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36

League Of His Own

Alan Barry is making a bittersweet transition at Masco after
the death of his friend and mentor.

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Special to the Jewish News

L

ast spring, the day after a trip to Tennessee
and a few hours before jetting off to a din-
ner meeting in Chicago, Masco President
and Chief Operating Officer Alan Barry
asked his secretary to clear his schedule. He wanted
to attend the kindergarten graduation ceremony for
two of his four grandchildren, Max and Cameron.
For most people, taking personal time away from
work for a family simchah wouldn't be a concern.
But for Barry, 60, a hands-on executive who logs an
average of 75 hours a week, it was a big deal.
He had just taken over the presidency of Masco,
the largest U.S. manufacturer of kitchen and bath
cabinetry and a world leader in plumbing, home
specialty and architectural products, after the unex-
pected death of his predecessor, Ray Kennedy.
And though this was a major promotion from his
position as a group president, it was as bittersweet as
it was exciting. Kennedy and Barry planned on retir-
ing at the same time.
"This was not a position I consciously wanted,"
Barry said. "Ray was my friend. We were the same
age. We had worked together for 20 years."
To maintain business operations after Kennedy's
death, the company's board of directors quickly
approved Barry for the top job.
"I believe what becomes important is what you're
doing, and who you are doing it with," Barry said.
He couldn't imagine working any harder than he
had done in previous executive management posi-
tions. There would be different demands, but they
would not stop him from attending his grandsons'
big event. Barry said he had already missed too
many of his children's milestones while moving up
the corporate ladder.
Early in his career, Barry said, it was difficult to
balance work and family. He and his wife, Karen,
have two grown children, Todd and Laura, and four
grandchildren.
"I made many sacrifices in my personal life to suc-
ceed in business," he said. "My wife made sacrifices,
too. She kept up the family. I've kept up the busi-
ness. I always said that when the time came that I
would retire, I will be there for whatever my grand-
kids will be doing."
Barry is Masco's first Jewish president and third
non-family member outside the founding
Manoogian family to serve as president of the home
products giant, which is headquartered in Taylor.
Masco had a record $9:4 billion in sales last year.
It was founded as an automotive supplier in 1929 by
Armenian immigrant Alex Manoogian. Manoogian
is credited with taking the company in a new direc-
tion with the invention of the single-handle faucet.
He also launched Delta brand faucets, one of the
company's biggest selling products.

In his previous Masco positions, as
division president and as a group presi-
dent, Barry was instrumental in convinc-
ing the corporate board of directors to
take Masco in yet another direction:
service and installation. He is largely
responsible for expanding the company's
into the product installation area.

Toledo Roots

Barry grew up in Toledo, Ohio. His
father was a self-employed accountant
and "my mom was the typical Jewish
mother," he said. "She stayed home with
the family and raised three boys. "
The Barrys were members of the
Conservative synagogue, B'nai Israel.
Their home was kosher, with "three sets
of dishes: milchig, fleisig and tree
From the time he first learned to
count, Barry was fascinated with num-
bers, and later, statistics. He first went
with his dad to the office at age 9. He
watched his father work. Even then, he
knew he wanted to do something signifi
cant with his life and he was willing to
work hard.
By the time he was 13, Barry's dad
handed over to his son his first book-
keeping client, an optometrist. "My dad
helped, but I was mostly self-taught,"
Barry said. "I am success driven. I have
Masco's Alan Barry
worked hard all of my life."
While studying accounting at the
earth, loving, soft-hearted guy."
University of Toledo, he secured an internship at a
"He is a man who had a vision and just continued
major accounting firm, Ernst & Ernst. He met his
to go with it," Rabbi Bennett said. "He chose a
first mentor, Hugh Overmeyer, a senior partner who
route that was outside the Jewish community, and
taught him the importance of leading by example.
he didn't rest on his connections to get anything."
"When I got into the office at 8:30 a.m., he was
already working," Barry said. "Hugh was highly
respected."
Committed To Success
After earning his bachelor's degree in accounting,
Three years after arriving in Detroit, Barry found
Barry went to work for Ernst & Ernst, eventually
himself in an uncomfortable situation. He wasn't
becoming an audit supervisor. In 1965, he married
happy at work, and he contemplated a move back to
his high school sweetheart, Karen.
Toledo to start his own business.
Unfortunately, public accounting had its draw-
Meanwhile, Barry interviewed for a controller
backs for Barry. He didn't like going to different
position with BrassCraft Manufacturing, a plumbing
offices every day, and it was hard to advance in the
products company that would later be purchased by
Toledo office, where there were no firm partners.
Masco.
When one of the firm's clients, Cadillac Overall
He got the job — and his first taste of hands-on
Supply Co., offered him a job in Detroit as vice
manufacturing. His boss, Murray Snyder, the corn-
president of finance, he jumped at the opportunity.
pany's vice president of finance, thought it was
The Barry family joined Temple Israel, where
important for Barry to learn how the operations
three generations now are members of the West
worked by spending a few months as a shipping
Bloomfield congregation and Barry serves on the
foreman.
board of trustees.
At the crack of dawn on his first day on the job,
Despite Barry's high-powered position, Rabbi
LEAGUE on page 77
Joshua Bennett described him as "the most down to

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