Celebrating Our 75th - A Special Honor

Americhem was proud to welcome Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio mayor Don Walters and director of development Diane Sheridan to their world headquarters last week. Mayor Walters issued a proclamation declaring Nov. 29, 2016 as Americhem’s 75^th anniversary day in the city of Cuyahoga Falls. The proclamation read, in part, “…on behalf of all citizens, (I) congratulate them on this monumental occasion and express our sincere appreciation for the many civic and economic benefits that our community has enjoyed over the years due to the growth and prosperity of Americhem.”

Americhem owner and CEO Rick Juve and the company’s executive committee accepted the proclamation on behalf of over 800 Americhem employees around the world. The company was also recognized with a full page article in Plastics News covering the anniversary. The Summit County (Ohio) Council will soon recognize Americhem with a special commendation on their 75^th anniversary.

Photo: Americhem board chairman and owner Rick Juve (right) accepts a special Americhem anniversary proclamation from Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters.

Americhem’s 75th Anniversary: How Hard Work and Dedication Can Change Lives

After decades of innovation, partnerships and problem solving, Americhem turns 75 years old today. The progression from manufacturers’ rep to a fledgling manufacturing company to the global organization we are today makes for very interesting business history. In fact, you can compare Americhem’s history to a Horatio Alger novel. In those 19^th century stories, impoverished boys rise up from their humble backgrounds to enter the middle class and its relative stability and comfort. In the same way, Americhem rose from its humble beginnings in 1941 as The Caldwell Company to a global corporation with over 800 employees and manufacturing locations around the world. Sylvester Caldwell, Caldwell Company’s founder, was displaced from his job at Thompson Weinman & Co. when its Akron office closed. This led directly to Caldwell forming his own company representing manufacturers of fillers for rubber.

Even after Caldwell Company was established, tough times lay ahead. As the U.S. entered World War II, natural rubber became scarce and was rationed, and Caldwell had to find customers outside the rubber industry. This led to the company’s first experience with colorants, which laid the foundation for things to come.

In the early 50’s, Richard H. (Dick) Juve joined the company. Juve was a self-made man who spent four years as a Marine Corps pilot in WWII, which had interrupted his college education at Penn State. Juve returned to finish college after the war. He made a name for himself within The Caldwell Company by spending much of his time evaluating PVC stabilizers and lubricants, including working nights and weekends. In 1958, Juve and Harvey Cooper bought one third shares of the company with Caldwell retaining the remaining third. Soon, a manufacturing plant was purchased and the company changed its focus to making color concentrates. In 1959, the company’s name was changed to Americhem, which it remains to this day.

These stories of men “pulling themselves up by the bootstraps” are embedded into the core of our company values and principles. To this day Americhem provides opportunities for hard-working employees to start here in any capacity and to move their way up through the ranks to the job of their dreams. This “rags to riches” mentality of Alger’s novels can be seen in the operations of our company on a daily basis and can also be seen in our company history which all Americhem employees share.

So happy anniversary Americhem! Here’s to the next 75 years of success, hard work and fulfilling dreams.

Scott Blanchard

Corporate Marketing & Communications Manager

Americhem, Vi-Chem Partnership Solves Customers Toughest Challenges

Americhem was surprised and honored when we learned that our acquisition of Vi-Chem was one of the 20 most popular stories in Plastics News so far in 2016. It certainly was big news for the Americhem Group of companies, but we’re pleased to know that this news was popular with the plastics community in general.

The acquisition of Vi-Chem was a very strategic one for our company. Each firm shares the automotive industry as one of the core pillars of our business. Since Vi-Chem makes compounds based on PVC and elastomers, we felt that their product line was both complementary and supplementary to Americhem’s color and additive masterbatch products. One of the big factors that convinced us that Vi-Chem was the right fit was the shared core values and principles. We continue to marvel at the similarities between employees of both companies. Both are very customer focused problem solvers that thrive on creating solutions to our customers’ toughest challenges.

Our two companies have achieved a lot in the five months since we joined together. We’ve gone through cultural and leadership assimilation programs and we’ve set goals and objectives for 2017. We’ve started to achieve many of the synergies between the companies that we envisioned back in March when the acquisition was made. These are things like purchasing power, research and development teamwork and the opening of new markets shared by Americhem and Vi-Chem.

Vi-Chem personnel have worked with Americhem’s international team to bring their products to new markets. We’ve held meetings with all of our customers and suppliers since the acquisition and they all have been very positive. We’ve also explored the possibility of creating unique product offerings to customers outside of the automotive industry.

This has been an exciting year for Americhem and Vi-Chem, and we’re looking forward to all the possibilities that our future together might bring. The people of both companies share a similar dedication, open mindedness and competitive spirit. And, when combined with our other sister company, Infinity LTL Engineered Compounds, the Americhem Group of companies offers a special collection of products and services for the global polymer industry. Stay tuned as we continue to grow together to help solve your toughest challenges.

