ACG Indiana Polywood's Company Story

As CEO and Founder of POLYWOOD, Doug Rassi has been the visionary leader of the company since 1990. POLYWOOD pioneered the “recycled plastic lumber” outdoor furniture category, which is the fastest-growing category in outdoor today. Their first product, the iconic Adirondack chair, remains a symbol for relaxation and has seen a revival with extensive use along the Carolina shores and across the country.

In 1995, POLYWOOD was the first recycled plastic lumber furniture manufacturer to win the Lillian B. Winchester Design Excellence Award awarded by the International Casual Furnishings Association. Since then, Doug has grown POLYWOOD into a brand name that has become synonymous with the recycled plastic lumber category.

Doug is a natural-born entrepreneur who remains a leading force behind the development of design concepts and manufacturing strategies to bring unique products to customers nationwide.

Doug is on the Board for the Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation and currently serves as Chairman of the Board for LeaderSource SGA, a not-for-profit corporation developing indigenous leaders around the world.

John is a co-founder and Managing Director of Cardinal Equity Partners (www.cardinalep.com), the private investment arm of a family office. Cardinal’s focus is to partner with management teams to acquire and grow consumer product or service businesses with the goal of long-term valuation creation. Since being founded in 1993, Cardinal has invested in 18 platform businesses and today retains investments in six portfolio companies with revenues ranging in size from $20 million to over $700 million. 

John also serves on the Advisory Boards of Walker, Inc. and Crew Carwash, Inc. and until the sale of the company in early 2020, was a Board member of Hulman & Company (parent of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway).

He is actively involved in the community and currently is the Chairman of the Eskenazi Health Foundation and also has board positions with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and Teach For America, Indiana. Prior board roles include United Schools of Indianapolis, The Villages of Indiana (Chairman), Connor Prairie Museum and Foundation, The Venture Club of Indiana (Chairman), Brebeuf Jesuit High School, the 500 Festival and 500 Festival Foundation, and YPO Gold, Indiana (Chairman).

Prior to John’s private equity experience, John was with the Quaker Oats Company where he managed a variety of the company’s brands, and he also served as a Commercial Lender for The National Bank of Detroit.

He has a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Michigan and a master’s in management from the J.L. Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. John, a native of Indianapolis, is married and has two children and two grandchildren.