Donald E. Noble (January 21, 1915 – June 30, 2002) was an American businessman and the CEO of Wooster Rubber Company, the predecessor of

Rubbermaid Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. It is a subsidiary of Newell Brands. It is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans. Additionally, it produces sheds, footstool, step stools, closet ...

, from 1959 to 1980. He also founded

TechniGraphics TechniGraphics, Inc. was a multi-national company with its headquarters in Wooster, Ohio, USA. It was involved in geospatial and engineering services. In November 2010, the company was acquired by CACI International Inc. History TechniGraphics s ...

in Wooster.

Education and work history

Noble was born January 21, 1915, in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

, and he was raised in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Noble worked through the Depression while in university at National City Bank of Cleveland, starting as a messenger and advancing over his eight years of employment to a management position. He earned a degree in business administration from

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

in 1941. Noble moved to

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at t ...

, in 1941 to join the Wooster Rubber Co, predecessor of Rubbermaid Inc., initially as chief accountant and assistant office manager. He was named CEO of

in 1959 and held the position until his retirement in 1980. During his tenure, Rubbermaid made the transformation from rubber products to plastic products, increased sales and developed a business plan which provided innovation through research and development. He increased sales over 1100 percent from $24.5 million to $305 million. Net earnings during his time as CEO increased from 21 cents to $2.96 per share.

Community involvement

Noble was a noted benefactor to the

College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

, where he served on the board of trustees for 41 years. With his wife Alice he formed the Donald and Alice Noble Foundation in

. Shortly before his death, Noble built an ice rink in Wooster. He also helped found TechniGraphics, Inc. a mapping and engineering services company in Wooster.

Family

Donald and Alice Noble were married on July 8, 1939, and were married for more than 60 years. Together they had four children: Richard, David, Jeanne and Nancy.

References

* Noble, Donald E. (1996). ''Like Only Yesterday'',

The Wooster Book Company The Wooster Book Company was a publishing firm and bookstore located in Wooster, Ohio. Company profile The Wooster Book Company promotes and develops literary works of regional interest to Ohio and surrounding areas; especially those written wor ...

. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, Donald E. 20th-century American businesspeople 1915 births 2002 deaths