The industry lost a rising star. Paul F. “Alex” Wooden III, CEO of Taylor Technologies, died Feb. 12 of unknown causes. He was 30. “He was a very bright young man, who was confident … and had great vision,” said Ken Armstrong, acting CEO of Taylor Technologies.
Armstrong, a 37-year company veteran, knew Wooden since he was born. “I would call him a fair, generally all-around good person [with] an extremely bright future ahead of him,” he said.
Wooden’s destiny seemed assured: After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Johns Hopkins University, he obtained a Master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University Maryland. He served as Taylor Tech’s vice president of strategic development before succeeding his father, Paul F. Wooden Jr., as CEO last year.
But his role at the Sparks, Md.-based manufacturer of water-testing kits went back to his school days. Wooden began learning about Taylor operations on holidays and summer vacations, assembling test kits and packing shipping cartons at the plant. Other times, he was in the office stuffing envelopes for mass mailings or writing stories for the employee newsletter. During college, Wooden would return and join his father, representing the company at trade shows and customer appointments.
“He was very fun-loving and adventurous,” said Chris Sinelli, CFO at Taylor Technologies. “He had a smile on his face all the time.”
Wooden loved to travel and spend time outdoors, as was evident in some of his recent excursions: an African desert safari, a river cruise around Europe with his parents, and snowboarding and snow skiing in Colorado and Canada.
His big heart also led him to assist local charities. Wooden and his family supported their nonprofit, the Taylor Foundation, which enables the company, its staff and friends to aid organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief group whose work includes sending gift boxes packed with items like crayons and jump ropes to children worldwide at Christmastime. Another favorite charity of his was the Helping Up Mission, a faith-based organization that aids men recovering from addiction and homelessness in Greater Baltimore.
However, when it comes to Wooden’s legacy, he’ll probably be best remembered by the pool, spa and aquatics industries for his work at Taylor Technologies. His enthusiasm, energy, intelligence, thoughtfulness and vision come to mind, Sinelli said. “He really cared for the people [of Taylor], like his father before him,” she added.
Alex Wooden is survived by his parents, Debbie and Paul F. Wooden Jr.
