If you want an example of a true American business success story, GORDON LANKTON has to be it! With borrowed funds, he purchased 50% of Nypro Products Corporation in 1962. At that time, the company had sales of $600,000. Seven years later, he purchased the rest of the company, and became President and CEO.

Today, Nypro sales are a half-billion dollars, with 11 plants in the United States, and facilities in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Russia, China, India, and Singapore. More plants are being built in Mexico, Shanghai, and the Philippines. Shortly after joining Nypro, Gordon instituted an Employee Stock Option Plan, and in 1998, sold most of his stock to the plan, enabling 500 employees to participate in ownership of the company. Besides donating his personal money, Gordon was instrumental in securing corporate funding for the National Plastics Center and Museum, and chaired their Board of Directors. He's been named the International Business Person of the Year by both the Society of the Plastics Industry, and the Society of Plastics Engineers.