FOUNDER DONALD G. DUNN PASSES AWAY AT 98

COLUMBUS, Ohio (18 de agosto de 2021) – Donald G. Dunn, founder of Plaskolite, LLC, passed away at his home in Columbus, Ohio. He was 98 years old.

Dunn founded the company April 21,1950, initially as a maker of drinking straws. By 1962, thermoplastic sheet manufacturing was the focus, and Dunn built a new headquarters on Joyce Avenue in Columbus. Plaskolite has remained there for the past 59 years, eventually becoming the largest producer of thermoplastic sheet in North America. Today the company employs more than 1,300 people in eleven facilities around the world.

“A business is many things,” Donald Dunn said in 2012. “It carries the hopes and dreams of its founder, the sum total of years of effort and exhausting hard work. It is the lifeblood of its employees, whose families' needs are met by the paychecks they bring home. It must be a partner in the community and a leader in the industry.”

“Donald Dunn was a leader of men, an inspiration to anyone who knew him, a respected businessman, a beloved family man, and a friend and mentor to me,” said Mitchell Grindley, Plaskolite’s Executive Chairman. “His influence is felt in everything we do as a company. The Plaskolite culture of hard work, sacrifice, respect for others, and love of family is a direct reflection of Donald. That will never change.”

Dunn earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star for his actions on 15 de abril de 1945, in the northern Apennine Mountains of Italy. As a Staff Sergeant, 10^th Mountain Division, Dunn led a U.S. Army platoon against fierce German resistance.  While approaching the objective, Dunn was badly wounded by enemy sniper fire, “and though suffering severely, was mindful only of the welfare of his men and the success of the mission by instructing his successor so capably that the assignment was fulfilled”.

“We mourn the loss of Donald, who exemplified the character of the Greatest Generation,” said Ryan Schroeder, Plaskolite’s President and CEO. “He was tremendously proud of the company and the people who work here. The Plaskolite family will honor him by continuing to follow the principles he instilled throughout the company.”

Dunn was an active member of the Columbus community, most notably as board member of Buckeye Boys’ Ranch and was a longtime supporter of St. Stephen’s Community House. Along with supporting numerous other charities, in 2013, the Dunn family founded the Donald G. and Mary A. Dunn Chair of Modern Military History at The Ohio State University.