George A. Vincent III
The Vincent Family regrets to announce the passing on May 4, 2022 of George Adelbert Vincent III, of Chicago, Illinois. He was 78 years old.
George, known to friends and family as "Jay" (from "G.A.") was born April 7, 1944, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to parents George Adelbert Vincent II and Muriel Kathryn (Luce) Vincent.
Educated in Fairfield, Connecticut, schools, Jay was awarded a competitive college scholarship by the United States Navy. He graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was an avid member of The Tabard fraternity, in 1966 with an A.B. in Chemistry.
Commissioned on graduation as a U.S Navy surface line officer, Jay was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (Senior Grade) during four years of active duty. He held various positions of responsibility aboard the fleet oiler U.S.S. Allagash (AO-97), and the guided missile destroyer U.S.S. Charles F. Adams (DDG-2), where he served as Damage Control Officer, during cruises which took him to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Jay later served in the United States Naval Reserve.
Following his active service commitment, Jay attended Harvard Business School, graduating with a master's degree in 1972.
Jay's business career started when he was recruited by the General Electric Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as a Business Analyst, with responsibilities that included writing speeches for business leader and legend, Jack Welch. Jay then accepted the first of several executive positions in sales and purchasing with the FMC Corporation, first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then in Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago Jay was recruited to lead the executive team at the C.P. Hall Company, now Hallstar. Jay served at the helm of C.P. Hall/Hallstar as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer for over two decades, growing the business into a leading manufacturer and distributor of specialty chemicals until he retired in 2009.
While leading C.P. Hall/Hallstar, Jay also served in leadership positions at several major regional and national industrial manufacturing and trade associations including the Chemical Manufacturers Association, the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, the Chemical Industry Federation, the Chicago Chemical Industry Council, Science History Institute, and the American Chemistry Council, among others. He was President of the Chemical Educational Foundation and served on the executive committee of the Society of Chemical Industry. He continued to serve as an outside director on the corporate boards of several industry firms including Carus Chemical Co, Nanophase Technologies, and Glass Gorham Co.
A lifelong sailor, skier, golfer, and world traveler, Jay was also an active member of numerous clubs including The Economic Club of Chicago, The Chicago Club, Glen View Club, Wilmette Harbor Club, The Society of Colonial Wars, and the American Legion (Life Member).
Jay is survived by his loving wife of fifty-five years, Andrea Lee (Sawtelle) Vincent of Chicago, Illinois, son David Andrew Vincent of Arlington, Virginia, his daughter, Liberty Vincent of Evanston, Illinois, son George Adelbert "Judd" Vincent IV (Nancy), of Mount Prospect, Illinois, and their daughters Cora Vincent and Adele Vincent, both of Mount Prospect. Jay is also survived by his sister Kathryn Shank (Ronald) of Lake Tahoe, California, their sons Eric Shank and Gregory Shank, and by nephews Stephen Vincent and Bradley Vincent. He was predeceased by his parents, by his brother Roger Luce Vincent, and by his sister Martha Vincent Hermann.
The family requests that those wishing to give as expression of sympathy please consider a memorial contribution to: United Service Organization (USO); Science History Institute; Chemical Educational Foundation.
— Published with permission of the family, written by Jay's sons David and Judd.
George A. Vincent III, Hallstar's co-founder and former chairman, president and chief executive officer, died on May 4, 2022. He is survived by his wife Andrea, their two sons and three grandchildren.
George made a profound impact on the Chicago business community, and the chemical industry.
George earned a chemistry degree at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire on an ROTC scholarship and then served four years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. After completing an MBA from Harvard University, George took a job at General Electric in their plastics division (which included a stint as Jack Welch's speechwriter!). Next, he joined FMC Corporation where he worked in corporate development, sourcing, and sales.
George left FMC in 1983 to take on the president's role at a polymer additives distributor. Three years later, he and several others formed The Hallstar Company, which in turn purchased the distributor. Hallstar saw positive growth during George's tenure. He oversaw several key acquisitions, including a personal care ingredient business to complement Hallstar's innovative ester chemistry.
During his career, George was an active board member of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). He chaired the Chicago Chemical Industry Council (CICI) and the Illinois Manufacturing Association (IMA), and served on several corporate boards including Carus and Nanophase Technologies. He was also passionate about — and quite accomplished at — his extracurricular interests like skiing and sailing.
He will be missed.
— Published from a letter by John J. Paro, Chairman & CEO of the Hallstar Company.