As vice president of the management consultant firm The Hill Group, Inc., Jordan Pallitto has helped nearly 100 clients—from national Fortune 500 companies to regional nonprofits—improve their performance and service delivery. Get to know Jordan Pallitto—and the very cool borough of Carnegie—as he assists area nonprofits and charities, helps plan the Whiskey of America Museum and seeks out the best onion rings in all of Pennsylvania.
Monday, September 19
Every Monday I’m up at 7:30 a.m. for a workout at Umberger Performance, just a short drive from Main Street Carnegie, where I live. Doctor’s orders got me there, and the encouraging atmosphere keeps me coming back.
Monday morning staff meetings are a ritual at The Hill Group. Our whole team convenes around a giant table where we discuss and prioritize work for the week. The always-exciting aspect of being a management consultant is the diverse array of clients, industries and projects occurring at any given time. Right now we’re working on a process improvement project with a major university in Colorado.
On this particular Monday, I get to spend most of my day in the office, which is a rare treat. Carnegie has a variety of first-class lunch options including Carnegie Coffee Company, Café Delhi, One Thirty One East, and the classic Papa J’s, to name a few.
By 5 p.m., I’m out the door to co-teach a course at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon along with our CEO, Chris Brussalis. It is a course on the art and science of management consulting for about 65 graduate students.
Tuesday, September 20
Tuesday starts off with a board meeting in McKeesport for The Consortium for Public Education. I’m honored to serve as board chair for this organization that strives to ensure all kids graduate from high school prepared for the future.
I’ll convene with our project team at The Hill Group after lunch for a client check-in meeting. We are helping a domestic violence organization near Philadelphia, to develop curriculum to ingrain healthy relationships lessons in middle school students.
Late afternoon includes a conference call with the founder and CEO of CubaOne Foundation, a Miami-based organization that I provided start-up advice to last year. CubaOne received some major press recently for connecting first-generation Cuban-Americans with their history and heritage through trips to Cuba. We’ll be hosting a fundraiser in Pittsburgh in October. Stay tuned.
Tuesday night: back for another round of teaching at CMU, followed by a late dinner.
Wednesday, September 21
Rise, shine, and head back to Umberger Performance. A quick breakfast will precede a project meeting at the office, where we will prepare for an afternoon of strategy development with a significant corporate client. Our team will spend the next six months helping their executives to grow company revenue, and today we’ll facilitate a session designed to envision that future.
Later I have a call with the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) about the accreditation of a nonprofit organization for the Standards for Excellence program. I’ve served on the PANO board for three years and on the Standards program committee. This is a program I believe in wholeheartedly because it can help an agency be as ethical, effective and efficient as possible.
Wednesday is a great night to visit Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh for dinner. Can’t go wrong with the Lobster Spaghetti, if Chefs Josiah and Steve decide to feature it. Wednesday night is often reserved for cigars with friends at Leaf and Bean (the coolest place in the Strip) or Cioppino.
Thursday, September 22
This Thursday starts around 6 a.m. with a granola-bar-breakfast drive to Johnstown to spend the day with a foundation client where our team will unveil weeks of market research to help the client better understand its operating environment. I discovered the finest onion ring in the land on a recent trip to the area, at a joint called Gallina’s Pizza, so I’ll cross my fingers that there is time to visit for lunch.
Back to Pittsburgh around 6 p.m. to prep for a meeting I have next week with the Visionaries of Westmoreland County, a young professional philanthropy group that a few friends and I started about five years ago. Each year, we gather a group of young professionals, raise money, and then throw a party where votes are cast to award funds to local charities.
I’ll have dinner at home tonight for the first time this week. One of my favorite things to cook is fresh fish from Wholey’s.
Friday, September 23
My brother, Adam, turns 34 today, and the whole Pallitto clan will gather tonight in my hometown of Jeannette to celebrate. Before that, however, it is a visit to the trainer, a day of work in the office, a lunch at 131 (they have the best fried oysters), and then more client work.
Saturday, September 24
My Saturday regimen starts and ends in the Strip District. Coffee, and maybe a cigar, at Leaf and Bean, shopping and eating at all the great spots like Gaucho and Thin Man Sandwich Shop, and spending time with good friends.
I also spend a good bit of time at Wigle Whiskey and even give tours there about whiskey production and the history of the Whiskey Rebellion. This Saturday might include some business, as well, for the Whiskey of America Museum that I advise along with a bunch of whiskey brainiacs from around the country. Lots of planning is happening right now to get the museum up and running in the near future.
Sunday, September 25
Sundays are relaxing. I’ll get to have a real breakfast at home, and then I head east to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner with the family. Mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and two nephews do this at least three times per month. Of all the exciting things in my week, this is my favorite.
