James Vincenzo carved a successful career out of working with numbers, typically serving as the CFO of his various employers over the years.
Money is money – to a point, he notes, but always a concrete sort of thing.
That’s why his hobby seems so atypical. When Vincenzo’s not balancing the books, developing financial plans or handling assorted fiduciary reporting responsibilities, he might be jazzing the ivories. Money may indeed be money, but it’s also quite right brained compared to the more eclectic, creative nature of music.
In his off time, Vincenzo likes to think of himself as a music writer, collaborating with a friend in Washington, D.C. on pop songs with a show tune tilt. Aside from playing piano, Vincenzo also has played a Fender bass guitar.
He’s convinced all he needs is one song and his musical career will be on its way.
Of course, there’s more to Vincenzo that just songwriting. He’s had a longtime love of music and even serves as treasurer of the J.P. Opera Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit which awards prizes to fledgling opera singers.
While Vincenzo – the CFO/treasurer, senior vice president and board member for GPSEG -- works on getting his big break in music, he remains active in the workforce and capable of lending a hand to those businesses that need his experience.
Since 2008, Vincenzo has served as a partner at B2BCFO Partners, LLC, a firm that assists emerging and mid-market companies with revenues up to $75 million that are looking to increase cash, profitability, sales and company value. In other words, B2BCFO Partners provides CFO services for companies that otherwise can’t afford a permanent CFO.
In a way, it’s a culmination of a varied career and an opportunity to put his vast knowledge to use in a number of different settings.
Prior to joining B2BCFO Partners, Vincenzo was the CFO of Theatre Xtreme Entertainment Group, Inc. of Newark, Delaware. That public company sold and franchised home movie theaters.
But the longest stint with one company (1984-1998) for Vincenzo was with Claneil Enterprises, Inc. of Plymouth Meeting, a privately held company. Vincenzo served in oversight and management roles for Claneil subsidiaries. Those included a stint as CFO for USA Cinema (now Loews), a turn as vice president of prominent Vermont ski resort Sugarbush and several years as president of Wings Aviation Group of Blue Bell.
Vincenzo describes his time with Wings Aviation as the highlight of his career. There he was involved with both the Wings Field Airport and Wings Airways, then the largest regional commuter airline in the Delaware Valley, with flights into Philadelphia International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport; Unisys was the biggest customer, and Vincenzo worked with 16-18 pilots on a regular basis.
Other career stops have included time with The Travelers Cos. in Hartford, Conn.; Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J.; Remington Rand Corp. in Princeton; Purelyweb Corp. in Princeton; and Grimble & Co., Inc. in Wilmington.
In the course of his lengthy and varied career, Vincenzo, a graduate of both Villanova University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, met GPSEG founder Chris Pavlides. Realizing he hadn’t networked properly after leaving Claneil, Vincenzo rectified that by becoming one of GPSEG’s earliest members. It wasn’t long before he assumed the treasurer role he maintains today.
And Vincenzo remains firmly committed to believing in the power of networking: He landed a CFO position at Physiometrics, Inc. of Mount Laurel, N.J., through a direct referral from Pavlides to another GPSEG member. He worked at the healthcare services provider in 2005 until the company was sold.
Content with his station in life, Vincenzo – who lives in Lafayette Hill with his wife, Diana -- plans to keep on making sweet music – whether it’s the audio type or the kind that makes a business sing.