Posted August 13, 2010
Keyser receives award
Former Grainger chairman and chief executive officer Richard L. Keyser has been named 2010 Public Company Director of the Year by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Keyser was recognized by his boardroom peers for having exemplary, steady leadership in dynamic and challenging environments.
The NACD Director of the Year awards recognize distinguished individual directors as role models in promoting exemplary board leadership, oversight excellence and courage in the boardroom. Keyser will be honored at an awards banquet in October at the NACD Annual Corporate Governance Conference in Washington, D.C.
"Dick Keyser has been an exceptional leader and Board Member," said James T. Ryan, Grainger's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "He has been a mentor and colleague to those who have had the privilege to work with him over the years and we are delighted for this significant recognition of his accomplishments."
Keyser currently serves as a director for The Principal Financial Group, Zebra Technologies Corporation, and The National Merit Scholarship Corporation. He also serves as a director for The NorthShore University Healthcare System and is committee chair of the Research Institute. He has served as a director for the former Morton International and Rohm and Haas Companies and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He also serves in an advisory capacity for several academic institutions.
Keyser retired from Grainger's Board in April 2010. Previously, he served as Grainger's chairman of the board, a position assumed in 1997. He also served as Grainger's chief executive officer beginning in 1995 and prior to that he served as Grainger's president and chief operating officer.
Before joining Grainger in 1986, he was president of the Hycalog Division of NL Industries. His business career also includes 13 years with Cummins Engine Company.
Keyser is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy where he earned a bachelor's degree in nuclear science; he also holds a master's degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School. He is a veteran of the U.S. Submarine Service.
