June 10, 2016
Chase Plastics marked the completion of its headquarters facility build-out in Clarkston, Mich., and the opening of its new 126,000-square-foot Central Distribution Center in South Bend, Ind. The $7.3 million combined facilities investment is a testament to Chase’s continued growth and positive business outlook, driven by its commitment to providing “outrageous” levels of service excellence from one of the industry’s most talented and customer-centric teams.
“Our strong growth over the past 24 years is based on teamwork and a business model predicated on highly motivated and very knowledgeable employees who put customer needs first,” said Chase Plastics President Kevin Chase at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Clarkston. “All of us at Chase are extremely proud of the achievement that today represents, and the solid foundation this continues to build for the future of our customers, our company and employees, and the communities in which we live and do business.”
Headquarters footprint doubled
The expanded Clarkston, Mich. headquarters which employs 63 people, doubles the company’s footprint to accommodate projected future growth. Besides its executive offices, the headquarters facility houses Customer Service, Sales Administration, Purchasing, Product Management/Supplier Development, Logistics, Accounting, Credit, Business Process and Human Resources.
A contemporary, open and collaborative first-floor workspace is the cornerstone of the $1.3 million build-out. Designed to bring the interactive teams of customer service, purchasing, product management and technical support closer together, the new environment provides the collaboration and idea-sharing spaces needed to foster innovative solutions that customers need to remain competitive in today’s market.
According to Chase Plastics Operations Manager Laura Goik, “Success always starts with our team members. This has been a guiding principle since the company’s inception and continues to drive our efforts to provide a world-class work environment today. Our goal is to nurture and support our culture, promote team building and collaboration, and make Chase a great place to work.”
It’s a philosophy that led to Chase being named by Plastics News as the No. 1 Best Place to Work in 2016, an award that is based in part on input from its 113 employees corporate-wide.
Central Distribution Center strengthens responsiveness
In addition to its headquarters build-out, Chase marks the opening of its new South Bend, Ind. Central Distribution Center, located at 5245 Dylan Drive. The operation serves as a centralized distribution hub, leveraging a network of 35 public warehouses to deliver materials where and when needed throughout North and Central America.
The $6 million state-of-the-art, 126,000-square-foot facility bolsters Chase’s ability to achieve 99.2 percent on-time shipping, with most orders delivering to the customer the next day. The new warehouse is centrally located in South Bend’s main freight hub, allowing for the latest shipping cut-off times available. It also has expanded bulk material management capacity, doubled the number of loading docks, an integrated modern racking system and broader packaging and storage capabilities. Additionally, the operation incorporates wireless warehousing using a high-speed fiber-optic infrastructure that provides lightning-fast data transfer with virtually unlimited bandwidth.
While customers rely on Chase’s extensive materials knowledge and application expertise, speed is increasingly important. “Our customers look to us to get them needed materials as quickly as possible to maintain their own production schedules and meet delivery commitments to their customers,” says Chase Plastics Business Process Manager Bob Hoff. “The new distribution center, coupled with our staff of logistics experts, enhances our ability to come through for customers. In short, it builds on Chase’s legacy as a trustworthy company that walks the walk when it comes to outrageous service.”
The company has plans to continue to grow and expand in order to maximize efficiencies and accelerate its superior service capabilities and offerings to even more customers. Added Kevin Chase, “As we evolve to reach new heights for our customers, we are truly excited for the road ahead. Behind an unwavering commitment to customers everywhere, we look forward to continuing in our ability to bring “outrageous” customer service to our current customer base while growing our roster of customers across the thermoplastics processing industry.”
Clarkston Ribbon Cutting: Pictured from left to right, Laura Goik, Operations Manager, Carole Chase, Vice President, and Sherry Cudd, Executive Assistant, ceremoniously unveil the Chase Plastics headquarters build-out in Clarkston, Mich.
South Bend Ribbon Cutting: Leaders from Chase Plastics unveil the new 126,000-square-foot Central Distribution Center in South Bend, Ind. Pictured from left to right: Eric Walters, Regional Sales Manager, Alan Arduini, Vice President of Sales, Doug Wright, Regional Sales Manager, Kevin Chase, President, Jeff Shutz, Regional Sales Manager, and Adam Paulson, Vice President.
South Bend Ribbon Cutting 2: Chase Plastics President Kevin Chase and leaders from the Chase team cut the ribbon to launch the new Chase Plastics Central Distribution Center in South Bend, Ind. Pictured from left to right: Kevin Chase, President, Bob Hoff, Business Process Manager, Mike Hall, Warehouse Manager, and Rich Smith, Controller.
Chase Plastics Clarkston Headquarters: The Chase Plastics headquarters in Clarkston, Mich. pictured at build-out completion.
About Chase Plastics
Chase Plastics is a stocking distributor of more than 6,400 varieties of specialty, engineering and commodity thermoplastics from the industry’s leading manufacturers and global suppliers. Ranked as one of the top 10 engineering U.S. plastics distributors, Chase Plastics is Redefining Resin Distribution® with a business approach that puts customer needs first.
The company, formed in 1992, surrounds customers with an industry-leading portfolio of value-added services delivered by skilled sales professionals and dedicated teams of technical and application development engineers and more – all of whom guide the material selection, application development, and manufacturing processes. The company’s unmatched level of dedicated support, together with blending, repacking, inventory management and logistics services via a network of distribution and sales locations throughout North and Central America, is singularly focused on helping customers boost efficiencies and profitability.
Based in Clarkston, Michigan, Chase was founded by Kevin and Carole Chase, who serve as the company’s president and vice president, respectively.