The Art of Strategic Leadership

Chapter 2The Business

Look around you. Think about the products that affect your quality of life. The contact lenses on your bathroom shelf. The molded bumpers on your car. The precision plastics that are integral parts of the airplanes we fly, the surgical devices we use, the medical implants we rely on, and the technological devices that keep us connected to the world around us. They're just a few of the countless advanced polymer- and composite-based products we use every day.

The role that composites and polymers play in our lives goes far beyond consumer convenience. As nations and corporations focus on reducing their environmental impacts, by saving energy and improving product performance, nearly every industry is racing to incorporate sustainable, lightweight, and durable materials into their products.

Polymer Solutions, Inc. (PSI), based in New Jersey, was founded in the 1980s by a group of chemists and engineers who did research and secured patents in the aerospace, electronics, and biotech industries. A privately held company, PSI branched out from its beginnings as a supplier of high-performance engineering plastics for defense and aerospace manufacturers, as well as medical and surgical applications. Highly regarded for design, engineering, and reliability, in recent years PSI expanded into markets in electronics, energy, the automotive and transportation sectors, telecommunications, and consumer products.

Much of the credit for the business's recent growth goes ...