The American Dream: From Italy to Supplying Top Luxury Brands: Prada, Ferragamo & More with Antonietta Andreottola Parisi
When I graduated from Boston College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree and went on to Northeastern University to obtain my Master’s Degree in Political Science, I was 25 years old and convinced I would become a business lawyer. However, as fate would have it, my father needed someone reliable, who he could trust to run the everyday managerial operations of his company and to oversee employees.
The company, Boston Hides & Furs, Ltd was opened in 1982 by my father, Gerardo Andreottola, an immigrant from the town of Avellino, Italy. It was during his upbringing in Italy that he was taught, from his father, how to trade raw hide skins to tanneries that manufacture leather. He took his skills and knowledge to the United States and used this knowledge to build a flourishing business.
“He spoke “broken” English but when it came time to meet with financiers and banking personnel, including vendors and customers, he made sure he made himself understood.”
While my father worked as a butcher in East Boston, MA he noticed the slaughter houses that sold the meat to the butcher shops were throwing away the hide skins. He was amazed that they were not collecting them and selling them to tanneries. He then started collecting the hide skins and soon he was selling containers of hides to Italy, the world’s biggest fashion capital of the leather industry.
My father had only studied up to 3rd grade and did not know how to read or write English. He spoke “broken” English but when it came time to meet with financiers and banking personnel, including vendors and customers, he made sure he made himself understood.
He had drive, ambition, fortitude and will. He worked night and day and never gave up. He achieved the American dream. He came to Boston, MA with $50 in his pocket and built an empire reaching sales of millions of dollars.
Of course, these tremendous achievements came from many years of sacrifice and having my two brothers and myself by my father’s side to help with sales, the general growth of the business, management, and its expansions. With our combined efforts we were able to open subsidiaries in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, Canada, as well as the Dominican Republic.
As the head of Management, I have many responsibilities and tasks; from hiring staff to training new employees, monitoring expenses and budgets and setting an outlook for future periods, to name a few. The company grew under my leadership and my brothers’ through finding new vendors in Canada and the midwest through social media connections and word of mouth. We also found many new clients in India, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, and Lebanon, to name a few.
“With this, my family and I created a worldwide organization that relies on us for their supply of leather goods.”
Being organized, meticulous and efficient has helped me accomplish my goals to the fullest. I have the drive and determination to resolve conflicts efficiently and create new ways to navigate unforeseen problems. With this, my family and I created a worldwide organization that relies on us for their supply of leather goods.
Through the years we sold to tanneries that used some of our raw hides for luxury names such as Chanel, Prada, Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton. Tanneries such as Nuti Ivo, located in Pisa Italy, manufactured some products for Louis Vuitton - Conceria Montebello SPA used our products for Chanel and Mastrotto Tannery in Vicenza Italy manufactured products for Prada.
I am very proud of my achievements as COO and my drive to see the company flourish under my supervision.
Bio: Antonietta Andreottola Parisi is a resident of Lynnfield, MA and has been a COO of her family company, Boston Hides & Furs, Ltd since she was 25 years old. She graduated from Boston College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree and got her masters degree in political science from Northeastern University. Her first language is Italian and she grew up spending her summer months in Avellino, Italy with her relatives. Her husband is from Serino, Italy and his family still lives there. Antonietta speaks fluent italian travels to Italy every year to visit family.