the practice

About John Santa
John served 16 years as CEO and is currently vice chairman of Santa Holding Company, the parent of Santa Energy, Inland Fuel Terminals, Buckley Energy Group, Admiral Transportation and Admiral Associates. During his tenure he built his family’s modest Bridgeport, Connecticut-based heating oil franchise into a top-flight regional supplier of energy fuels and energy-related products throughout southern New England. John spearheaded many dynamic activities to spur corporate growth including: the acquisition of a major competitor, which started their commercial industrial division; revamping, integrating and maintaining a system of timely and effective fiscal controls; initiating and establishing Santa’s first board with independent directors; engineering two major family stockholder buyout transitions as well as two minority nonfamily stockholder buyouts; doubling the size of the business while increasing stock value five times and divesting a major division of the company. John established and implemented a family employment policy. He also developed and nurtured a corporate culture that has successfully blended business objectives with family values.

John was the prime mover and first chairman of the effort to establish the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA). His group put a bill through Congress in order to begin this first-of-its-kind check-off program, designed to unify the Oilheat industry from coast to coast with research, training and consumer information systems. Having initiated an independent board at his own company, he has now gone on to serve on the boards of several substantial private firms, providing them all with invaluable managerial and governance guidance and support.

John Santa’s commitment to the welfare and health of the family businesses extends as well into the community in which he works and lives. He founded and currently chairs Malta Prison Volunteers of Connecticut, a model program that has been adopted as a national initiative of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. He has been a director, chair or board member of community organizations from the Greater Bridgeport YMCA and Mercy Community Health Care of West Hartford, CT, to the Inner City Foundation for Charity and Education, among others. He has been named Director of the Year by the Sisters of Mercy of the State of Connecticut, the Paul Harris Fellowship for Dedicated Community Service from Rotary International, and the Good Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Santa holds a BS in Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MBA in Finance from the University of Bridgeport. He is a graduate of the Owners and Presidents Management Course, Harvard Business School.

contact John santa
33 Chester Place
Southport, CT 06890
203-218-0918