Material manufacturer Americhem reached the eight-decade mark on November 29.

This company, headquartered in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was founded in 1941 by Sylvester Caldwell in a small company in Akron, Ohio. The office was established and was named Caldwell Co. at the time. At the time, its business included the sale of pigments and additives to the rubber industry, most of which were located in Akron and northeastern Ohio. Today, Americhem is headquartered in nearby Cuyahoga Falls and operates 12 factories worldwide.

In 1953, Caldwell Co. hired Richard H. (Dick) Juve, who had worked for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which accounted for approximately 80% of Caldwell's business. Caldwell opened its first factory in Akron in 1959 and changed its name to Americhem in the same year. In 1965, Americhem moved its headquarters to Cuyahoga Falls.

In 1969, Americhem manufactured the first masterbatch concentrate for vinyl siding, which was a key product initiative. In 1958, Juventus and Vice President Harvey Cooper-another key figure in the company's development-each acquired a third of Americhem's shares in 1958. In 1979, Juventus became a major shareholder.

Juve's son Richard C. (Rick) Juve joined the company in 1982, initially serving as a producer to learn more about the company. In 1991, Americhem manufactured the first batch of masterbatch concentrates for PVC decorative applications.

In 1993, after his father retired, Rick Juve became President and CEO of Americhem. Dick Juve died in 1995. Rick's son Mark Juve (Mark Juve) represents the third generation of Americhem Juve family. He currently serves as the Vice President and General Manager of North American Business,

New products developed by Americhem in the past 20 years include PET solution dye products for automotive fabrics, clarified polypropylene medical products and outdoor color series for PET fabrics.

Americhem has also grown through acquisitions and has conducted five transactions since 2013. Most recently, the company acquired Controlled Polymers A/S, a compound and concentrate manufacturer based in Ribe, Denmark in September 2020.

According to data from Plastics News, Americhem now has more than 900 employees and is one of the 30 largest composite manufacturers and concentrate manufacturers in North America.

As part of Americhem’s 80th anniversary celebration, the company interviewed its 12 longest-serving employees on LinkedIn this year. The list includes:

• Ron Beitler, over 39 years old. Beitler is currently working in Americhem's factory in China, but during his career, he has worked in a number of international Americhem locations.

• Kim Sorensen, over 27 years old. Sorensen was promoted all the way from a QT lab technician to a QT lab team leader, to her current role as a manufacturing technical support in Concord, North Carolina

• Tim Heiss, over 41 years old. Heiss is currently a plant manager in Liberty, North Carolina, and has served as plant manager for three different Americhem plants during his career.

• Karen Jenior, over 28 years old. Before entering the purchasing department as a buyer, Jenior worked in the customer service department for more than 20 years.

• Christa Batton, over 28 years old. Batton is currently a senior human resources manager in North America. After watching her father become the company's first engineer and design many production lines that are still in operation today, Americhem "is her dream job."

• Rick Calhoun, over 44 years old. Calhoun is currently a senior field service technician. From managing 32 direct reports to starting the packaging color team, to becoming the company's first field service technician, he did everything in Americhem.

• Cynthia Floyd, over 29 years old. Floyd is currently an EDW/BI architect in the IT field. She has led many projects in Americhem's IT department, but has been focused on building and maintaining internal database applications.

• Mike Collins, over 45 years old. Collins is currently the project coordinator for architecture and construction. He was hired on September 13, 1976, 12 days after his 18th birthday.

• Sharon Toth, over 37 years old. Toth is one of Americhem's buyers. In 1984, the company visited Cuyahoga Falls High School to find the first two students in her IOE (Intensive Office Education) course and provide them with jobs. She is one of two people selected.

• Ron Beck, over 45 years old. Beck is the R&D manager of Americhem and played a key role in the startup of the company's three different laboratories.

• Regina Roy, over 38 years old. Roy is Americhem's longest-serving female employee and the company's IT application and service director. She oversees many IT projects in Americhem.

• Doug Croley, in his 50s. Croley is the national account manager responsible for packaging. When he first started working in Americhem, Bill Fowler, a colleague who had worked in Americhem for 50 years, trained Croley on all the machines in their second shift.

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