Barry Potter, of Chamberlain, the son of Harold and Faire Potter, passed away Sept. 26 at home surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer.
He was born in Chester, Vt. in 1938, and moved to Bolton, Mass. in 1944 where he grew up and attended Hudson High School. Growing up on a farm in Bolton as a young man he developed character traits that lasted a lifetime. His entrepreneurial spirit got its start when he raised and sold dairy calves to pay for his first year’s college expenses. At Hudson High he was a multi-letter athlete and graduated as the class Salutatorian.
He attended Colby College from 1956-1960, where he continued to run track and play football for the Colby Mules. It was at Colby College where he met his wife of 43 years, Bonnie Brown Potter. He stayed actively involved with Colby College until his death, acting as a member of the Alumni Council and the Chairman of the Alumni Nomination Committee.
After graduating from Colby, Mr. Potter served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves. Mr. Potter worked at GenRad (General Radio) from 1963-1967 before starting his first of many successful ventures, Potter Associates, a rep. firm for plastics companies. His success at Potter Associates led to a position as vice president of sales and marketing at Nypro, Inc., where he worked from 1968-1982. He was instrumental in Nypro’s growth from a local custom molding company into a successful national and international injection molding and contract manufacturing company.
After working at Nypro, he made a brief foray into the ski business before returning to the plastics industry, where he established Netstal Machinery, USA, a subsidiary of an injection molding machine manufacturer located in Naefels, Switzerland. He was CEO of Netstal Machinery USA from 1982-1996. As CEO of Netstal USA, Mr. Potter started two additional companies: Optima Precision, in Fitchburg Mass., a manufacturer of optical disc containers, and First Light Technology, in Saco, a pioneer in the development of inline manufacturing systems for optical discs. By 1996, these companies’ revenues reached nearly $100 million in sales.
After retiring from Netstal Machinery, Mr. Potter returned to Nypro where he focused on the European Market. He was responsible for operations in continental Europe and directed the acquisition of a plant in France and construction of plants in Moscow and Hungary. During this time he served on the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce as well as on the Board of Directors of Nypro’s companies and ventures in Europe. Mr. Potter maintained a close relationship with Nypro for over 35 years.
Loyalty to people and their loyalty to him was an important force in his business and personal life. He had a unique ability to communicate with people of all backgrounds and enjoyed the company of the people he worked with, inviting CEOs and technicians alike to share his home. His greatest joy was in helping others and celebrating their success.
He was an avid skier, tennis player, world traveler, and loved working outside on his tractor. He was happiest with family and friends and above of all he was a loving husband and father.
Mr. Potter is survived by his wife, Bonnie, of Chamberlain; sons, Andrew of Berlin, Mass., and Jamieson of Beijing, China; and sisters, Mary Lee Mahoney-Camp of Barnard, Vt., and Jane Silverman of Bolton, Mass.
Memorial services 4 p.m., Sun., Oct. 1 at the Federated Church in Bolton, Mass.
Arrangements are under the direction of Coast of Maine Cremation and Funeral Service, Waldoboro.
Should friends so desire, donations may be made in Mr. Potter’s memory to Melanoma Research Foundation, 24 Old Georgetown Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540.