Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> November 17, 1999
KENNETH LA GRAND is Executive Vice President and Director of Gentex
Corporation. Mr. La Grand is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. His
undergraduate studies were conducted at Hope College and Michigan State
University, from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in
mechanical engineering in 1964. Mr. La Grand joined the Grayson Division
(Long Beach, CA) of Robertshaw Controls Company, a major manufacturer of
automatic control systems for buildings and appliances as director of
marketing. From there, he moved to the Simicon Division of Robertshaw
Controls in Holland, Michigan, where he served in the capacity of vice
president and general manager. In his current position as executive vice
president and director of Gentex Corporation, Mr. La Grand is
responsible for divisional management, finance, material control,
investor relations, and business planning for the publicly traded
company. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the
American Management Association. Mr. La Grand resides in Holland with
his wife. Profile
Mr. La Grand: Gentex Corporation was founded in 1974, so we're exactly
25 years old this year. The company's first product was a
