By David Maloney, Sr. Account Manager
The wonderful lady I’m married to reminds me constantly of my disdain for change. How is it, therefore, that I ended up in an industry whose only constant is change?
My first job in resin sales was in 1993 with Adell Plastics, working for the legendary Arthur Dellheim, who, at the young age of 97, is still part of our business. It was from Arthur that I learned the language of resin and figured out how to tell polypropylene from nylon, etc.
I had no idea at that time that I would still be working in an industry that has been nothing short of a passion for me.
When it comes to resin sales, to quote the Grateful Dead, “what a long, strange trip it’s been.” I’ve seen commodity pricing go from where, in the ’90s, a $0.02/lb change in the polypropylene price created a near-panic “ripple effect” throughout the industry.
Contrast that to the current environment, where a $0.15lb price movement is often greeted by an unemotional shrug.
In this industry, I’ve learned that what goes up must come down (and vice-versa), and that honor, integrity, and the pursuit of meaningful relationships are what’s most important to be successful. I also learned that no matter how long you do this, you are only as good as your last deal, and success and failure go hand-in-hand.
Most importantly, I learned that it’s the people in our business that make it all worthwhile. At Genesis Polymers, I’ve been blessed to work with incredible support colleagues, wonderful mentors, and friends that will be with me for a lifetime.
It’s an honor to have a top-level team behind me. It provides me the confidence to promote our organization at Genesis, knowing that I’m working with people who share the love I have for our business.
Never take a great thing for granted when you find it. I can’t imagine doing anything else for a living. That said, I still hate change!
