Jim Vincent, who founded Vincent Industrial Plastics and sat on numerous boards in Henderson through the years, died on July 31. He was 82.
Like others in this article, Vincent’s wife, Holly, said her husband was talented in numerous skills and disciplines. In his own right, he was a “genius,” Holly Vincent said.
One of his most notable achievements, according to Holly Vincent, was as founder of Vincent Industrial Plastics. VIP employed 300 people at its height, and she said her husband took “great pride” for being able to employ so many in Henderson.
It was also a company that helped to establish the plastic injection molding industry in the tri-state, she said. Holly Vincent said that if someone owned a Toyota, Ford or GM from the late 1990s through 2008, “it had parts on it from Henderson, Ky.”
That was seconded by Erich Spraetz, who worked at VIP for 18 years and was the engineering manager there. Spraetz said VIP made parts for every vehicle manufactured in North America.
Holly Vincent said the company also made parts for Kodak, Texas Instruments, Whirlpool and Kenmore.
Spraetz said that VIP was the best job he ever had, and part of that had to do with how Vincent treated his employees. If Spraetz made a mistake, and there were a few, he would come to Vincent and tell him about it and then tell him how he was going to fix it. If that was the attitude employees had, Jim Vincent was understanding, he said.
“He was the best boss I ever had,” Spraetz said.
Before founding VIP, Jim Vincnet worked 17 years at Cyanede Plastics and held vice president and general manager positions, according to his obituary.
Founded in January 1981, Vincent Industrial Plastics operated for 29 years before eventually closing on Sept. 1, 2009, according to Holly Vincent, because of the national recession at that time.
What followed for Jim Vincent was a dark time, his wife said, but he didn’t stop working. He soon started work at Crescent Plastics in Evansville, and became its general manager. He eventually retired in 2018 at age 75, Holly Vincent said.
It marked 54 years in the plastics industry. He was an active member of the Society of Plastics Engineers for over 50 years, including serving as the President of the Tristate Section. He was also an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Quality, according to his obituary.
Holly Vincent said that her husband served on numerous boards and organizations, so many that she didn’t get them all in the obituary. Those mentioned, though, include the Henderson Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), the Henderson Chamber of Commerce (Vice Chairman of Economic Development), the Boy Scouts of America (District Chair), Junior Achievement (President), Henderson Community College Foundation, Henderson YMCA Board of Directors, and Henderson Municipal Power and Light Board of Directors. Beyond his local community, he was a Kentucky Colonel and NRA benefactor life member.
Vincent also sat on for many years on the Community Methodist Hospital Board of Directors, and he continued to serve on the Henderson Deaconess Hospital Board of Directors following the acquisition of Community Methodist Hospital by the Deaconess Health System.
Holly Vincent said that the time he served on the hospital boards was a “rough time” but in the end, he was proud of the work the board did to keep a hospital in Henderson and not have the hospital stop operations here, which would have forced Hendersonians to receive care elsewhere—which could have happened, she said.
Jon H. Sights, the former chairman of Sitex, grew up with Vincent. Sights said they became friends after Vincent moved to Robards as a boy. They both attended Robards Elementary and then Henderson County High School, graduating in 1961.
Later in life, they served on the Community Methodist Hospital Board together for 20 years or so, Sights said. He said Vincent was a focused board member.
“I always respected his judgment and his opinion,” Sights said.
Sights added, “Through all the years growing up together at Robards and throughout our lifetime of friendship, I don’t remember Jim speaking ill of anyone. He was a genuinely good guy with a big laugh and always fun to be around.”
As general counsel for the hospital for many years, David Park also worked alongside Vincent when he was on the hospital board. But he also knew Vincent as someone who attended Sunday school classes that Park taught (and still teaches) at First United Methodist Church.
Park described him as “very thoughtful” and “very smart.”
Park also mentioned the wide variety of skills and subjects that Vincent was good at—business, manufacturing, engineering, hunting and fishing. He brought that background to the meetings and gatherings they attended together, Park said.
He “could talk to you about a wide range of subjects,” Park said, adding that “entrepreneurial” is another term to describe Vincent.
When a flood ravaged the area of outer Fifth Street in about 2005-2006, a board was formed by local government to improve Canoe Creek and control flooding there. Buzzy Newman, currently the Assistant City Manager, was a member of what would come to be called the Flood Mitigation Board and worked alongside Vincent. Newman said it was one of the worst floods within city limits that Henderson had seen.
“Jim provided a lot of leadership on that Flood Mitigation Board to get a lot of the major work done,” Newman said.
He said that the board gathered some $4-5 million in grants to clean out and widen Canoe Creek. Since then, that area has not experienced the flooding it once had, Newman said.
“I can’t say enough about (Vincent),” Newman said.
A celebration of Jim Vincent’s life will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, September 27, 2026, at First United Methodist Church, 338 Third Street. Visitation will be from 2 p.m. until service time that day.
Read his obituary here.
