Roger F. Hruby, Sr. :::
Roger F. Hruby, Sr.
Graduated in 1953
Inducted in 2004
Lyons Township High School 1953 graduate Roger F. Hruby, Sr. is founder and Chairman of the Board of CFC international, Inc., a leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of holographics and specialty coatings that add value to a variety of industrial and consumer products. Headquartered in Chicago Heights, Illinois, CFC International operates facilities in Chicago Heights, and Countryside, Illinois; London, England; and Göppingen, Germany. Hruby’s success is rooted in humble beginnings. Hruby and his wife, Nadeane (LT ’53), slept on a couch in a converted chicken coop, with their children in an adjoining bedroom, so that he could attend college. He worked the night shift while attending school during the day. Hruby graduated from North Central College in 1958. He worked for Bee Chemical Company in Chicago, then founded his own company, Plastron Corporation, turning out specialized glassware. Recognizing that he needed to know how to run a business as well as how to make a product, Hruby rejoined Bee Chemical and enrolled in the Executive MBA Program at the University of Illinois, earning his degree in 1970, the same year he became Bee’s president. When Bee was purchased by Morton International in 1985, Hruby bought its Coated Film Division, expanded into global markets, and renamed the firm CFC International. Now, with more than $95 million in sales, distribution networks in 45 countries around the world, and hundreds of employees, Hruby is the industry’s leader. In 1996, the Hrubys created a scholarship fund at North Central College to help working undergraduates and assist part-time students. He now serves as chairman of North Central College Board of Trustees, a member of the World President’s Organization, the Executive Club of Chicago, the Chief Executives Organization, the Society of Plastic Engineers and the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, among others. In 1998, he was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” and became a member of the Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame in the Chicago area. Roger and Nadeane Hruby have six children, 17 grandchildren and reside in Burr Ridge, Illinois.