Content area
Full Text
More than a decade ago, Bob Levine's high school classmates voted him "Least Likely to Succeed." In 1992, a different group of peers voted S. Robert Levine, president and CEO of Cabletron Systems, Inc. magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year," an honor he shared with Craig Benson, the company's chairman.
Since 1983, the duo have taken Rochester, NH-based Cabletron, the world's largest maker of computer networking cables, from a privately held firm launched in Benson's garage to a public company employing 3,100 people in 18 countries worldwide. Today, the crew-cutted, 36-year-old Levine resembles a squat Arnold Schwarzenegger--the result of hoisting weights, scattered around his office when the mood strikes.
"I've done it for 17 years," he says. "It relieves stress and makes me feel aggressive."
As if the kinetic Levine--or Cabletron--needed additional pumping. Sales in the nine months ended November 30, 1993, soared 46 percent from the year earlier period to $429.9 million from $295.2 million. Net income of $83.5 million represented five-year growth of 120.6 percent. The company, which went public...