Former UPS CFO Delivers on Promise to Give Back

Richard Peretz is an articulate, strategic visionary whose business philosophy — “every number tells a story” — sums him up best.

As chief financial officer of UPS, Peretz was responsible for overseeing the company’s accounting, finance, financial planning, auditing, taxes and more. He was a member of the executive leadership team that set the strategy for UPS worldwide operations, consisting of over 500,000 employees in over 220 countries.

Peretz has spent that last 29 years in Atlanta, earning an MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and serving on the board of the Jewish Education Loan Fund (JELF), the Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross, Temple Kol Emeth and the Boy Scouts of America’s Georgia chapter.

“In 1992, when UPS relocated to Atlanta, my wife, Ilana, and I moved to East Cobb,” Peretz recalled. “We left from 1995 to 1997 for another move and returned in 1997 and have been here ever since. Since our children, Erica and Josh, were born and through our membership at the JCC, we created our wonderful extended Atlanta family. We feel very fortunate to be part of the Atlanta Jewish community!”

Peretz grew up in San Antonio, Texas, one of seven siblings in a Conservative Jewish family. The Air Force originally brought his parents to the state.

“San Antonio was a wonderful open Jewish community to grow up in and my formative years and lifelong friends revolved around the Jewish community,” he told the AJT. “With just over 10,000 residents, almost everyone knew everyone. My father was on the board of our synagogue, Agudas Achim, where I attended Hebrew school, had my bar mitzvah. I was heavily involved in BBYO, Herzl AZA, Texoma Region and District 7.”

His involvement in the San Antonio community opened his eyes to the power of tzedakah.

“My years in leadership in BBYO and conventions were the foundation of both my professional and Jewish outlook as an adult,” Peretz says. “It started with leadership positions and responsibility to others, social action and tzedakah, as well as the importance of communicating ideas and direction. Most importantly, I saw the Hebrew Free Loan, Jewish family services and Jewish federation use their resources for others, including my parents, as they came upon some major health challenges which rendered my father disabled. These services and the benefits my family received are part of the reason I support JELF and the Greater Atlanta Jewish Federation today.”

Peretz first began working at UPS in 1981, not as an executive but as a college freshman earning an hourly wage. During his tenure, UPS went from success to success, completing over $3 billion in acquisitions around the world. Peretz had a front-row seat to all of it, being part of the team that led the company’s IPO in 1999 and participating in the financial negotiations on the U.S. labor contract in 2002.

For the next chapter of his life, Peretz wants to focus on public boards and private equity work, including startups, plus taking more time for his family, travel, hobbies and giving back to the community.

“Every number tells a story, and every dollar impacts a life,” Peretz added. “As I delve deeper into my efforts to give back to both the Jewish and the greater community, my hope is that my efforts will contribute to positive change in the lives of many.”

Four Consumer Tips from Richard Peretz:

1) Plan ahead. The workdays between Thanksgiving and Dec. 25th affect delivery. Some years it’s 18 and others as much as 22 workdays that impact industry capacity.
2) Buy early and shop sales. Given the acceleration of online buying and home delivery, retailers, both online and physical, have expanded sales start dates to early November. Plan ahead and catch the deals.
3) Ship early. Demand for shipping outpaces all the carrier available capacity. UPS estimated an additional 5 million packages per day in excess demand for peak 2021. Carriers add transit times for deliveries, which can take up to 10 days to cross the country. To guarantee delivery before the first day of Chanukah, ship early and know the holiday schedule for your carrier.
4) Check alternatives. For big, bulky items look for options outside UPS and Fedex — avoid surcharges, which can be extremely high during peak season.