Greg Perry knew early on that he wanted to be in the marketing program at Port Clinton High School. He shaped his entire high school experience around that goal, but he didn’t envision a future in teaching. 

While earning his marketing degree at the Ohio State University, he picked up a second degree in marketing education, but even then, he swore he’d never become a teacher.

After a stint in professional sales in Chicago, a fateful call changed everything. 

“Somebody asked me to start a marketing program at Sandusky High School,” Perry recalls. 

“I thought, why not? I’ll do it short term,” he said. 

That short-term opportunity turned into a career he never saw coming, but would come to cherish. 

“The rewards were not financial. The rewards were making an impact in young people’s lives,” he said. “Each year I thought, okay, one more year… and here I am at 32.”

Perry’s marketing classroom was anything but ordinary. Students weren’t just learning theories, they were living them. Under his guidance, they became professionals, community leaders and social entrepreneurs.

“I’ve never cared whether students could regurgitate marketing terminology,” he said. “What mattered to me was inspiring them to be exceptional people, kind, socially responsible and professionally capable.”

The projects that emerged from his classroom were remarkable. Early in his career, Perry’s students in Vermilion planted trees along what became Sailorway Boulevard. 

“Those trees are still there today,” Perry said. “They changed the air quality and the landscape of that community.” 

Another unforgettable initiative was saving Vermilion’s iconic maritime water tower—a symbol of local pride.

Perry was hired to lead Beachwood’s Excel TECC marketing program in 2006, and his innovation only expanded. 

In 2009, his class created the national model for a green classroom, which has since been replicated across the U.S. His students organized a Green Dream Expo, where businesses showcased eco-friendly products and services. 

In 2012-2013 the Green Dream transformed into Entrovation, an expo that combined the concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation. In 2014-15, the class celebrated the centennial of the City of Beachwood.

In recent years, his students embraced social entrepreneurship on a new scale, launching large-scale cause marketing efforts with stunning results, raising tens of thousands of dollars for the Cleveland Food Bank and meeting the needs of pediatric hospital patients. 

The program emphasized practical, real-world business skills, something that left a lasting mark.

Perry’s teaching method is unique—empowering students with real responsibilities. That experience has left a deep impression on his students. 

“The dynamic between him and the class is great,” senior Jaycob Zabell said. “Everything done in the classroom was very hands-on, allowing us, the students, to learn so much more and be able to apply what we learned into real world situations. I’ve never had this experience prior to Mr. Perry’s teaching, and I will forever cherish it.”

This year’s student-run company, Hope Heroes, encapsulates everything Mr. Perry’s program stands for. Focused on ‘unleashing the healing power of dogs,’ the class raised nearly $230,000 to support facility therapy dogs and service dog programs in area hospitals.

“It’s about the joy and comfort that a dog can bring to patients, their families and caregivers,” Perry said. 

The cause is deeply personal to him; he shared a story from his childhood when, after a paralyzing accident at age six, his parents brought a puppy into his hospital room. 

“They said, ‘This puppy is yours. You’re going to need to take care of it.’ It was a tricky way of inspiring me to work hard and recover, but it worked.”

Ivan Thal was a student in Perry’s marketing program in 2020-21, when the program’s message was ‘Hope Blooms Ohio,’ focused on spreading hope and raising money for the Cleveland Food Bank. 

“I think my most memorable experience with Mr. Perry came when we finally set up our first inflatables to spread hope to our community during the pandemic,” Thal said. “We had gone through the whole process of planning our thoughts through pen to paper, so to see it become real was a great experience.”

Alums commented that the program will not be the same without Perry’s leadership. 

“I think the program will be very different without him,” Zabell said. “Mr. Perry is an amazing teacher and a great person to look up to. He was able to generate a class [culture] that allowed the students to be themselves free of judgment.” 

“The program won’t have the experience and guidance he brings to the table,” Thal said. “He has a great understanding of how to help students understand how the business world works.”

Perry’s former students use many words to describe him: mentor, motivator, leader. But two stand out: resilience and grit. These are values he worked hard to instill in his students.

Retirement, for Perry, doesn’t mean slowing down. He’ll focus full-time on his luxury home design business, a passion he’s maintained for nearly three decades. And he’ll stay close to the marketing program, helping guide its next chapter.

“I’ll still be involved,” he said. “I want to maintain the integrity of the program. It’s too important to just walk away from.”

As those trees on Sailorway Boulevard continue to grow tall, and as therapy dogs bring comfort to those in need, Mr. Perry’s impact will live on.