Morgan Hill resident and founder of Anaerobe Systems Mike Cox was selected as the 2013 Leadership Excellence Award winner due to the “countless hours, talent and treasure” he devotes to local causes, according to a press release from Mayor Steve Tate and Leadership Morgan Hill.
Cox, 68, will be honored at a July 27 tribute dinner at Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill. The event is also a fundraiser for Leadership Morgan Hill, a nonprofit educational organization that works to train local residents to lead in community service efforts.
“Mike’s exemplary volunteer efforts, community spirit and philanthropy,” specifically as the volunteer lead cook for numerous fundraising events and nonprofit gatherings over the years, earned his recognition as this year’s Excellence award winner, Tate said.
Cox has lived in Morgan Hill for 16 years and is a 2005 graduate of the Leadership program, he said earlier this week. He founded Anaerobe Systems, a designer and manufacturer of oxygen-free bacterial storage products, about 35 years ago. He is still the CEO of the company, whose headquarters is in Morgan Hill.
Cox said receiving the Leadership Morgan Hill award is “quite a surprise.”
“It’s truly a great honor and I’m humbled to be in the company of community leaders that I admire so much,” Cox said.
When he asked why he thinks LMH selected him as the award recipient, he laughed, “My joke is, He who does the most barbecues wins the prize.”
Cox and his wife Mary – at their own expense – have conducted a number of such events for a variety of organizations, including a fundraiser for the Morgan Hill library, the Morgan Hill Community Foundation and the Independence Day Celebrations nonprofit committee.
These events often take place in the Cox’ backyard, and feature “fabulous food” prepared by the couple and their son Steve, as well as other friends, according to the press release from LMH. Cox said his specialties are filet mignon and paella.
One of their “crowning achievements” was the ceremony for 2012 Leadership Excellence winner Rosy Bergin, for which the couple supplied food for more than 250 attendees.
Adam Ferguson, president of the LMH board of directors, said he is “excited with Mike’s selection,” and he looks forward to “celebrating his many community contributions.”
“Mike’s philanthropy and community support exemplify the core values of our organization, and as a program graduate he has a deep understanding of the LMH experience,” Ferguson continued.
Cox said it was the mayor who encouraged him to join the LMH program in 2005. He said he gained a deep and intimate education into the diverse facets of the Morgan Hill community.
More information about the Leadership Excellence Award ceremony – including how to purchase tickets – will be posted in the coming days to the LMH website, www.leadershipmorganhill.org.
