Giovanni Feroce is an American businessman, investor, U.S. Army combat veteran, and former Rhode Island State Senator. He is best known as the former CEO of lifestyle brand

Alex and Ani Alex and Ani is an American retailer and producer of jewelry located in Cranston, Rhode Island. History The firm was founded in 2004 by Carolyn Rafaelian. The name comes from a combination of the first names of Rafaelian's two daughters. The ...

. He is the founder and CEO of Palm Beach Equity Partners.

Early life and education

Feroce was born in Lugano, Switzerland, to Italian immigrants Luigi Feroce (from Pignataro Maggiore) and Antonietta Zacchia Feroce (from Pastorano), both in the Province of Caserta in Italy's Campania Region. The family immigrated to the United States, settling in West Warwick, Rhode Island. He attended John F. Horgan Elementary, John F. Deering Middle School, and graduated from West Warwick High School. He enlisted in the United States Army Reserve after high school and completed basic and advanced infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

and was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer at age 20, one of the youngest in U.S. history. He was a member of

Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Phi Gam and sometimes written as FIJI, is a North American social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania ...

fraternity. Feroce later completed the Advanced Management Program at the

Wharton School The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

. He also completed the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, GA, and the Civil Affairs Officers Advance Course at The United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, NC. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College.

Military and public service

Feroce served as a field grade U.S. Army officer and is a combat veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He served as Ground Operations Officer and Interagency Liaison at U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM). He was elected to the

Rhode Island Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...

in 1992 and served as Commissioner of the Rhode Island State Lottery, increasing revenues from $58 million to $456 million. In 2014, Feroce announced his candidacy for higher office in Rhode Island. As reported by ''MassLive'', he framed his political return around disciplined leadership and economic expansion.

Business career

Feroce joined

as CEO in 2010. His "Made in America" approach was highlighted in a White House manufacturing initiative in 2011 and received national media attention. In an American Express OPEN Forum feature, Feroce's approach was praised for combining military precision with emotional branding, transforming Alex and Ani into a brand that "resonated with consumers on a deeply personal level". In a 2024 ''GoLocalProv'' piece titled "How to Make Decisions: The Cost of Capital", Feroce emphasized the importance of results-based leadership, arguing that executive decisions must always be made with discipline, data, and measurable outcomes in mind. In 2014, Feroce delivered a TEDx talk titled "Reality Management," focusing on disciplined leadership and intentional outcomes. He also became Chairman and CEO of

Benrus Benrus is an American watchmaking and lifestyle company founded as a watch repair shop in New York City in 1921 by Romanian-American Benjamin Lazrus and his two brothers. Benrus watches were worn for decades by the U.S. military from World War II ...

, a historic American watch brand. His efforts were profiled in the ''New York Times'' article "A Comeback for the Military Watch." He is the founder of Palm Beach Equity Partners and owner of the Providence Sky Chiefs, who won the BENRUS Pro Basketball Championship in 2017, the inaugural season title. He co-authored ''The Path of Life: Why I Wear My Alex and Ani'' (2013).

Public advocacy and philosophy

Feroce authored the 2019 open letter "Dear President Paxson: Your Intolerance of Veterans is Unacceptable" in ''GoLocalProv'', advocating for veterans in academia. In 2017, he was profiled by Sarah Hale Folger.

References

External links

Palm Beach Equity Partners official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feroce, Giovanni Place of birth missing (living people) Living people American retail chief executives Republican Party Rhode Island state senators United States Army officers University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Rhode Island alumni 1968 births 20th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly