Maurice G. Hardy

June 1 1990 by Peter Lacey

Only serious environmental incidents like the recent-and costly-Perrier debacle remind most of us of the crucial importance of the “fluid clarification,” or filter, industry. An acknowledged leader in the industry (whose products were not involved in the Perrier incident) is the Pall Corporation of Glen Cove, N.Y.

Pall has quietly come to dominate several important niches with a product line that includes filters for health care, aeropower and general fluid processing.

Pall’s success has not made it complacent, however. Says its new CEO, Maurice G. Hardy, “When you’re a growth company, you should stand back and look at progress occasionally and the time to do this is when you’ve got a healthy company, not an unhealthy one.”

The top management of Pall has been paying close attention to Hardy’s advice since they acquired his London engineering firm in 1962. Pall, founded in 1946 by scientist Dr. David Pall, had decided to establish a European foothold. Under Hardy’s direction, all of Pall’s U.S. production capacity was eventually duplicated in the U.K. The investment paid off: In 1990, Pall expects a profit of $70 million from revenues of $570 million.

From the beginning of its foreign expansion, Pall has concentrated on local production rather than export. “Agricultural products must be exported,” says Hardy, “but manufacturing is a different arena. You’ve got to get out there and get your share of growing economies.”

Hardy, 59, moved his home to the U.S. before taking over as CEO from his longtime boss and mentor, Pall Chairman Abraham Krasnoff. A yachtsman and nautical history buff, there is something of the ship’s captain in his style-something he hopes will keep Pall in the lead.