Happi Top 50 Company P&G introduces three families that have enjoyed meaningful careers at the company.

The Robinsons

Rachel Zipperian, scientific communications director, has a connection to P&G that began four generations before she was born.

The first generation of the Robinson family to work for P&G, Zipperian’s great-grandfather worked at the Ivorydale soap factory in Cincinnati, OH. Tragically, he had a heart attack while at work and passed away. The people at Procter stopped by to deliver the news, as Zipperian recounts the story being passed down, and they offered jobs to her great-grandmother and the two eldest sons. The kind gesture provided financial stability for the family and created a sense of loyalty and familiarity that has become part of the family’s history.

Zipperian’s great-grandmother, Ida Lou Sears, worked in the company cafeteria and later in the Tide test labs. Her great-uncles had long careers in maintenance and engineering. One of her great-uncles, Todd Sears, famously held the job of winding the Ivorydale clock.

Zipperian’s father, Gary Robinson, was also a manufacturing engineer at Ivorydale. He worked in a plant and on food manufacturing for brands like Duncan Hines and Crisco. When Zipperian was in seventh grade, her family moved to Georgia, and her father left P&G to work in food manufacturing. But Zipperian’s family loyalty to P&G never left her.

She returned to Cincinnati for college. Although she had plans to be a chemistry professor, on-campus interviews with P&G changed her mind when they offered her a job.

“I knew that’s where I wanted to work, and I also knew that there were a lot of different things to learn there,” she said.

Over 22 years, Zipperian has experienced four kinds of careers within the company, from research bench scientist to sustainability communications.

Although her father’s line of work was different than hers, his pride in his work, especially in finding innovative solutions to reduce waste, left a significant impact on her.

“I work on waste now. My journey has taken me to sustainability, and one of my goals is to make the world better and less wasteful throughout my lifetime,” she said. “And I feel like I get to do that now for P&G by helping us have a lower environmental footprint.”

Today, Zipperian’s youngest daughter is a senior in high school, and she aspires to work for P&G.

The Joachimis

Stephanie Clark, senior finance vice president for Global Family Care, was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She’s the third generation to work for P&G, but her family legacy is all female.

Clark’s grandmother worked on the manufacturing line for Duncan Hines when it was a part of P&G in the 1960s and 1970s. Her mother was an administrative assistant, with two stints spanning the mid-1950s to the late 1970s. Both were part of P&G at a time when it wasn’t as common for women to be in the workforce.

“It gives me a lot of pride to know that the company was hiring and supporting women long before it was the cool thing to do,” said Clark.

Growing up in Cincinnati, Clark heard stories about P&G’s commitment to integrity, quality and caring for its people. That was underscored by the messages she heard at home.

“They always told me that hard work will prevail. Be loyal, and the company will be loyal to you,” she explained.

Stephanie joined P&G in 2002 after spending a decade in public accounting. Her upbringing in a family of strong women helped shape the leader she is.

“I think it’s just the ability to be independent and confident and rooted in my resolve when I set out to accomplish something,” she said.

Clark’s family legacy has led her to be a mentor for fellow employees and a strong advocate for women’s growth and development within the company. She has also led the North America Women’s Network for 10 years.

“When you look back on your career and you think about the things that are most meaningful, it’s the experiences you have watching the people you develop, especially when somebody really tackles something that’s hard and is able to overcome it,” she said. “Those are the things that I remember, not the forecast that I submitted or the results we delivered in any one single year.”

The Lubores

The Lubore family story with P&G began as a second career. Linna Lubore began her career as a flight attendant. After working various part-time sales jobs, she joined Gillette, which was later acquired by P&G in 2000 when she was almost 40. Her son Tyler was just eight at the time.

Linna, now the Senior Sales Manager for Capability for Professional Oral Health at P&G, has built a 25-year career in sales and training. Five years ago, her second act became the family business as her son Tyler joined her at P&G.

Tyler Lubore, senior sales manager for Team Northwest, said watching his mom develop her skills and build her career was influential in his career path, where he has already been promoted and is currently on his third assignment.

“I grew up with a salesperson and got to see that skillset and how she applied it both professionally, but also personally,” he said.

Linna tried to impart lessons along the way.

“You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over. You have to be willing to try different things. It may be uncomfortable, but it’s okay,” she mused.

Though Tyler has only been a P&G employee for five years, he has a 25-year history with the company. Growing up, he jokes he had a surrogate family at P&G and would get birthday voicemails from reps while Linna was in meetings. In fact, there are some sales reps on his team today that first met him when he was a boy.

While that has made for an interesting dynamic, it hasn’t hindered Tyler from forging his own identity within the company — even if he did also spend some time in the field with his mother in her capability role.

“It’s been great to see his progression throughout his career, to be able to do work that is similar and to see his success,” said Linna.

Tyler is grateful to be able to learn from a “rock star” like his mom and work in a division that feels like family. And he’s excited to build his unique career at P&G.

“P&G is one of those few remaining companies where you can start your career, experience different roles and retire,” he said. “It’s not a stepping stone; it’s a long-term career opportunity.”