Scott Blanchard

Corporate Marketing & Communications Manager

Monthly Color Inspirations - Heather

As summer begins to blend into fall, we take time to reflect on our August color inspiration: Heather.

Heather is a blend of neutral creams and greys with soft pinks and purples. Reminiscent of classic mauve, Heather is perfect for the transition of seasons.

Bright, but delicate, Heather compliments traditional neutrals, sharp black and white, and bold tones like burgundy. Much like August is a bridge between hot summer days and cool fall afternoons, Heather is a bridge between classic and contemporary colors.  With more depth than lilacs and pale pinks, Heather provides an intensity without intimidation.

Looking to get expand you color knowledge? Register for an Americhem U session today!                                                                                                                                            

Images: Left | Top Middle | Bottom Middle | Right

Monthly Color Inspiration - Boisterous

July brings a flurry of summer activity and Boisterous is a wonderful representation of that!

The perfect inspiration for bright summer days and warm celebrations, Boisterous is in our family of yellows and was originally introduced at Americhem’s 2016-2017 Color Trends presentation as part of the “Welcome Distraction” palette.

Yellow is the best color to create enthusiasm for life and can awaken greater confidence with optimism. It’s the color of happiness, enlightenment and creativity. The sentiment behind yellow is based on where it is found in nature, in the natural world yellow is the color of sunflowers and daffodils. A neon, lemon hue, Boisterous is a rambunctious and rowdy tone compared to some tamer yellows.  Ready for anything, it’s about letting off steam and enjoying life.

Being the lightest hue of the spectrum, yellow is uplifting and illuminating. A simple color that offers hope, cheerfulness and fun. Boisterous takes those characteristics to a new height with its bright tone.

Looking to get professional insight into color? Register for an Americhem U session today!

Images: Left | Top Right | Middle Right | Bottom Right

Monthly Color Inspiration - Cool Mint

As we leave the month of June, we can take time to reflect on this month’s color inspiration: Cool Mint.

Cool Mint is in our family of greens and is perfect as we transition to the hottest days of the year.

Generally, green shades can be taken to represent life itself and the essence of every living thing on earth. It can be jealously or envy, but it also denotes growth and renewal. Green is frequently associated with springtime and the re-birth that happens to our earth every year. As summer begins, we can fully appreciate the scope of this rebirth in our own communities. Cool Mint is fresh and healthy, and can represent a new beginning. When combined with a wide variety of other colors, green can take on a life of its own.

Plant a seed in peoples’ mind that will surely grow with the power of green. Let Americhem help put Cool Mint to work for you.

Images: Top Left | Top Right | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

Americhem Visits the International Builders' Show 2016

Las Vegas was booming with the Design and Construction Week taking place a few weeks ago. This monstrous event includes the International Builders’ Show (IBS), The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show and The International Surface Event all taking place at the same time.

IBS, was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 19 to 21, by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). It is a great opportunity for our architecture team to make their yearly trip to visit our customer’s displays and to see the latest products, materials and technologies for building and construction. We were pleased to see our customers were displaying products with Americhem technology.

© Oscar Einzig Photography

This was my first visit to the show and I was astonished by the wide array of businesses represented, from deck boards and fence rails to 3D printing and online database registrations. It was great to see what people are bringing into the building and construction market, and it didn’t hurt that there was also fresh baked cookies, coffee and other fun treats!

© Oscar Einzig Photography

This year there were two full exhibition halls and an outside area full of everything you could imagine, from front doors to toilet seats and everything in between. The theme of this year’s show was Discover the Building Universe and it translated with the plethora of new products that focused on home technology and increased energy efficiency. With next generation products coming to market earlier than expected, homes that are being built now have technologies that people were expecting to see in 5-10 years. Cost saving, space saving and energy saving are the upcoming trends. Your next home will have automation platform controls that will be able to control your lights, audio, video and security systems with one simple interface.

It appears that the building and construction industry is making leaps and bounds when it comes to technology, catching up to other industries such as automotive. These technologies are coming fast and will soon change how everyone lives.

 Aubrey Barto
Marketing Assistant, Americhem

Monthly Color Inspirations - Turquoise

The color turquoise controls emotional balance and gives a sense of stability. Turquoise is a great color to have around you, as it helps with clear thinking and decision-making.

The color turquoise will make you feel happy and relaxed because it combines the light blue of the sky with the invigorating green of the seas. With that combination of blue and a small amount of yellow, turquoise fits on the color scale between green and blue.

Global Meaning of Turquoise*

• In western cultures, the turquoise gemstone is the symbol of friendship and brings peace to the home and good fortune to the owner.
• Native Americans associate the color of turquoise with the blue sky and the green earth. It is seen by many as being symbolic our roots in nature.
• Tiffany Blue has grown to represent the luxury jewelry store, Tiffany & Co. The color has even been trademarked.

We can help you convey clarity, harmony and creativity to your customers with the perfect shade of turquoise. Contact us today.

 *http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-Turquoise.html