Susan Gravely epitomizes the spirit of entrepreneurship. She is an adventurer, a risk taker and an inventor. She is willing to follow her instincts and go on a hunch. She is also a master networker and is shrewd enough to seek out and incorporate into her plans the advice of others. Business Leader is proud to name Susan, CEO of Veitri, Inc. our 2003 Entrebizneur of the Year.

Consider it happenstance. Consider it fate. Either way, it was a holiday along the Amalfi coast of Italy that turned up a rare business adventure for two sisters. During dinner at the San Pietro Hotel in Positano, the young twenty-something pair had an "A-HA" moment. The colorful, hand-painted dinnerware that adorned their table was unlike anything they had ever before seen. They were wowed by the creative use of different patterns. Suddenly, the conversation shifted from rants and raves about the dinnerware to intrigue with where to buy it. On a whim, they planned to buy a supply of plates and resell them back home in North Carolina. 

That was 20 years ago. Since that trip in 1983, Susan and Frances Gravely have blossomed their idea into reality. Their creation, Vietri, Inc., is headquartered in Hillsborough, North Carolina and boasts domestic revenues of between $10 -$20 million as the largest wholesale importer of handcrafted Italian products. "I think we just represented the casual lifestyle at the right time with the right product," says Susan, CEO of Vietri, Inc. "Casual, but sophisticated."

Ties That Bind

Their fascination with dinnerware began in early childhood. As young girls, Susan and Frances were responsible for helping set the table for frequent dinner parties hosted by their father, a career tobacco businessman, who frequently entertained foreign guests. "We were always lucky enough to have these people come, " Susan recalls. "So, dinnerware was something we all gave a lot of warmth to; it's about family and color and entertaining and being together."

"Travel, meeting people and learning about people was always something we did and loved as a family," says Susan. For that reason, it was only natural that "Momma" Lee Gravely asked her two daughters to join her on a trip to Italy, one that she had long hoped to take with her husband. Instead, the trip turned out to be a way to toast his memory and explore new beginnings.

Traveling and meeting new people is a thread that spans Susan's lifetime. Finding a way to identify with somebody else's story is what exemplifies Susan according to her friends, family and peers. They are simply amazed by her enthusiasm and instinct for making connections. 

"I've never met anyone who understands people better than Susan," says fellow Vietri board member and longtime family friend Raymond Jones. "She has a personality that won't quit. Susan always stood out in her peer group, even as the young gal I first met working at the yacht club in Nantucket. From that day forward, I've seen her as an outstanding person. She's a natural. She just needed an opportunity and she found it on the Amalfi coast. "

Full Circle

Believing that the full circle of how people's lives connect is centered around dining, Susan naturally fell in love with Italian culture. "There is such a feeling in Italians of living in the moment and loving what they do," insists Susan. "That is what gets me excited." 

Susan still wonders how all the pieces fell into place for Vietri. By any account, it should have flopped. Neither sister had any formal business training. Nothing about them was Italian. There was never a long-term plan. They simply had a hunch. "From day one, there was this fear that it was not going to work," Susan admits. "But, someone told me that the day you stop being a little afraid - is the day it all falls apart."

The quest to find a market for the dinnerware they discovered in Italy turned out to defy start-up business statistics. Today, Vietri is a nationally recognized brand name in the tabletop industry, with permanent showrooms in New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles and High Point. All in all, the company has grown to 75,000 square-feet of office and warehouse space with 50 employees, 100 sales representatives and 2,000 specialty retail accounts. Vietri product is available in all 50 states and through sales channels in England, Mexico, South America and Asia. Over 1,700 various Italian products, from 40 different factories, are offered across 11 business segments. Although dinnerware still accounts for 50% of its sales, Vietri has long since expanded to include complementary accessory lines such as: flatware, drinkware, kitchenware, linens, home décor, and more. 

The first joint executive decision was to locate near Chapel Hill, where Frances had already established roots with a family of her own. Susan, single and living in New York City between careers, accepted the responsibility for moving and taking the lead in making this venture come to fruition. She began by drawing upon her knack for asking all the right people all the right questions, making it a point to be prepared and mindful of other people's time. 

