by Aimee LaBrie
Hugh Regan Jr. ’82 found himself on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in May 2014, seconds away from ringing the bell to signal the closing of the day’s trading. He remembers thinking, “I have had one of those blessed lives. How did I get here?”
Regan is the CFO, treasurer and secretary for inTEST Corporation, a tech company that makes equipment used to test and characterize semiconductors and counts Apple as one of its largest customers. He acknowledges that his professional success is not just good fortune but a direct result of hard work and a strong “stick to it” ethic instilled in him by his family.
As a freshman at Rider, Regan didn’t wait to start making connections. He joined Theta Chi fraternity in his first fall semester, which opened several doors for him. Through a fraternity brother, he became involved with DAARSTOC (Developing Administrative Abilities and Resources through the Synergistic Training of Organizational Competencies), an on-campus group that helps students develop professional management skills. Through another fraternity brother, he became involved with the Student Entertainment Council, and Regan was later elected president for both his junior and senior years at Rider. Though he knew the path he wanted to take after graduation (accounting—following in the footsteps of his father, who received his MBA from Rider), Regan realized that he needed help looking for employment. With the guidance of Career Services, he secured his first accounting job with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. From there, he moved on to a real estate investment trust, Value Property Trust, ultimately becoming its CFO at 34 (the then-youngest CFO ever of an NYSE- listed company).
Regan, who also dedicates his time to serving on the local board of the Girl Scouts as treasurer, has recently become involved on the national level. His mother, Kathleen, inspired his commitment to the organization by encouraging him to start giving back. “She said, ’You need to find a charity where you can make a difference,’” he remembers. Over the past 10 years, he has helped the Girl Scouts raise over $6 million.
“I have been blessed with an unbelievable life, and, at the same time, Rider helped create the ’professional me,’ which enabled me to have this great career,” Regan says.
