A Louisiana Legacy
After 33 years of planning the future for the St. Tammany Parish School District, Frank Gennusa finally gets to plan his own.
FRANK GENNUSA doesn't fly. If he can't get somewhere on foot, by car, by boat or by train, he's not going. But that doesn't mean he hasn't traveled. Like many roads, though, his eventually led back home, to Covington, La.
Thirty-one miles north of the Big Easy, across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, and swaddled in acres of cypress, magnolia and moss-draped oak, Covington is a close-knit bedroom community that serves as the parish seat for St. Tammany, the fastest growing school district in the state.
For the past 33 years, Gennusa has managed the in-plant for St. Tammany Parish school district. He has watched it grow considerably during that time. But his decision to stay more than three decades has nothing to do with his refusal to fly.
According to Gennusa, the real reason he's stayed with the school district so long is simply because he likes the people and the way they treat him.
"I guess first and foremost is the support I've had from my family and my rapport with the administration and our business affairs people," says Gennusa with a contented sigh. "Having the right rapport with upper management is the key to any in-plant's success. You know, for them to believe in you and believe in what you're doing."
In The Beginning
Ironically, Gennusa didn't always know what he was doing. After graduating from Covington High School in 1961, Gennusa enrolled in Southeastern Louisiana State University on a football scholarship and helped the team win three conference titles between 1961 and 1965.
Despite earning a degree in Physical Education, because he says he wanted to "stay in the sporting field," Gennusa eventually ended up rambling down to Ft. Worth, Texas, to pursue a career in insurance sales.
After two and a half years, Gennusa decided to head home and try something new. Little did he know, his next job would be his last.
"I just fell into this business," remarks Gennusa, wryly. "I always had an interest in graphic arts, so when they brought some equipment in and the shop started in 1967 they wanted to know if I wanted to manage the department, and I said, 'Well, I'll be managing myself, I guess.' "
Armed with nothing more than a Multilith 1250 duplicator, a photo processor, composing equipment and some light bindery gear, Gennusa went to work.
To bolster the burgeoning operation, Gennusa often let the annual budget do the talking. Instead of hiding under a light table when it came time to produce the shop's annual budget, nearly every year he tried to add a new piece of equipment or a new employee. To justify these expenditures, Gennusa says he always tried to include data to show that the shop's volume had grown or what needed to be done to keep pace with technology.
"I laid out a plan early on where I wanted to be in five years, 10 years and on down," explains Gennusa. "And every time I'd submit my budget, I'd have something in there that would let them know what we've accomplished."
Moving On
Over the years, as the school district continued to grow at a feverish pace, Gennusa built on his rapport with the school administration and worked to chart a path through the district's ever-increasing demands. Today, six employees print for 54 schools and seven offices for a total of 27 million impressions a year. Despite all his hard work, Gennusa just chalks it up to progress.
"It's just been a steady progression," explains Gennusa. "Every time our system grows, that's translated down to my department and having to do more."
Yet, for more than 30 years Gennusa's steady hand and placid demeanor have helped him handle that growth, fend off facilities management threats and prepare the shop for the future.
Gennusa plans to retire June 29, but looking back, he says next to spending time with his wife of 36 years and four grown children, taking on facilities management has been one of his favorite things to do.
"I think the best part of my job could be summed up by saying that I've enjoyed a relationship with IPMA over the past 12 to 14 years," he says. "During that time I've been afforded the opportunity to take facilities management head-on, and I've been able to do that through IPMA conferences." I