"Susan recognizes her weaknesses," observes Doug Vaughn, president of Vietri. "She is not afraid to ask questions of others and is always open to advice. That takes a lot of character." "My sister and I played on each other," Susan remembers. "I carried spiral notebooks everywhere I went and religiously took notes, especially when hearing about something I didn't know. I had a friend sit down and explain assets and liabilities to me. Someone else introduced me to a company that imported and they explained customs to me. It was that elementary." 

A-Ha

The first phone call for assistance was to a complete stranger, Fabio Puccinelli, a friendly passenger they had met on the flight to Italy, who extended the women an invitation to visit him in Florence. "When momma's pocketbook was stolen during the trip, we called him," Susan recounts. "He came and got us, lent us money and helped us get new passports. We even showed him the 10 plates we had bought at the factory in Vietri-sul-Mare. With that, he drove us up into the hills to his dearest friend's home who, coincidently, worked as a buyer for Macy's Corporation. She agreed the plates were beautiful, but warned us that Solmiere was the most difficult manufacturer in Italy. Needless to say, we still work with Solmiere today."

The first survey of the potential market was conducted during a road trip to Sea Island, Georgia on the way to a wedding. Momma and Susan stopped in every city along the way, sought out its best gift store and paid it a visit with a basket of sample plates in tow. "The stores loved it," Susan reveals. "They didn't have anything like it. We demonstrated with photographs from the hotel [in Italy] how the patterns were used on the table. " 

"In 1983, there was a lot of fine china, but the only casual dinnerware was stoneware," Susan explains. "There were very few hand-painted products and mixing and matching patterns was a totally new idea. We initiated the whole mix and match trend in tabletop." 

Energized by the store's positive reaction to the Italian dinnerware, both Susan and Frances began a self-directed inquiry of how much money it would take to place their first order. After all, the factory owner had agreed to offer a discount of 26% on the purchase of a container load. Of course, it took a few phone calls to learn exactly what a "container load" was. 

"We calculated prices and realized that we needed a banking relationship," says Susan. "I didn't know anything about business from the financial end." Soon enough, they met a lady banker who was enthralled with the idea and willing to help write a business plan. Ironically enough, Susan and Frances had each been gifted $2,000 just months before in their father's will. "A handwritten note at the beginning read, 'Go out and have a great time on me,'" Susan divulges. "So, Frances and I decided that we were going to invest our money in this [Vietri] and have a great time doing it."

"Momma" invested the remainder of a $20,000 investment needed and the bank backed it with another $35,000 line of credit. Three months later, the sisters were booked on a return flight to Italy with the intent to purchase a container load of product. By the way, that is 12,000 pieces.

They tried desperately to reach Fabio - in hopes he would serve as their translator - but he could not be found. "Finally, days before we were to depart, he just happened to call us wondering if we were going to go through with this," laughs Susan. "He was off fishing in Greece."

Ultimately, Fabio did greet and accompany the Gravely sisters to the factory- only to learn that the owner didn't recall agreeing to any discount. "We spent the entire weekend in a dive hotel recalculating numbers," grumbles Susan. "I still have the framed piece of paper with the final discounted price written by the owner. We all signed it in September of 1983." 

Taking Root

The next series of phone calls were spent attempting to find a way to sell 12,000 pieces of dinnerware. With a little investigation, Susan was tipped off to gift shows as a way to connect with specialty buyers. "I called up a man running a gift show in New York and he was completely booked," Susan recalls. "I went up with my plates anyway, and begged. He agreed to let me have the space next to the registration desk for $300 if I would make it look fabulous." 

"We borrowed a hutch and a table and put out 30 plates with wine bottles and French bread," Susan describes. "We had a waiter from the restaurant come over and speak Italian to people. Low and behold, Nieman Marcus walks up and writes a $12,000 order! I was like, 'Are you sure?'"

They were sure. So was a steady stream of other specialty gift and gourmet retailers, such as Chapel Hill's A Southern Season, and DISH, located in Sacramento, California. The presentation and product displays vary store to store, but the customers are typically brides or well-traveled women with discretionary income. 

