AKRON (Dec. 8) — Rubber & Plastics News has named Kevin E. Gray, president and CEO of Lauren International Inc., as its 2006 Rubber Industry Executive of the Year.
Gray, 45, has worked at the New Philadelphia, Ohio-based group of companies since 1983, while he still was attending college. With him at the helm, Lauren International has nearly doubled its revenues in the last six years, with another 20-percent jump expected by the end of 2006.
Much of the firm's success "is due to Kevin's overall vision and unfaltering leadership," according to Cynthia Miller, the firm´s director of marketing. "He displayed extraordinary foresight when taking the company from traditional batch-and-queue manufacturing to lean operation long before it became an economic necessity."
To read the full story about Gray, please see the "News and Features" section of our Web site.