HUDSON, Ohio—Kurt S. Nygaard, chief sales officer at Harwick Standard Distribution Corp. and a former treasurer of ACS Rubber Division, died unexpectedly April 20 while on vacation in Mexico with his family.
Nygaard, 60, spent most of his career at Harwick Standard and its predecessor company, Harwick Chemical Corp. He was well known in the industry from his long career in the business and work with the Rubber Division, and in his community for his charity work and as the one-time owner of a Hudson restaurant.
After starting his career at B.F. Goodrich, he joined Akron-based Harwick in March 1985, and he spent the next 16 years working at the distributor of chemicals to the rubber and plastics industries. He was executive vice president of sales and marketing, responsible for sourcing and marketing raw materials, when he left the company in September 2001.
In 2005, Nygaard became rubber industry manager at the MF Cachat Co., a specialty chemical distributor headquartered in Lakewood, Ohio. He held that post until returning to Harwick in November 2009 as vice president of sales. A year ago, he was named chief sales officer at the firm.
“Kurt was a generous, caring person, extremely dedicated to his family, community and the industry,” said Ernie Pouttu, Harwick Standard president and CEO. “I still remember how happy he was to return to Harwick when I asked him to come back in 2009.”