"As a wholesale distributor, 85% of our customers are high-end mom and pop retail stores that understand the glamour and romance of our product," reports Vaughn. "We aren't necessarily looking to grow the number of stores we have, but rather help our stores grow. We help create awareness with the end consumer by advertising in wedding and gourmet publications."

Frances, who serves as vice president of Communications, was the driving force that first introduced Vietri to the public by gaining it attention and recognition within the industry. John Nyquist, owner of Sacramento's upscale tabletop shop DISH, is among Vietri's top accounts purchasing in excess of $100,000 annually. "I first ran across Vietri at the San Francisco International Gift Fair 16 years ago and fell in love with both the product and Susan and Frances," John admits.

John is equally fond of the fact that DISH is given incentives by Vietri to participate in national advertising based upon its volume. Because of the sales volume, DISH is provided preferential treatment for quick turnaround on merchandise orders - typically two days. 

"Vietri is fabulous," John suggests. "Vietri's customer service is really excellent as is their sales support. They make selling their product easy. Not many vendors do that." John adds, "Plus, when you deal with Vietri, it is exclusive to Vietri. You don't find their product everywhere." 

Rejuvenating

Indeed, Vietri owns the copyright on most all its products and Susan has been the chief collaborator on product design with the Italian artisans since the formative years. "The product development cycle itself can take six months to a year," Vaughn stresses. " We have to work within the capabilities of each factory bearing in mind they are handcrafting."

Inventory control is but one of the business issues that Vaughn now presides over since joining the company five years ago. He was brought on board to relieve Susan from overload. As CEO, she was working 80 hours a week trying to wear all the hats. "When I met Doug, we were growing by 26 - 30 percent each year," Susan tells. "Two of my career managers had recently retired and I had finally gotten married at age 44." Since then, Vaughn, an experienced corporate suit with a forte for international business has taken over day-to-day operations. Susan's time is spent on strategic thinking and product development.

"I'm constantly assessing the industry and considering how we can do things better," 
Vaughn says of his role. "Continued, quality growth is the main concern. I'm always on the lookout for growth opportunities and other niche/complementary businesses. Currently, we are identifying new sales channels overseas and the possibilities of acquiring complementary brands."

Sharing The Wealth

Over the years, Susan has grown keen on business. She found out how to tackle issues like trade policies and language barriers. She now speaks fluent Italian. In order to make sure that she was looking the right way, Susan formed a board of advisors during the first year of business. "We didn't have daddy," Susan shares. "I needed to be accountable to somebody. We started with a group that was mostly family friends of my father's who had diverse business backgrounds." 

"I never me anyone with more on the ball than this lady," Jones, one of the original board members, says. "Generally, Susan was right 99% of the time. We offered her a sounding board for ideas and experienced input on business decisions. As a family run company, we also could help her get over emotional confrontations." 

While Susan attributes her success to the generosity of others, she also believes in 'paying it forward.' "One of the best examples of Susan's passion may be the 20th anniversary celebration when she took the entire board of directors on a trip to the original spot in Italy where Vietri was founded," Vaughn explains. "As a way to recognize our Italian vendors, she invited everyone to a dinner in Tuscany and 300 people accepted. No one had ever done that for these vendors."

"It was an outstanding evening," Jones agrees. "Susan has become a mainstay for these people [Italian artisans] by bringing them significant business over the years. To watch their admiration for her and their applause for her was extraordinary." 

Storeowners also bear witness to Susan's generosity. John Nyquist tells of a time when he attended a gift show and expressed to Susan his interest in becoming an importer. "She invited me along with her to a gift show in Milan and offered introductions to her suppliers," he describes. "That's the kind of generosity that you just don't get; but, I found a product and was able to import it through Vietri without setting up my own import business. That's unheard of." 

Worthwhile Adventure

"The hardest times have been evolving from a family business to a corporation," Susan confesses. "But the greatest joy has also been that success. A family business is not easy, but the highs, confidence and trust far outweigh the difficulties of personality styles. I'm most proud of the fact that Frances and I are still partners and Vietri is still alive. Having momma involved in the company helped to realign us when we were tired and frustrated." "All of that equals passion," Susan summarizes. "Passion for the romance of dining and a loving home."