Al Tassinari

Class of 2003

Al was born March 6, 1933, in Arlington, MA. He graduated from Boston College with a bachelor of science in business administration and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a member of the 7th infantry division’s postal service.

In 1958, he married Carol, and their five children are Lisa, David, Michael, Kevin and Scott. The same year, Al joined National Biscuit Co.’s biscuit division as an assistant sales manager.

The candy division of Nabisco hired Al in 1964 as assistant brand manager, and in 1973 he left to join Fine Products Co. as vice-president of sales. After more than 20 years at Fine, he moved on to American Licorice Co., where he was a regional sales manager until his retirement in 1999.

One of the saddest moments in Al’s career was the day Fine Products was sold. It happened to be the same day Jack Hennessy, the company’s president, passed away. Al cites Jack as the person with the biggest influence on his career, chiefly through his intelligence and “great sense of humor.”

Reflecting on his 35 years in the business, Al fondly recalls his many sales calls on Walgreens with buyer Dwight Iverson. He notes that changes in the industry haven’t always been for the best, as computers and email have slowly eliminated the “personal touch.”

Al advises those entering the business to “be conscientious in your daily work and be considerate of your fellow workers.”,

In his retirement, Al enjoys reading non-fiction, swimming and golfing at many championship courses.