Paul Teti hadn’t planned to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a spectator much less as a competitor. But the latter is exactly where the vice president of Morristown-based Normandy Real Estate Partners found himself this past summer, after earning a spot on the US Men’s Four Rowing team (third from left in team photo) and placing a strong ninth at the Games.
While Beijing did not mark Teti’s first foray to the Olympic Games – he and his teammates placed ninth overall at the 2004 Athens Games and sixth in the lightweight four at the 2000 Sydney Games – it was a departure for the 31-year-old Princeton University graduate, who had since retired from competitive rowing to focus on building a career at Normandy.
Teti joined the firm in Sept. 2004, shortly after returning from Athens, and dedicated his efforts to help build the company, which at that time housed only half a dozen employees. He spent three years underwriting and closing acquisitions and financings as part of Normandy’s acquisition team prior to taking on VP duties. Though he was staying in shape and even rowing occasionally, going back to the Olympics, says Teti, “was the furthest thing from my mind.”
As it turned out the rowing bug was hard to shake, particularly with a track record that included 10 national rowing championship titles, three World Cup medals and a Pan American Games gold medal, Teti also picked up a bronze medal at the national team’s Men’s Open Weight Four. In addition to the string of titles, rowing is a family affair in the Teti household, with older brother Mike serving as head coach for the 2008 US men’s Olympic rowing team.
But what ultimately sealed the deal for Teti was 25-year-old Stanford graduate David Banks, who had been cut from the national team and was looking for a training partner with technical expertise.
“We started rowing together a few times a week in July 2007 and soon I found myself showing up every day,” says Teti. “At some point that fall, I talked to the folks at Normandy about training for Beijing and they were 100% behind the idea.
Shortly thereafter, veteran coach Ted Nash signed on to work with the rowers. As Teti and Banks posted increasingly fast times, Nash sent progress reports to the other national team coaches and secured both men an invitation to the winter training camp at South Carolina’s Clemson University, which ultimately led to their team placement in the four.
Olympic accolades aside, juggling a full-time job and early morning training had its challenges. For more than a year, Teti shuttled between 5:30 a.m. rowing sessions in Princeton and Normandy’s Morristown office, and eventually, says Teti, “I had to pull back on work. I stayed in contact with brokers via e-mail and conference calls, but once I was in China I was basically unreachable. During the previous two Olympics, it was almost a foregone conclusion that if anything got in the way it was going to be eliminated. This was a much different experience and ultimately a very rewarding one.”
A large part of the credit goes to Teti’s colleagues, who, he notes, were the reason he was able to compete in the first place. “Beijing never would have been possible if the Normandy team hadn’t been supportive. I didn’t have an athletic entourage, he says, “I had an entourage of brokers. It was very much a shared experience, to the point where I had brokers calling and asking about time trials and terminology.”
That said, it’s not surprising Teti finds certain parallels between his athletic endeavors and his day job.
“Rowing is the ultimate team sport, it’s not about individual achievement, but rather getting the most speed out of the boat by working together with your teammates in perfect unison. It’s very much a team effort. One of the reasons I love the sport is because of the clear connection between the training you go through and the results you achieve. I consider myself very lucky to be part of an incredible team in the boat and at Normandy.”
While Teti says he is most appreciative of this latest Olympic run, competitive rowing is not likely to show up on his list of future plans. “The sport has given me quite a bit and, while I’ll never say never, I’m most comfortable with this retirement.” Teti is now looking to re-focus on real estate, specifically: managing leasing activity in the Mid-Atlantic region.