A
sellout crowd of 500 dined, danced, and laughed the night away at
the Annual Mayo Banquet & Ball. The cocktail party prior to the
main event saw all the attendees mingle and greet this year’s Mayo
“Person of the Year” – Jack Kahl, his wife, Sherry, and family.
Friends old and new congratulated and joked with this
extraordinarily successful businessman. Well-known business
executives, lawyers, bankers and clergy all came to cheer on their
special friend. A large contingent of Jack’s golfing buddies
clearly enjoyed the honors bestowed on their friend.
Government officials
from Achill Island and Mayo County Council were there to celebrate.
Galway University Foundation sent their Executive Director, North
American Director, and Board members, The Mayo Society of New York
and the Irish American Teachers Association were also represented.
Two Ohio Supreme Court Justices and a State senator were also in
attendance.
Event Chairman, Tom
Scanlon, introduced the various dignitaries and then announced the
formation of the newly created Scholarship Program between John
Carroll University and NUI, Galway. Dr. Jeanne Colleran of JCU and
Tom Joyce of NUI, Galway spoke on the significance of this
educational opportunity.
Gerry Quinn,
President of the Mayo Society, introduced Jack Kahl and presented
him with the custom designed and engraved crystal bowl made in Co.
Mayo. Jack’s address to the gathering was informative, sincere, and
touching. He spoke of his youth in humble circumstances, and his
successful climb to the pinnacle of the business world. As always,
he stressed the importance of education that is a necessity in
today’s world.
The following
morning, most visitors from the various parts of the world, appeared
on Gerry Quinn’s Irish Radio Program on 1420AM – WHK. The 2011 Mayo
Ball was a great success. Now it is time to plan for October 13,
2012. Stay tuned – there is more to come!
Jack
Kahl
Mayo Person of Year 2011
Jack
Kahl has been recognized globally for his innovative approach to
business. He was named one of "America's Most Admired CEOs" by
Industry Week magazine in 1993. Inc. Magazine honored him as one of
three CEOs in America to benchmark leadership practices, and
Cleveland Magazine named him the "Best Boss in Town" in 1996 and
2000.
Jack earned these accolades as an entrepreneur and the creator of
Duck® Tape. He used servant leadership and a caring culture to grow
his company, Manco, Inc. from a small industrial tape distributor
into a leading global consumer products company. He bought Manco
with $10,000 cash and an $182,000 loan in 1971, and sold the
business to the Henkel Group nearly three decades later when sales
topped $180 million.
Under his leadership, Manco was the first company to receive three
Wal-Mart "Vendor of the Year" awards and OfficeMax's "Vendor of the
Year - Supply Chain" Award. Manco was also one of the revolutionary
companies featured in Jim Collin's best-selling book, Built to Last.
Jack serves on the boards of several private companies. Jack has
been the keynote speaker for conferences and companies around the
globe, including IBM, AT&T, KPMG, and Michael Hammer's Reengineering
Conference. He also has lectured at business schools around the
country. In addition, he has been featured in the Wall Street
Journal, USA Today, Industry Week, CEO Brief, Forbes, Fortune Small
Business, and Inc. Magazine, talking about Manco and his visionary
approach to business.
Jack was the recipient of the School Home Office Products
Association's "Lifetime Achievement Award," Beta Gamma Sigma's
"National Medal for Entrepreneurship," and Cleveland's
"Philanthropist of the Year Award."
Jack is a strong supporter of education. He currently serves on the
Board of Trustees at John Carroll University and St. Edward High
School in Cleveland. He was named "Outstanding Alumnus" and "Alumnus
of the Year" at both institutions. John Carroll University
established a "Kahl Chair in Entrepreneurship" in 1998. St. Edward
High School dedicated its new student center, the "Jack Kahl Student
Life & Leadership Center" in 2000.
He is the former chairman of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), an
organization that reaches more than 800,000 college students. SIFE
dedicated a wing of its new world headquarters the "Jack Kahl
Entrepreneurship Center" in 1999.
Jack is the proud father of five children and thirteen
grandchildren. He currently resides in Avon Lake, Ohio.
