Hasbro CEO and president Alfred J. Verrecchia, a URI alum, spoke at the annual meeting of the Association of Northeast Business Deans about his experiences leading Hasbro.

When Verrechia took over in 2000, revenue was down 25% and shares were at $8/share, an all-time low. Now Hasbro's revenues are up and shares closed yesterday at $28/share.

To accomplish that turnaround, Hasbro shed manufacturing plants, laid off workers and reduced its reliance on movie-related toys and games. It also focused itself on enlivening its own toy and game brands...

...Today, Verrecchia said, “We’re a global intellectual-property and brand-driven company.”

Hasbro is constantly looking for new ways to bring its products to consumers, he said.

He demonstrated that with video clips that showed a range of new products, including Transformers, the robot-inspired toys it first introduced in the 1980s.

“The film represented something more than just a film,” he said “It represented a paradigm shift for Hasbro.”