Shop Talk: Q&A With John Crowe of Saint-Gobain
John Crowe
Title: President and CEO, North American operations for Saint-Gobain, and for CertainTeed Corp.
Residence: Southborough
Education: Bachelor's in chemical engineering, Clarkson University; MBA, Boston College.
After 33 years with the same company, John Crowe is now the president and CEO of Saint-Gobain’s North American operations (as well as CertainTeed Corp., which became part of Saint-Gobain in 1988). We caught up with him earlier this month at the company’s research and development facility in Northborough.
What is it that Worcester-area businesses need to know about Saint-Gobain?
What they probably know is that we’re here, locally. But in North America it’s really a substantial business, with revenues of $7.3 billion; 19,000 employees; 265 sites. So it’s a very substantial company on its own. If you compare it to the list of Fortune 500 industrial companies, we’d probably be between 300 and 350. … The fact that we’re here in Northborough (shows) it’s a company very committed to research and development and innovation.
You’ve been in your new role for a little over a month. What’s the best part about it and what’s your biggest challenge?
To be given overall responsibility for Saint-Gobain in North America is a sort of fantastic culmination of my career where I feel part of the company. I know everybody and I’m a bit of a fixture … and to now be able to take those relationships and support the (division’s) growth and development is a bit of a dream come true.
Regarding your longevity with the company, you don’t find much of that nowadays.
You don’t fund much of that at all (in) people who have spent their entire careers with one company. … (Saint-Gobain has) always given me challenges and opportunities to grow. I’ve had a great career. So I think that’s the best part — is taking that history I have with the group and having that responsibility in playing that important role in helping the company to continue to grow and prosper. The ambassador of the group, if you will.
What are two or three keys to success that manufacturers of durable goods (such as Saint-Gobain) need to focus on going forward?
I think there’s a strong energy play. Forty percent of all the energy consumed is consumed in buildings. … It’s needed, its justified. I think we all worry about (things) related to green and the environment and things that are sustainable, things that are reusable. … I think also and it’s something unique to Saint-Gobain is the integration of systems. A roof shingle or a piece of insulation or a piece of gypsum board by itself is needed, but when you start to integrate these products together as systems, you can start to address challenges that architects (and) builders have in terms of desired designs, desired energy use.
And what about the manufacturing sector in the U.S. amid growing global competition?
We win on technology and innovation. When we do things well I think we’re the best in the world in it. Even in the abrasives business, I think we do things right at the very top (in) the performance of the products that we manufacture that emerging-market competitors don’t have. They tend to compete in the commodity, low end, low price. That’s not where we’re going to be successful. … We need to keep ourselves providing more sophisticated, higher-performing products and solutions that customers value.
Saint-Gobain and previously Norton Co. have a long history in the Worcester area. What is it like for the company here and what does the future hold?
It’s a very stable situation for us in the area. We have very close relationships, especially with the technical aspects of some of the local universities. We hire engineers; we do research. We have them associated with some of the committees and boards that we have. So ... Saint-Gobain sees Central Massachusetts as a good place to be if you want to be investing in research and innovation.
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