Richard Saslow, chairman emeritus of the Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company, passed away in December. According to the company, he grew Hu-Friedy from a six-person outfit to a global leader in dental manufacturing and infection prevention.
Saslow acquired Hu-Friedy from founder and owner Hugo Friedman in 1959, beginning a 60-year period of ownership by the Saslow family. He served as president for 41 years before passing the position to his son, Ron.
According to Hu-Friedy, Saslow transformed the company with a commitment to manufacturing the highest quality products, building strong customer relationships, and establishing a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
Saslow also was a beloved leader and mentor who was respected by all, Hu-Friedy said, from entry-level employees to executives. Many employees have remained at the company for up to 30 and 40 years because of the strong corporate culture he established, Hu-Friedy said.
“For those of you who knew my father, you always felt his great passion and love for Hu-Friedy, dating back to the time he purchased the company in 1959. He loved building teams of hardworking professionals who shared his relentless approach to continuous improvement,” said Ron Saslow.
“He will be missed by all of us lucky enough to have known or worked with him, but his spirit will live on through all the future chapters of HuFriedyGroup and through all of the lives he impacted along the way,” Ron said.
Throughout his career, Saslow received numerous honors for his leadership, including being named to the Dental Distributor Hall of Fame in 2013.
In 2019, Hu-Friedy became part of Cantel Medical and merged with Crosstex to become the HuFriedyGroup.
The Saslow family will host a celebration of his life on August 12, 2021, on what would have been his 89th birthday.
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