Our Team

Hugh has had a passion for the mountains since he was in grade school. He’s climbed eight peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado, the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, and the 20,320 foot Denali, the largest mountain range in North America; but climbing mountains isn’t his biggest challenge - taking this business to the next level is.

After considering a host of companies, the Slaters identified EGC as an acquisition target due to its perfect fit of capabilities and growth potential. “The company is a solutions provider,” recalls the new CEO. “We look at a problem, find a creative solution, and supply the products that work for each customer and their markets. It’s just one of the things that EGC does so well.”

Hugh previously served as President of NAVCO LLC, a component manufacturer for heavy trucks, heavy equipment, and military vehicles. Prior to this role, he led the Oatey Company’s Asian subsidiary - Oatey is a diverse manufacturer of engineered chemical and discrete products for the plumbing and construction industries. Splitting time between the Cleveland, OH, and Shanghai, China, offices, Hugh was responsible for procurement, engineering, manufacturing, and sales to the Chinese market. 

Mr. Slater received a B.S. in Economics from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. Hugh serves on the board of the PEBCO, an industrial design and manufacturing company in the bulk material handling industry. Hugh currently resides in Cleveland Heights, Ohio with his wife, Brooke, and two children.

“I’m an early adopter of technology to solve problems in different ways,” says Hugh. “I’m also a big believer in lean manufacturing. To me, lean is about delivering value to the customer. It’s listening to what a customer wants and knowing whether it comes from the supply chain or specific product attributes. It’s eliminating all of the excesses and providing value that keeps the customer coming back.”

“The operation here is very advanced for a company this size,” continued Hugh. “And I think, because of the components we make for diesel trucks and power generation, flexible graphite will help us protect the environment from contaminates and move us toward cleaner transportation and power generation.”

As a Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard, Austin could continue his second tour in the Alaskan shipping lanes or help to start up a small business with his aviator friend Bob Rutherford in Mentor, Ohio. His interest in aviation took precedence over his sea faring ways.

As president, Austin is responsible for the implementation of the EGC Quality Management System, a program that he coauthored. He is responsible for: monitoring and controlling costs; resource management of all personnel and capital equipment; and managing new products, engineered projects, and new process development.

In addition, he establishes customer programs to secure new business, manages patent programs and agreements with customers, is the project manager for new facilities acquisition, and conducts annual reviews for department managers including engineering, customer service, quality control, and plant supervisors. Occasionally he even serves as the tie-breaker in the decision making process when Bernie and Bob are deadlocked.

Austin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications from Kent State University. In 1974 he earned a private pilots license and was commissioned as Ensign in the United States Coast Guard in Yorktown, Virginia, in 1977. He is happily married, has a son and a daughter, and lives in Concord Township, Ohio.

With two sons that both play hockey, John spends a lot of his time outside the office at ice rinks in towns all across the Midwest. He is happy to do so, as athletics have always been influential in his life. “I grew up playing football, basketball and baseball, until a knee injury in my junior year of high school put an end to contact sports,” says John. “That is when I became serious about golf and ended up being a four year letterman on my college team at Fairfield. Sports teach you a lot about being a good team member, working hard, being disciplined, and, most importantly, how to compete. Each of these attributes are very transferable to business.”

As Vice President of Sales for Fluid Sealing and Thermal Systems, he’s responsible for developing a sales force that is more efficient in reaching current markets. “Currently, our Business Development team members focus on specific product lines. We need to be sure to give them - as well as our Customer Service and Inside Sales support team - the training and tools to assist our most important asset: our customers.”

“It’s our job in the sales group to find customers that see us as their partners and rely on us for the value that we offer. Each and every one of our customers defines value unique to their business and their application. So it becomes a question of using the technology that we are already familiar with and applying our solutions to customer fluid sealing and thermal system challenges.”

Popovich brings with him over 25 years in industrial manufacturing sales and leadership positions. He received his BA in English from Fairfield University in 1991 and his MBA from Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management in 2005. He currently lives in Chagrin Falls, OH with his wife, two sons, and two dogs.