a victim all lead to better outcomes,” he said.
He credits his wife and family for helping him shape his career. The same attribute comes from Jeffrey Buck, owner of Apex Party and Event
Rentals in Gulfport.
“I wouldn’t have the business I have today if
it wasn’t for my wife, Rita,” Buck said. They started out working at the same linen provider business before venturing out on their own.
Buck said when he started his own business, he sought counsel from an older man who was like an uncle. It was in the early 1990s when he was stonewashing jeans and providing a linen service.
“I had had a harrowing week. He said ‘Jeff, you are looking off.’ I said I was worn out and making no money,” Buck said. “He said, ‘Jeff, you can go broke resting. Look at your profit structure and if you can’t make money in it, put it down.’”
Buck and his wife re-examined the prices they were charging and made increases. “You either find a way to do it cheaper or the market for it. Surprisingly, the market bore our increases,” he said.
Buck has not only developed a niche in the linen market, he is doing what he loves best. “I was born to do linen. I’m good at it and love it,”
Perseverance, hard work, humility
— these are the characteristics that
I believe have been essential to my success as a leader. It’s about making yourself available to challenge and change. It’s about excellence, not
mediocrity. Excellence opens doors.
Bruce Chinn, general manager
at the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery
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