POLYCHROME
People By Mr. Bob Gumbinner
Gregory
Halpern:
Gregory
Halpern studied Chemistry at Columbia University. Later he received
honorary Doctorate degrees from Brooklyn Polytechnic and Beaver
College, where he was a Trustee. He was from Danzig, Germany. His
family owned a small forest in Germany which he sold. He never was
involved with the Chemistry research or quality control at
Polychrome. Marketing was his forte. He could foresee the future of
office copying. He was an excellent salesman. When things were
being discussed he was in charge. The only person I knew who did
not let Mr. Halpern control the conversation was my brother Jack
Gumbinner.
One
year we spent considerable time looking for a plant site in Orange
County. We met a contractor in Newburgh who after a short
conversation was convinced that Mr. Halpern was going to give him a
big job and for weeks showed us around the county. I did not see
anyplace exceptional. However, the following year we looked at a 400
acre farm in Columbia County which had a well built stone barn, a
house that could be used for offices, several ponds and NY State
Power, which was much less expensive the power in Yonkers from
Consolidated Edison, for fifty thousand dollars. I was disappointed
that Mr. Halpern did not buy it. When Mr. Halpern had nothing else
to do he would hold meetings many of which I had to attend.