Chase Plastics adds 21 jobs with new software expansion

Chase Plastics has reinvented itself. The Clarkston-based firm found a way to grow in recent years while the plastics industry experienced volatility in resin supplies and pricing, along with distributor consolidations and closings.Chase Plastics President Kevin Chase literally took a few pages from the well-known books, Good to Great and Built to Last, focusing the 19-year-old firm’s efforts on maximizing its technology. The result has been 21 recent hires of sales and administrative staff to support its growing customer base.”Technology acceleration has been one of our main themes,” Chase says. “I put one of our best people in charge of our technology division.” The firm recently launched Prophet 21, an enterprise software solution for wholesale distributors. It provides customers with improved communication tools, real-time information, enhanced customer value and faster response time. Including this new revenue stream, sales have been bumped from $84 million to $124 million over the last year. Chase Plastics now has its sights on $163 million in revenue this year, thanks to increased volume and diversified offerings. It plans to continue adding to its current staff of 77 employees and a pair of interns.Source: Kevin Chase, president of Chase PlasticsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.