Americas International tops Best Places to Work list

AKRON—What better place from which to supply polymers and rubber additives for the global tire and industrial rubber goods industries than the Rubber Capital of the World? And what better business to do it than this year's Best Places to Work winner?

Americas International Inc. President Wayne Stair, founder of the company and former Goodyear employee, counts the location of AI's headquarters as a feather in his cap, growing up around the likes of industry giants Goodyear and Firestone.

"I always felt it was critical to have the company headquartered in Akron," Stair said. "I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the world. I quickly learned that Akron enjoys a very significant role. Industry professionals from all over recognize Akron, the companies located here, the history and the University of Akron—all important aspects of the rubber industry."

Now AI can add another accolade to its portfolio, having been named the top company in Rubber & Plastics News' Best Places to Work for 2020. The second annual survey was conducted by the Best Companies Group, and nine rubber industry firms scored high enough to be labeled a rubber industry Best Place to Work.

"Obviously I am very gratified," Stair said. "I've always wanted as my No. 1 goal to have AI as a challenging but enjoyable work experience for our associates. Most importantly, I really want them to be well-compensated for their efforts.

"I always try to keep in mind—since I worked for Goodyear for 18 years—that we are all here to do a job. And good compensation is important because we all have families. This continues to be my No. 1 philosophy."

The distributor of rubber accelerators, additives, synthetic rubber, latex rubber, thermoplastic elastomers and heat transfer fluids was founded in 1997, and supplies customers with products from some of the top raw material manufacturers in the industry, including Eastman Chemical Co., Goodyear Chemical, Nocil, Sasol, Taminco Corp. and Therminol (heat transfer fluid produced by Eastman).

With its 7,500-sq.-ft. headquarters on Embassy Parkway (in an overall 15,000-sq.-ft. building which AI owns, leasing out the remaining space), AI remains a small company with 17 employees. AI maintains 16 warehouses throughout the U.S., in Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, California and Texas.

And while Americas International may not have a large staff, it does have high expectations.

"Everyone is dedicated to the customer-first approach, making the business successful without personal agendas," Stair said. "We have excellent communication between departments and collaborative relationships with global supply partners. Employees are willing to take on a challenge even if it's not within their core competency."

The staff is 70 percent female and 30 percent male, and experienced zero turnover last year in an industry that averaged 17 people per year for businesses of comparable size.

Stair attributes the low turnover rate to company amenities such as an excellent health plan, through which AI pays between 75 percent and 99 percent of the premium on medical coverage for employees; and discounted medical, dental and vision rates for dependents.

The company maintains both a Safe Harbor program and a traditional 401(k), essentially two avenues for in-kind company donations to employee retirement programs—one through a traditional matching donation in the 401(k) itself, and the other through Safe Harbor, which is based on overall company profitability.

AI offers generous and flexible PTO and vacation time, crucial during the pandemic to any company. And during the summer months, office staff can take a half-day every other Friday, a perk that lost some of its luster when work-from-home efforts began.

The firm also maintains active recruiting programs for minorities, diverse ethnic backgrounds and potential aging work force employees—all efforts to make the company stronger by way of diversity.

"Americas International is a great place to work because it has the best people in the industry," Stair said. "The people at the company are not only experts in their field, well-known and respected throughout the rubber industry, but they are a pleasure for our suppliers and customers to work with. Having only the highest quality staff allows Americas International to continuously expand the products and suppliers available to our customers and to continuously expand the customers and market base for our suppliers.

"Americas International understands that people are the heart of the business and treats them accordingly."

Leadership and outreach
"Surround yourself with good people."

Stair said he took this advice from Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander of NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan, who once was asked about his three keys to success. After stating the first, Dunford reportedly said "he forgot the other two."

Such is the importance of a good team.

The moment they come through the door, AI employees are issued the company constitution, the tenets and morals by which they are expected to conduct themselves.

They include such virtues as integrity and honesty—doing the right thing—reliability, communication, respect and cooperation. Employees are expected to be detail-oriented and efficient with a sense of environmental responsibility.

And they are urged through various avenues to maintain a work-life balance.

"I'm really proud of this," Stair said. "We start off everyone with company culture, part of our corporate documents. The No. 1 thing is to do the right thing!"

