Jeff Mango: Verizon exec rose from kiosk.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: Executive Edge - Verizon Wireless Inc. - Biography

Jeff Mango began his Verizon Wireless career in 1995 at a kiosk tucked in the Mammoth Mall in New Jersey--hardly a spot to provide a clue to the future career of the young salesman.

But as Mango touted Verizon's wares with conviction, he also vowed to himself that he'd become a company president within a decade.

The 1993 graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., would listen to business books on tape during the 35-minute commute to his sales job, hauling a cumbersome cell phone and support equipment around in a bag long before wireless was part of the American vocabulary.

"I was hooked on this new industry--always liked the technology of it all, and the ability it provided for people to communicate," said Mango, who recalls paying $700 for his first hand-held phone. "I'm motivated by change and challenge, so when positions in the company would open up, including some that were not popular, I would move."

His career took him and his wife, Kathy, from Georgia, Alabama and Philadelphia to Verizon Wireless' New York region, where he was executive director of retail sales and operations. He also served as lead executive for the Verizon New York City Crisis Management Team that oversaw wireless operations for the 2004 Republican National Convention.

"Verizon expanded at the same time I was growing with the business," said Mango. "I listened to my mentors, listened to customers, listened to employees. It was not about selling a product but selling customer service."

Last Oct. 8, on his 33rd birthday, Mango would get the call he was waiting for since his stint in New Jersey--on his cell phone, of course.

He was tapped to become president of Verizon Wireless' new mountain region, overseeing operations...