Langer's CEO Puts His Best Foot Forward

Gray Hudkins may seem like an unlikely advocate for patience. At only 31, Hudkins is the chief executive officer of Langer (GAIT), a Deer Park (N.Y.) maker of orthopedic and skin-care products with $35.8 million in revenues in the year ended Sept. 30. Still, Hudkins put in time at a variety of different companies before landing in his current role. He says he didn't start out with his mind set on a corner office.

Hudkins came to Langer with a background in finance. After graduating from Princeton University in 1997, he held roles at a private merchant bank, a private equity bank, and a branded consumer-products company before becoming director of corporate development for Stamford (Conn.)-based e-commerce outfit Clarus in December, 2002. A year later, Hudkins went to work for Clarus Executive Chairman Warren Kanders as a principal in private investment firm Kanders & Co.