Chaplin continued family legacy
Headed historic Canadian General-Tower
CAMBRIDGE — When Jim Chaplin was forced to step back from the company he built into a $300-million enterprise, the late Cambridge industrialist turned to the one person he could trust most — his son.
Rick Chaplin had been a part of Canadian GeneralTower his whole adult life, and as the fifth generation in his family to manage the company, it seemed the big factory and the vinyl products it produced just ran in his blood.
Chaplin, who passed away suddenly last week, is remembered for shepherding the family business through a difficult transition, ending in its eventual sale in 2012 when he was the CEO.
“He had dad’s confidence,” said Jan Chaplin, one of his three sisters. “It was really important when he took the helm, because our father was really challenged by his Parkinson’s disease. He really needed someone he could trust by his side. And he chose Rick.”
Chaplin, 58, will be mourned Thursday at 2 p.m. at Trinity Anglican Church in Cambridge, as friends, family and former employees say goodbye.
As the only son to Jim and Janet Chaplin, Chaplin was kept busy running his family’s affairs after Canadian General-Tower was sold, while tending to his ailing father and mother. Selling the business was one of the most difficult things he ever had to do.
“It was excruciating,” his sister said. “All the wolves were out and everybody had an agenda. But Rick was very savvy to navigate around all that stuff. He did an amazing job.”
The company Chaplin ran had been around since the early 1900s, but his family’s industrial roots go back
to William Chaplin, who in the 1800s got into tool and wooden wheel manufacturing.
Canadian General-Tower (CGT), which makes coated fabrics and vinyl trim used in everything from the auto industry to swimming pool liners, was sold in 2012 to Holcan Investments of Burlington. At the time of the sale, it employed close to 400 people.
Chaplin was big, gruff-speaking and at home in a factory. But he also saw his work as art, too — producing products that won design awards and were exported around the world.
Inside the plant and in his personal life, Chaplin had a unique ability to connect with people. He was a natural storyteller, fun-loving, had a sharp wit and a curious mind, Jan Chaplin said.
“He’d talk to everybody. He pretty much knew everybody and he remembered your name. He should have been a politician,” she said. “He was an interesting guy, and he was entertaining to be around.”
Chaplin died of a brain aneurysm that struck while he was getting his car out of storage for a mechanic. It was his mother’s birthday, and he was expected to join his family in Cambridge for lunch.
A lifelong bachelor, he kept up an active lifestyle skiing, cycling, snowmobiling and travelling, but always made time for family, his sister said. He loved to cook, and obsessed over the intricacies of Chinese cuisine, learning Mandarin along the way.
He was also a former director of the Chaplin Family YMCA in Cambridge, named after his father’s significant contributions to the institution. And he always stayed loyal to his many friends, throughout the years, Jan Chaplin said.
“He built up friends like he was building up a portfolio,” she said. “He was such a large personality. He had a really full life.”
A private reception at Langdon Hall will follow his funeral on Thursday. Those planning to attend or send condolences are asked to email his sister Elizabeth Chaplin at elizabeth@wrec.com.