John Edwardson Talks about Work, Rejection, and Learning

by Ann Therese Palmer
The Chicago Tribune

[Former United Airlines CEO] John Edwardson, 54, is chairman and chief executive of Vernon Hills-based CDW Corp. When he was 12 years old, he read an article in the Standard Oil of New Jersey employee magazine that changed his life. “The article was `A Day In The Life of The Treasurer of Standard Oil of New Jersey,’” Edwardson remembers. “It was riveting–borrowing money in the capital markets, negotiating insurance coverage for drilling rigs and oil tankers, and managing revenues in multiple currencies. After reading that article, my objective was to work for a large company like that.”
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