Patrick Callaghan is president of Pepperidge Farm, Inc., based in Norwalk, CT. Pepperidge Farm is the nation’s largest manufacturer of premium baked goods including fresh bread, cookies and crackers.

Pat started his career in Boston working for Nabisco. At Pepperidge Farm, Pat has held the positions of general manager, SVP of Marketing, SVP of Strategy and Business Development. He was named president of Pepperidge Farm in January 2006.

Pat is an active leader in the bakery industry, serving on the Board of Directors of both the American Bakers Association and the Grain Foods Foundation. He is past chairman of both industry groups.

Pat earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Stonehill College and his Master’s of Business from Suffolk University. He is a first-generation Irish American with strong family roots in Ireland. His father was born in the village of Ballynona, Dungorney, County Cork, and his mother grew up in the village of Moycullen, at the foothills of Connemara County, Galway. He currently resides in Huntington, CT, with his wife Gretchen. They have two daughters.

During the Great Depression, sales of Mrs. Field’s cookies and other treats reportedly rose because while consumers couldn’t afford larger purchases, they could take comfort in small luxuries for themselves and their loved ones. Have you noticed the current recession affecting purchasing habits in any way?

Yes, and I think the financial people would call that the “lipstick effect,” where sales of lipstick go up in recessions because women trade down from larger indulgences like getting their nails done. That has happened over the last few recessions, and cookies are very similar to that. While people are eschewing major luxury items such as cars and other purchases for themselves, they are more than willing to treat themselves to a small indulgence like a Milano cookie. It’s an affordable treat that hopefully makes the hard times a little more palatable—no pun intended.

What is your favorite memory of visiting Ireland?

I have been there a few times to see my relatives. Half my dad’s family immigrated to this country so we still have a good number of first cousins over there. One of my best memories is of County Cork—we had a reunion at a hotel down on the water, so I had a chance to take my daughters to meet some of their second and third cousins. It was their chance to spend some time on the family farm, milk the cattle and get to know some of the cousins. That’s a great memory for me—we were around two hundred strong at the reunion, so it was a lot of fun to get to know another side of the family. I also like to play golf there, from Royal County Down to Ballybunion. It’s really the beauty of the country and the warmth of the people that make Ireland special in all my memories.

Is there anything in your Irish heritage or any particular Irish characteristics that helped you get to where you are?

I think mostly it’s the example of hard work that my parents instilled in all their children. There are probably three characteristics. I think the first characteristic is tenacity—to be able to push on and move forward after setbacks. The second is to treat people with respect and dignity, and the third is to have a sense of humor. That helps quite a bit.

Many of America’s greatest investors and innovators were immigrants. Where do you stand on America’s current immigration policies and attitudes?

I don’t know whether I really have a stance. I would say this is a country where my parents came over with no money. My father saved—the oldest came over first and got the next one over and then the two of them saved enough money to get the third one over. This is the kind of country where people just have a vision and the opportunity to succeed and I would hope this country continues to be able to provide that opportunity to all types of people.

What is the best career advice you were ever given?

It was probably from my dad—make sure you’re sharing your success with others and taking responsibility for your failures yourself

How do you balance your corporate responsibilities and your personal life?

It’s a challenge. I think it was Robert Frost who said, “What’s the difference between a job and a career? It’s the difference between forty and sixty hours a week.” One of the things we do is try to hire and promote the right people here and make the time to do the things that are important with your family. I try to be as productive as I can at work so I can spend time with my family.

How can American business reinvent itself so that we stay on the cutting edge and ensure that America remains a leader in the global economy?

I think we have to continue to focus on creativity, technology, service and productivity. I think particularly around creativity and technology we’re able to exploit opportunities. We’re not going to be a low-cost producer in many areas, so our biggest opportunity is in focusing on technology and creativity.

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