Fred Young, 80, former president and CEO, Forest City Gear passed away on July 17, 2023. A graduate of Harlem High School, class of 1961, Young obtained his BA in English Literature from Rockford University, class of 1965, and went on to spend a year in the Navy Reserves. After spending nearly 40 years as an adventuring bachelor outdoorsman, he met the love of his life, Wendy Nutter, marrying her on the banks of the Wolf River on June 6, 1981. Fred’s greatest joys were his three daughters, whom he taught to always seek adventure, bestow kindness and generosity, treasure friendship, and work hard and play hard. Fred took over the family business, Forest City Gear, in 1967. Founded by his parents in 1955, Fred took the small mom-and-pop shop to a global level, leading the company to manufacture some of the world’s most difficult gearing for amazing end uses from NASA’s Martian rovers and space station to robotic arms and racing yachts.

Power Transmission Engineering asked members of the gear community to discuss Young’s remarkable influence through the years:

“I met Fred 30 years ago when he welcomed me as an Australian gear manufacturer into his plant in Roscoe. Fred was very open in sharing the reasons for his success. Back then Forest City Gear were already a market leader and I could see why. His generous sharing of information led me to somewhat benchmark our business to his. Key point—his continual investment in the latest technologies. Having followed that lead, our company is now the market leader here in Australia. Always welcoming, Fred and I became good friends that extended to our personal lives. His introductions to other AGMA members helped me integrate into the organization and thus enhanced my gear industry experiences globally. Fred had an eternal presence. He will be sadly missed by the industry and all of us who were fortunate to have known him personally.”

Gordon New, Ronson Gear

“It’s really hard to just share a few words about Fred and his impact on the gear industry. Fred was the first person I met in the gear industry when I joined 15 years ago. Sam Haines, our CEO at the time, took me to meet Fred and to tour Forest City. Fred and the team at Forest City greeted me like they would as a member of their family. Over the next years I had the pleasure of working with Fred and Wendy in business and as part of the AGMA. During one of my visits to Forest City, Fred was hunting, but took time to talk to me while he was on vacation. I do not think most people realize the impact that Fred and Wendy have had on the AGMA. The AGMA we enjoy today is a product of their efforts to make it a welcoming and inclusive association. Their generation of leadership molded the AGMA into one that makes new members feel like family and allows for competitors to collaborate and share to make the entire industry better.”

Dean Burrows, Gear Motions

“Fred Young and Forest City Gear became well known for and synonymous with high quality gear production utilizing modern CNC gear manufacturing machinery and CNC inspection and automation in the 70s and 80s when this equipment was first being introduced. He always had his door open to everyone and showcased his technology in an effort to advance gear production globally. He will be missed for his friendliness, good humor, and innovation in the gear industry.”

David Goodfellow, retired, Star SU LLC

“Fred’s legacy is incredible. Between his innovation and technical expertise to grow his company from a small shop to a global name who manufactures some of the most precise gears available, to the personal impact he had on everyone that knew him through his kindness and generosity, Fred was a true leader who will be dearly missed.”

Matthew E. Croson, AGMA, president

Read the full obit here:

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