Employees offer tributes, congratulations to 2021 Executive of the Year Cedric Glasper

WARWICK, N.Y.—Mechanical Rubber Co. Inc. CEO Cedric Glasper makes a clear distinction between management and leadership.

Whereas management can have parameters in its application, leadership is transitory, selfless and without confines.

Both are crucial to a company's success, says Glasper, the 2021 Rubber News Executive of the Year, much like the spokes and hub are essential for a wheel.

But leadership qualities, by nature, are the bounty of everyone, passed along through action and behavior, accordingly.

They are the intangibles that earned Glasper the honor, and not coincidentally they are the guidelines by which many of his employees operate.

Lisa Rice, in aerospace and defense sales and marketing at Mechanical Rubber, has worked with Glasper for a decade. She cites his ability to "be part of the team while at the same time being a leader," a teacher who pushes his employees to be better.

"He is an educator and someone who fosters people to step out of their comfort zone to try new things," Rice told Rubber News. "Under his encouragement, I have learned web design, cybersecurity and graphic arts—things I would not have dreamed I would be able to master a decade ago.

"Cedric bolsters a sense of ownership among the staff—the feeling that Mechanical Rubber's successes are our own. I was so glad to hear that Cedric was receiving the honor of being named Executive of the Year. It is well-deserved."

Tim Richardson, a Mechanical Rubber employee in the Richmond, Calif., sales office, calls the CEO and his friend of more than 25 years "a super success story."

"He has worked very hard to make Mechanical Rubber a successful company and a rewarding experience for his employees and family," Richardson said. "Cedric will continue to be successful because of his diligence and hard work.

"Congratulations on the accolade and well deserved."

A tooling engineer at Mechanical Rubber Ohio in Strongsville, Dale Lohrke does not have the tenure of Rice and Richardson at the seal, gasket and custom contracting manufacturer, but said he is proud of the company's accomplishments since he started two years ago.

He credits Glasper with giving employees the autonomy and independence they need to be successful.

"I enjoy the culture and atmosphere that he has established and cultivated, and I am proud to have such a great boss," Lohrke said. "His vision for the future is what we're working toward, and I look forward to working here for many more years."

A "passion for everything rubber" is what has impressed Dan Dalton about Glasper. Dalton also works at the 80,000-sq.-ft. Strongsville location.

"It does not surprise me that Cedric has become the Executive of the Year," Dalton said. "I have witnessed firsthand his immense drive to succeed on top of a deep knowledge and passion for everything rubber. He has given our plant new life along with a multitude of opportunities.

"I look forward to our continued growth under his leadership for many years to come."

Mechanical Rubber has made several acquisitions since Glasper purchased the company in 1995, the last being Durox Co., a former Wabtec company, in early 2020.

Nicole Cosimano, who handles customer relations for the entirety of Mechanical Rubber, said each purchase has increased the company's capabilities, offering a wider reach into rail and transit applications, specifically, in addition to what it already offers the aerospace and defense industries.

"Cedric's determination, motivation and inspiration inspire us all," she said. "Cedric, I wish you continued success because you have earned it."

Walter Scott, a maintenance worker at Mechanical Rubber Ohio, offered a heartfelt testimonial as he was present in 1995 during the watershed moment for the upstate New York business.

"Cedric Glasper saw potential in a company that no one else saw the opportunity in," Scott said. "Several other companies came through and decided we were not worth the time and effort to rebuild.

"He took a company that had recently lost over 100 employees and the railroad division, and turned it into the successful company Mechanical Rubber is today."