Alum of the Month

March 2011

March 2011
Scott Nicholson

Q & A:

  • What is your fondest memory of Hofstra?
    My fondest memory of Hofstra is associated with my four years of athletics, as a member of the football and baseball teams. The camaraderie, passion, friendships, and excitement of playing for winning teams are unmatched.
  • What was your first job after graduating from Hofstra, and what was the most valuable thing you learned there?
    My first job after graduating from Hofstra was in the communications industry, as a satellite coordinator for all Major League Baseball, NFL, and NBA television transmissions. As a communication arts major, the experience I gained by working with state-of-the-art television equipment, and the skills I developed in directing and producing TV shows, were invaluable.
  • What is your field of specialty, and how did you come to work in the industry?
    I am a business entrepreneur. I started a home and kitchenware manufacturing company that specializes in creating and bringing to the retail market innovative meal preparation and bakeware products. We currently sell to QVC, Avon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and other major retailers in the United States. I entered into this business after three years as the chief marketing officer for Lifetime Brands, and I ran the Kitchen Aid and Farberware kitchen gadgets division. I felt that the industry was lacking unique innovation in kitchen and meal preparation products, and I decided to start my own company in 2005. My company, Xtraordinary Home Products, is now one of the fastest-growing housewares suppliers in the industry.
  • What at Hofstra gave you your edge?
    My successes in sports and academics at Hofstra inspired me to maintain a high level of passion, motivation, and desire to become successful in both my career and personal life.
  • What advice would you give current Hofstra students?
    Hofstra students need to understand that the real world is not easy. It is an extremely competitive and fast-paced environment that can offer incredible opportunities with the right synergies of passion, desire, and drive. Students need to identify their personal winning edges and exploit apply these edges in their future career. They need to demonstrate extraordinary personal traits and offer unique products and services that set them apart from their competition.
  • In one word, how would you describe Hofstra?
    Life-changing.
  • What is the single most rewarding experience in your career thus far?
    Risking my home and financial net worth in starting my own company and making it a hugely successful business.
Scott Nicholson

Scott Nicholson ’88 has been a motivator and an innovator his entire life. He is the proud author of Seeds of Achievement: The Ultimate Roadmap for Young Adults on Obtaining Success, Prosperity, and the Winning Edge in Life, which is currently available on amazon.com and the Hofstra bookstore. The book offers knowledge and strategies to achieve life and career success, prosperity, happiness, inner joy, confidence, and personal pride. Scott’s natural athleticism enabled him to excel in both baseball and football at Hofstra. After graduating from Hofstra with a B.A. in communication arts, Scott briefly pursued a career in television sports broadcasting in Washington D.C. While in the communication industry, he gained experience as a satellite coordinator for Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association.

After leaving Washington, D.C., Scott entered the family business, Bucilla Corporation, which became a top supplier of needlecraft products in the United States. Scott served as vice president until 1996, when the company was sold. He started a new company in 1997, Head Starts Enterprises, which manufactured such products as soft goods, tote bags, and backpacks. In 2001 Scott was named vice president of Gemcoware, the nation’s top supplier of glass tabletop products. In 2003 he became the chief marketing officer of Lifetime Brands’ kitchenware division. Scott’s experiences eventually inspired him to start his own company, and in 2005 Scott created Xtraordinary Home Products, which focuses its manufacturing on innovative kitchen technologies. The company’s corporate offices are located in Bohemia, New York. Scott is currently acting president and partial owner of Xtraordinary Home Products, one of the fastest growing kitchenware suppliers in the industry today. The company supplies products to major U.S. retailers such as Kmart, QVC, Avon, and Bed Bath & Beyond, to name a few. In 2008 the company developed the Perfect Brownie™ baking pan, which became a No. 1 selling baking item in the United States, and remains so today.

Scott cites his experiences and opportunities at Hofstra as being life-changing, and he encourages students to engage actively in their learning experiences and to develop their individual “winning edges” to succeed.