Cogswell Left Diamond in 2006 Due to "Fundamental Differences"

Diamond Glass president Bill Cogswell left the Kingston, Pa.-based company in April 2006 "due to fundamental differences with the strategy, with the style [of current management]," he told the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware during an April 2 hearing.

"Frankly, a series of events occurred relative to other personnel and management changes at the company that I fundamentally had some difficulty with," he said. "Our president resigned, our then-current [chief executive officer (CEO)] called me and let me know that he was tendering his resignation. He was my direct boss at the time." (CLICK HERE for related story.)

He continued, "The current owner and then-chairman of the company, Ken Levine, had brought in not too much earlier than that a new [chief financial officer] that he in turn intended to make the new president and CEO of the company. I had some fundamental differences with the strategy, with the style, and, frankly, at that point, went to [Levine] when he made it clear that he was going to make this person and another person CEO and president of the company. I went to him and said, 'You know, I'm not real sure that we ought to be working together on a go-forward basis. Let's just go ahead and be big boys and girls and just part ways.'"

Eight months later, Cogswell said, the CEO and president were put on leaves of absence (CLICK HERE for related story), and at that time, Levine called him and asked him to meet with him about returning as president of the company.

"I had several discussions, you know. Obviously, the performance from the prior year had been significantly soured," Cogswell said. "There were a number of things that needed to be changed, looked at, directions and so forth, and I did agree to come back at that point in time to take on the challenge, so to speak." (CLICK HERE for related story.)

CLICK HERE for more information from the hearing.

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