Allegion Names Elias Wexler As "Zero International President Emeritus"

Wexler’s leadership guided Zero's expansion from traditional weather-stripping into new product lines

Elias Wexler, long-time president of Zero International, was the guest of honor at a dinner on May 14 hosted by Zero's new corporate parent Allegion plc, a leading global security products and solutions provider.

The special event, celebrating Zero joining the Allegion family, was held at the Harvard Club in New York City. Local customers as well as Allegion and Zero senior managers applauded Wexler’s accomplishments, as he was named “Zero International President Emeritus.”

Anshu Mehrotra, Allegion vice president and general manager of the Americas mechanical business, was among those who recognized Wexler for his contributions to Zero. Wexler, who joined Zero in the late 1970s as its first engineer managing product development, became Zero's president in 1985.

Elias’ Unique Stature

“Thanks to Elias’ unique stature in the door and hardware industry, Zero has an amazing success story,” Mehrotra said. “His leadership guided Zero's expansion from traditional weatherstripping into new product lines, as well as global markets, while establishing Zero as the standard for quality and design innovation in sealing systems engineered to maximize the functionality and performance of doors and windows. We look forward to celebrating future achievements with him and the other newest members of the Allegion team.”

After accepting his award, Wexler acknowledged Zero's customers as its most important asset, while also paying tribute to the Zero management team for enabling the company to continue extending its reach in product development initiatives.

"We have never been satisfied. We originally developed air infiltration systems, and that wasn't enough. Then we wanted sound systems, and that wasn't enough… We wanted acoustical ratings, fire ratings, smoke ratings, radiation ratings," Wexler said. "This willingness to develop and grow could not have happened without the team that we have at Zero."