By Lane Wallace
The Monterey County Herald
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Louis Provenzano Jr. wasn’t familiar with Language Line Services when he was recruited to the Monterey company seven years ago, but he knew right away it would be a good fit.
The company’s main business, interpretation services, “was near and dear to my heart,” said Provenzano, who became the company’s CEO last month.
Provenzano, 51, took an early interest in languages while growing up in New York and earned degrees in romance languages and business law at Boston College. He speaks six languages.
Provenzano, who came to Language Line to head sales efforts, moves up from chief operating officer and president of the 29-year-old company. Dennis Dracup, CEO since 1999, will remain an active board member and significant equity holder.
The change means more responsibility, Provenzano said with a smile during an interview at his office in Ryan Ranch. Language Line, with $300million in annual sales, is more than 10 times larger than its nearest competitor in over-the-phone interpretation, he said.
The company has been growing steadily, and Provenzano expects growth to continue.