On the professional side, AI offers continuing education programs and leadership workshops for its employees, and these offerings are counterbalanced by golf outings, corporate cookouts, holiday celebrations and the popular Halloween party, complete with a costume contest.

The firm also looks outside its company walls and into the Akron community with programs like SAYM, the South Akron Youth Mentorship.

"This is one I am real proud of, as it reaches out to inner city youths," Stair said. "It is a mentorship program whereby these youngsters are mentored as to basically the difference between what's happening in the inner city and what is happening outside of inner city."

Through SAYM, AI employees are able to mentor youths through high school and secondary education, helping them to understand that opportunities are available to all cultural backgrounds.

"It is really an ongoing process to try to change patterns," said Stair, a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Akron's polymer science program. "I know one great young kid who attended UA and works at Firestone now. It is really a great program."

In general, Stair said the company has been successful in identifying and hiring associates who typically have extensive backgrounds in the tire and rubber industries, and many of its associates—including the boss—have worked for well-known companies, including Goodyear, DuPont, Lanxess and Flexsys America L.P.

"We have an outstanding group of experienced and dedicated associates to whom the growth and success of the company is directly related," Stair said. "And we have had a good history of success, with good relationships with suppliers and customers. We have a harmonious relationship with people and there is very little confrontation.

"This makes day-to-day operations rewarding."

AI saw its period of greatest growth coming out of the Great Recession, from about 2010–12, when it won the Cascade Business Award for three consecutive years with the highest sales increase over a five-year period for any company in Summit County.

"We were well-poised to expand sales coming out of the recession and hope to perform well coming out of the current pandemic," Stair said.

Taking on the pandemic together
Setting immediate policies early in the pandemic for its Akron offices and numerous warehouses may have been key to protecting workers and maintaining some semblance of workflow and production, as production "was way off in June and July," Stair said.

AI did have to furlough two people, though the company is looking to rehire staff in early 2021 as business looks to be increasing once again, especially in the automotive segment. All other employee salaries have remained at normal levels throughout the health crisis, according to AI.

Most important has been the safety of AI workers.

"We have had a tremendous success record. I don't think anyone has even had a cold. Most people are working at home, though key people who are coming into the office are very separated," Stair said.

All employees were given the option of working from home, though once they made their choice of home or office, they were asked to be consistent. And like the edicts from many companies, all travel was banned for the safety of employees.

"The no-travel thing—that really changes the lifestyle of the sales force and support groups who would normally be traveling to meet with vendors and visit warehouses," Stair said. "Every case was different with what they chose. One young lady was expecting, so the safest thing for her to do was to stay home."

Stair said it remains unclear which policies will become lasting rules, "since we are still in the midst of the pandemic."

In regards to the spectrum of industries and applications served by AI, industrial products, the adhesives market, and military and defense (for boots, respirators and gas masks) have remained strong, while automotive has been hit hard.

Conversely, AI has seen an enormous uptick in sporting goods and outdoor recreation, and more recently automotive has begun to rebound.

"When I went shopping at Walmart recently I was looking for some sporting goods items—and every shelf was cleaned off," Stair said. "It was like the toilet paper aisle. There literally was nothing left in sporting goods. This is a sign of the times, I guess."

AI is considered an essential company, supplying its polymers and additives to the medical segment, "a small portion of the company, but an important portion."

While the Akron company did not shift gears in its product supply specifically because of the pandemic, it did continue to keep stock on hand to supply other essential downstream companies with necessary raw materials for ventilators, gloves and other personal protection equipment.

"I believe what happened is our customers were the ones who switched gears, and we gave them the materials to make their products," Stair said. "For me the biggest success is we were able to maintain with a majority of our associates, even with two furloughed, keeping everyone employed and safe.

"If our employees can get through the pandemic and not have to face real hardship, that is what is most important. There is such a vast group of people who are devastated right now. I can't imagine going through this unemployed, sitting at home, depressed and wondering what to do. We have tried to keep morale up so our team does not have to worry about the impact of what is going on."

As evidenced by their top spot on the Best Places to Work list, AI and its employees can consider that attempt as "mission accomplished" during perhaps the most challenging year they have ever experienced.