| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 1, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Richard Belluzzo BORN Nov. 26, 1953 CHILDHOOD Son of a machinist in Santa Rosa, Calif., he began working odd jobs at age 11, from sweeping doctors' offices to picking prunes at nearby orchards. But he didn't excel at school. ''He wasn't a most-likely-to-succeed kind of guy,'' says a childhood friend. LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT After a high-school counselor told the pudgy Belluzzo that he wasn't college-grade material, he dropped 50 pounds, hit thebooks, and got an accounting degree from Golden Gate University in 1975. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Joined HP as an accountant in 1975 and quickly moved up the ranks, ultimately becoming the No. 2 executive. He is credited with spearheading HP's success in printers and PCs. WHY HE JOINED SGI ''I had to decide if I wanted to be a career guy or return a troubled company to glory,'' he says. WHAT HE HATES Ostentation, expense-account padding, and being called ''Rocket Rick,'' a nickname earned at HP for his meteoric rise. HOBBIES Running, scuba-diving, skiing--but rarely. ''He's definitely a workaholic,'' says his mother, Doris. HOME LIFE Separated from his wife of 23 years, who didn't want to relocate from Boise, Idaho, to Silicon Valley. Belluzzo keeps an apartment in Boise for weekend visits to his two teenage boys. ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE ''When you work this hard, it's hard to be close with anyone,'' he says. ''Clearly this lifestyle over multiple years takes a toll on a relationship.'' _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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