Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Gregory Pasiuk and I am the COO of a relatively new company, Elemental Earthtech Inc. We’ve only been in existence for about three years and are in the business of rare earth elements.
Are you local to the El Dorado Hills area?
Yes, I have lived in this area for 40 years, but I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and lived there until 1981. I moved to the Sacramento area because I was recruited by Aerojet, which no longer exists.
How did you get started in your field?
Have you ever heard the saying, “Life is a journey”? Well, I think most careers are a journey. There are some people who get a job right out of college and never switch industries, but not me. My first job was for a mining company, called Nitra Nobel. I eventually left and began working for a chemical company called International Minerals and Chemical Corporation. After that, is when I started at AeroJet. I decided at that point in time, I really needed to be away from the big corporate structure business model and try to venture out on my own to create my own business.
I decided to work down in Silicon Valley for a while working with a variety of companies until landing on a company that was in the desalination systems industry. It was through that business relationship I was introduced to several of my current business partners. With that group, we formed Elemental Earthtech Inc.
I always wanted to do something on my own, with my own vision, and with a team of people that brought me comfort. I was lucky that this crazy journey introduced me to a lot of trusted people who I kept in touch with.
When the time was right to put together this new business, I was able to reach out to these people I had developed relationships with to have them not only join the company but become founders.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Sitting in a cafe in Paris not having a single worry. I say that because Paris is one of my favorite places and I spend a lot of time there. It is however hard for me to see that happening because I cannot imagine myself not being actively engaged in work.
What advice do you have for others that are interested in your field of work?
It is easy to tell someone that they should just follow their dream but that isn’t always possible or practical. I think that the best thing people can do is to get as well-rounded a background as they possibly can. For instance, if you’re studying physics, get a business degree as well, or if you’re studying business, get a physics degree. Have multiple skill sets that you can bring to a company or that you can use to start your own business.
What is something unique about yourself that most people don’t know?
I’m not from this galaxy. <laughs>
Why did you choose Business Workspaces? How has working here helped you and your business?
Since I moved here in 1982, I’ve always strived to be able to have a high-quality environment to work in and this operation here at Business Workspaces really provides that. It’s a place where you can bring people and feel proud of your work environment. It is also very nicely run so it has become sort of a no-brainer. We looked at just renting, an office space in a conventional sense, and decided that this situation here, at Business Workspaces, provided a sort of an all-inclusive package for my business.
What are some daily habits that you do to be more successful?
I get up in the morning. <laughs> I like working, I always have. A lot of my friends say, “you’re just always working Greg, you’re on the phone, Saturdays, you’re on the phone Sundays”. It’s what I like doing and so I guess that translates into a certain degree of success. For me, that is my normal and what has created a successful life for myself.
Where is your favorite place to vacation and why?
I want to vacation anywhere I can carry a gun and hunt for something that I can eat. That’s my idea of a great vacation. If I’m not out in the field, I want to be sitting at a café in Paris watching the world go by.
