Even before the term "plastic" was widely used, in June 1945, my grandpa Joseph C. Carbone founded the Bridgeport, Connecticut-based "Modern Glass Company," a one-man business that specialized in same-day car window glass installation. This is how Modern Plastics got its start.

Through the long, bitterly cold New England winters, all the heat required to maintain output was produced by a pot-bellied burner.

He put a lot of effort into his work and taught his staff and the company integrity and core principles. I thought he was quite amazing, kind of like a genius.