WOOSTER On March 3, 2020, the leading figures of the region’s industries gathered for the Wayne County Economic Development Council’s annual breakfast.
The keynote speaker that morning was Carey Jaros, the new CEO of Akron-based Gojo Industries who had assumed the reins of the company known for manufacturing Purell hand sanitizer a little more than two months earlier.
Tom Pukys, the executive director of the council, said a couple of attendees asked about the mysterious virus gripping China, but the conversation over breakfast centered on the basics of the company and learning about its new CEO.
“The discussion really wasn’t about the pandemic,” Pukys said.