Harvey R. Blau

Harvey R. Blau (November 14, 1935 – January 19, 2018) was an American attorney and business executive. He was the Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Griffon Corporation (formerly Instrument Systems Corporation).[1] He became a practicing attorney in New York in 1961,[1] and in 1966 was the founding partner of the law firm Blau Kramer Wactlar & Lieberman PC in Jericho, New York.[2]

Harvey R. Blau
Born
Harvey R. Blau

November 14, 1935
DiedJanuary 19, 2018) (age 82)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
Known forChairman of the Board and former CEO of Griffon Corporation
Spouse(s)Arlene Joan Garrett
ChildrenStephanie Blau Kramer
Melissa Blau
Victoria Blau Orlin
RelativesEdward J. Garrett (father-in-law)
Ron Kramer (son-in-law)

Biography

Blau was born to a Jewish family.[3] He graduated from the U.S. Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1958, and served as a Captain in the Army Reserve until 1966.[4] After receiving an A.B. from New York University, a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law, Blau clerked for Judge Irving Ben Cooper and worked as Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York in the mid-1960s.[4][5]

Blau joined Griffon – then known as Instrument Systems Corporation (ISC) – as General Counsel in 1966.[6] After Edward Garrett's death in 1982, Blau was appointed Chairman of the Board and CEO in 1983.[7][8][9] Under Blau's leadership, ISC grew to a large diversified conglomerate whose wholly owned subsidiaries produced garage doors, clothing, specialty plastics, and aerospace and defense electronics. He transformed the company by accelerating a divestiture and cost-cutting plan, strengthening profitable existing lines of business, and aggressively seeking new business.[10] In 1995, Blau renamed ISC as Griffon Corporation, a name inspired by the mythical half-eagle, half-lion symbolizing the combined strengths of the company's different subsidiaries.[11] Blau retired as CEO in March 2008 and was succeeded by Ron Kramer, who had married Blau's daughter Stephanie in 1992.[12] Kramer had served on the company's board of directors since 1993 and was elected Vice Chairman in 2003.[9][13][14]

In addition to his role at Griffon, Blau served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Aeroflex Incorporated, a manufacturer of electronic components and test equipment, from 2002 to 2007[9][15] and as mayor, deputy mayor, and trustee of the Village of Old Westbury, New York.[4] In 2010, Blau and his wife received the Theodore Roosevelt Award at the Legal Aid Society's Annual Servant of Justice Awards Dinner.[16]

Personal life

In 1964, he married Arlene Joan Garrett, the daughter of Griffon's then Chairman and CEO Edward J. Garrett, in a Jewish ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.[5] The couple had three children: Stephanie (married to Ron Kramer), Melissa Blau, and Victoria Blau Orlin (married to Paul Orlin).[3] Blau died on January 19, 2018 at age 82.[3] Services were held at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.[3]

References
  1. "Executive Profile: Harvey R. Blau". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  2. "Company Overview of Blau Kramer Wactlar & Lieberman PC". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  3. "Harvey Blau obituary". Legacy.com. New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  4. "33rd Annual Servant of Justice Awards Dinner Program" (PDF). Legal Aid Society. 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  5. "Miss Arlene J. Garrett Bride of Harvey Blau". New York Times. March 22, 1964. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  6. Rabb, Charles (May 20, 1974). "Unhappy Shareholders Torpedo Loans". Newsday. p. 29. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  7. "Edward Garrett, 64, Chairman Of Instrument Systems Corp". New York Times. March 11, 1982. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  8. "Griffon Corporation". International Directory of Company Histories. 34. 2000. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  9. "Board Members". Griffon Corp. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  10. Incantalupo, Tom (July 28, 1983). "Jericho Firm Escapes Financial Hole". Newsday. p. 45. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  11. "Doors, Diapers and Defense: Griffon Corp. Switches Name, Shifts Directions". Newsday. March 20, 1995.
  12. "Stephanie Blau Has Wedding". New York Times. April 12, 1992. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  13. Bernstein, James (March 18, 2008). "Griffon gets new credit line, CEO". Newsday. pp. A48. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  14. "Griffon Corporation Names Ronald J. Kramer Chief Executive Officer". PR Newswire. March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  15. Wallace, Richard (2005). The Metropolitan New York Jobbank (19th ed.). Adams Media. pp. 63. Harvey R. Blau aeroflex.
  16. "Annual Awards Dinner". Legal Aid Society. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
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