Business View Magazine September 2018

44 45 MICHELMAN, INC. globally with approximately 475 employees,world- wide. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Cincinnati, the company has offices, R&D facilities and/or manufacturing plants in Luxembourg, Bel- gium, Singapore, China, India, and Japan. Its custom- ers span the spectrum from small enterprises to multi-national,multi-site, Fortune 100 companies, including Sherwin-Williams and PPG, two of the global leaders in the paint and coating industry; Owens Corning, a manufacturer of insulation, roof- ing, and fiberglass composites; and Hewlett-Packard in the printing & packaging space. Bassetti believes that Michelman maintains several advantages over its competitors; chief amongst them is its 70 year reputation as the industry-leading innovator in water-based disper- sion and emulsion technology.“That’s our number one differentiator,”he states.“Another advantage is our broad portfolio of solutions in the industries we serve,while our competitors tend to specialize in only a few technologies.Additionally,we have a global footprint that allows us to manufacture prod- ucts in Asia, Europe, and North America,while many of our competitors may have only one production site in one region. Being a family-owned business also has its advantages.Our size offers an agility of service that larger organizations may not be able to achieve.We’re also happy working on both short- term and long-term opportunities.” Bassetti adds that the company’s core values are just as important in differentiating itself from its competitors.“There are six values that we subscribe to in everything that we do,”he states.“Integrity, Respect, and Success are three values that are table stakes for almost any business today, but the re- maining three–Collaboration, Curiosity, and Giving -are our core differentiators.These three values represent howwe work with each other; hire people and, ultimately, howwe operate in our communities and with our customers.” “Being a small to mid-size company,we collabo- rate amongst our own colleagues, as well as up and down the value chain; including with our suppli- ers and customers,”he explains.“We are also very active in collaborating with institutes, consortiums, universities, and associations; and are building an ecosystem to better serve the fiber and composites industry. Regarding our value of Curiosity–we are always learning new things and challenging ourselves.We have hired associates from all over the world who have helped foster that diversity of thinking and curiosity. Our value of Giving is arguably our most important. We are very cognizant of the communities in which we do business and want to make them better plac- es to live and work.We frequently volunteer for a variety of activities within our communities all over the world. I’d argue that Collaboration, Curiosity, and Giving illustrate howMichelman operates at the highest level.” Additionally, the company touts its expertise in the area of sustainability.“We have a very green portfolio,”Bassetti says.“Everything we make is water-based, as opposed to solvent-based, so, inherently, our products are environmentally conscious.Moreover, the applications that we provide solutions for create an environmen- tally favorable impact.What we do in the