Roberto “Peto” Carrion
Roberto is a 1985 graduate of Admiral King High School. He was a recipient of the Lorain Journal’s Scholastic Recognition Award and the Anthony V. Thomas Foundation Award and a member of the National Honor Society. Beyond scholastics, he was a two-way starter on the varsity football team which ranked #4 in the state. The team was co-champions of the Buckeye Conference, reached the state playoffs, and was inducted into Lorain’s Sports Hall of Fame. Roberto received the Buckeye Conference Scholar Athlete Award and the Gary Krause Scholar Athlete Award.
The youngest of 10 children, Roberto was raised in a loving family with modest means. Despite limited funds, he pursued university with the same vigor he demonstrated at Admiral King. He applied for scholarships and worked 7 days a week to pay for tuition. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He was named to the Dean’s High Honors list, played for Case’s football team as a first-string defensive back and punt returner, and was awarded an engineering internship with Parker Hannifin Corporation. As an intern, he worked in the design of hydraulic systems for the military’s V-22 Osprey aircraft. He went on to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago School of Business.
Roberto began his career at Ohio Bell, a subsidiary of the former Ameritech. He was the top ranked recruit of over 10,000 graduates who applied for 10 positions. At Ohio Bell, he oversaw network upgrades to ensure reliable telephone and data services for the Cleveland metropolitan region. He was promoted to Ameritech corporate headquarters in Chicago, where he held positions in marketing, operations, and capital budgeting. There, he received Ameritech’s highest leadership award for 4 consecutive years and earned a patent asco-inventor of an advanced telecommunications service.
Roberto later joined Alcatel and then CommScope where he sold optical transmission products to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Comcast, Bell Canada, and others. He received the President’s Club Award for ranking in the top 1% of all sellers and completed his career as Director of Sales. During this tenure, he delivered annual revenue exceeding $130M and designed technology that today provides essential and critical communica-tions services for millions of citizens throughout the United States and Canada.
For decades, Roberto forged genuine relationships with his clients. From frontline construction crews to seasoned corporate executives, he treated all clients with utmost respect and care. He and his clients became allies for each other in their business, and, in many cases, they became close friends and family. A Verizon executive once said “We trust Roberto because he cares for our business as if it were his own.” This quote sums up Roberto’s career and his heart.
Roberto has mentored young men in the Big Brothers of America program and passionately supports nonprofit organizations who rescue homeless animals. He’s served as a church elder and led mission trips to the Philippines to provide much needed medical services for the impoverished. He was privileged when Admiral King invited him to be a keynote speaker at a large motivational event for Lorain City Schools. Above all, Roberto is most proud of the life he has built with his beautiful wife Debra, whose love and partnership remain his greatest honor and blessing.