The world of music is Peter Reimann’s first love – and it’s a world he’s able to refocus on now that he’s retired from Pfizer after 29 years of service. Yet the time spent at Pfizer holds fond memories for Peter as well. Peter’s last assignment before retiring was overseeing the redesign of the Pfizer Plus website where you are reading this article!
He joined Pfizer as a junior micrographics operator in May 1980 (the year Evita won a Tony for Best Musical and "Sailing" by Christopher Cross was the GRAMMY Award’s Song of the Year).
During his time at Pfizer, Peter’s responsibilities included implementing the first electronic scanning of Field Force Travel and Expense reports, designing the form and process for printing the annual shareholders proxy statement, managing the CIT NY Data Center, and overseeing Y2K preparation and implementation.
One assignment that Peter remembers with particular pride began in 2000 when he joined Pfizer’s Corporate Information Technology (IT) Communications group. As part of the group, he focused on the massive task of consolidating more than 200 websites into a central intranet site for the IT division. The site – known as CIT@work and later IT Works – became a model for many intranet sites within Pfizer. He also helped redesign the IT group’s quarterly employee video broadcast, CIT Live, into a talk show format that featured interviews with IT leaders and colleagues around the world. As Editor in Chief of the websites and host of CIT Live, he travelled frequently and worked with colleagues across the business.
For Peter, the projects were rewarding and fun. “I was very fortunate in that my responsibilities at Pfizer always called for a high degree of interaction with people, both as colleagues and clients. Along with the hard work, there was much laughter and many friendships that sustained long after the specific project or activity was over. Those are the things I miss the most.”
Now, eight months into his retirement, Peter is getting back to the other projects he always loved – acting, music and singing.
“Prior to Pfizer I studied in New York City to be an actor and director and it has always been a dream of mine to return to the stage. I guess you could say I took a little break. I've begun looking at some small projects to dust off my skills, and I am looking into taking some classes at our local neighborhood playhouse,” he said.
A natural musician, Peter has played the clarinet since he was eight years old, and through the years he taught himself to play the saxophone, piano, organ, synthesizer, guitar and, most recently, the mandolin.
After spending a few years singing in the church choir, he now leads a praise band that plays current and traditional praise music. In fact, finding his singing voice again after so many years is what thrills him the most.
“Before becoming involved in the church choir I hadn't sung in public in close to 20 years. The thought of singing in front of people again was nerve-wracking. But I had great coaches that wouldn't take no for an answer and kept challenging me with new and harder material. And my family believed in me when at times I wasn't sure I could do it,” he said.
“I love, love, love music, and whether I'm playing along with others, singing, or even just listening to it on my iPod, it takes me to other worlds and makes me feel good.”
Music and acting aren’t the only things keeping Peter busy these days. He enjoys playing a more active role on the home front, which allows him to spend more time with his wife Susan, a current Pfizer colleague; his daughter Jordan, a senior at Catholic University of America studying Media Arts, and his 10-year-old son Nate.
“I enjoy putting my son on the bus every morning and meeting him when he gets off it in the afternoon. I enjoy sitting down and doing homework with him and then watching him play Beatles Rock Band on the Wii. In the past, Susan and I focused so much on our careers at Pfizer that having the extra time with Nate is both a joy and a blessing.”
And, as the primary cook in the house, Peter enjoys experimenting with new dishes and preparing extravagant meals for family and friends.
“My days and nights are very full, and our home has become quite the entertainment spot. Music, good food and a Wii, what more could one ask for?” he notes.
Peter’s plans for the immediate future? “Laugh, laugh and play more music.”
