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.”