By Karen Hanna
Matt Seaholm never imagined he’d ever take the position once filled by industry icon Bill Carteaux. But in early May, he was already settling in, after becoming the second person to assume the role of full-time CEO of the Plastics Industry Association [PLASTICS] since Carteaux’s death in 2018. In an interview, Seaholm talked about his plans to restore stability, focus on sustainability and expand beyond NPE.
What feedback did you get from members when you were introduced at PLASTICS’ Spring National Meeting & Conference held in early May?
Seaholm: It was all very good feedback. Some of the terms we heard were “refreshing,” “optimistic,” “excited.” I think everybody knows the potential that exists within [PLASTICS]. We just have to capture that potential. We’re tasked with being the voice of the industry. That’s what our members want us to be, and it’s our job to find the best ways to step up and be that voice. We articulated some things last week that I think a lot of people were saying, “Yes, OK, we’re on the right track here.” Now, proof is in the pudding.
What are some of your priorities and how might PLASTICS be different under your leadership?
Seaholm: This is something that our [board of directors] chairman Tad McGwire said, “Make no mistake. In asking you to be CEO, this is a reflection on how important the board feels advocacy, communication and sustainability are for the industry.” We haven’t invested and dedicated ourselves sufficiently to the advocacy, communication and sustainability components of our strategic plan. So, those three pillars are going to be the focus of my work. We will be a stronger voice in the industry, I promise you that. In addition, we are going to invest in those advocacy capabilities. On the public policy front, I was vice president of government affairs before this. It all has a central theme at this point on behalf of the industry, and it is sustainability. So those three are pretty interwoven. That’s what we ultimately have to focus on, so that’s going to be kind of a shift in the focus of the organization.
How do you plan to work toward those goals?
Seaholm: Some of it comes down to just more; there are things that we just have to do more of. It doesn’t always require us to come up with something completely brand new because there are a lot of great ideas, and we’ve got a lot of great members who have great stories to tell; we just have to tell them. And then we have to find the good things and amplify them.
Over the past couple years, PLASTICS has experienced some turmoil, including the cancellation of NPE2021 and the departures of several high-profile staff members. How do you intend to bring stability?
Seaholm: When the board made their decision to elevate myself and [recently named COO] Glenn Anderson to our respective roles, I think they recognized it’s a pretty good one-two punch, based on my advocacy and communications experience, along with Glenn’s significant institutional knowledge, relationships within the industry, as well as his experience with NPE, which is still a major component of this association. So, in doing so, it really has steadied the ship.
What are your first steps?
Seaholm: Priority No. 1 is building out a team. We’ve got a lot of positions that we’ve got to fill, some that have been open for far too long. There are a couple of positions that can’t be open; we have to have people in these roles to achieve everything that we want to achieve. We’re going to build our team out to be full strength by the end of this year.
Do you have a sense what led to that turnover? And how to address that?
Seaholm: I think there were a variety of things that contributed to it. All I can do is really try to show a growth strategy and a vision for the organization that makes people say, “I want to be here long term, because I see the future in this organization, and I love this industry.”
In terms of sustainability, how do you plan to proceed?
Seaholm: One of the things that we’re hearing on a regular basis is, “We can’t recycle our way out of this, [that] there’s no way for us to actually recycle plastic, it’s a farce, it’ll never happen.” It’s just false; it absolutely is possible. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of investment. But it’s a collective effort. It’s our job to lead on that. I think, little by little, you’re going to see a change in tone and tenor about recycling, about plastic, and over the course of the coming years, it’s our job to get plastic back to a place where it is ultimately viewed as a sustainable option in pretty much every application.
What’s the future of NPE?
Seaholm: NPE is still No. 1, in terms of overall priorities of the organization. Everybody I talked to at PLASTICS’ Spring National Meeting & Conference wants NPE 2024 to be the best one we’ve ever had, so we’re dedicated to making that the case. At the same time, it’s a directive that I have to make us less reliant on the revenue that comes from NPE. There are other components of the plastics industry that should play a bigger role in funding. That’s what I’m tasked with. We’re going to expand our reach and provide opportunities for greater investment in projects and programs, as well as expand our membership. There are a lot of plastic manufacturers out there whom we want to have be part of [PLASTICS], and we’re going to go make the pitch to them. Glenn Anderson is going to be in charge of NPE, and I’m going to dedicate most of my time to building out our other capabilities.
Where do the finances stand right now?
Seaholm: At this point, we’re in a strong financial position. We’ve had some very sound financial management that has allowed us to weather the storm. Ultimately, we see an easy route to staying in good shape until NPE 2024, but that’s not a good enough reason to just sit on our heels. We’ve got to go out there and expand our membership and broaden our revenue base.
How many members do you have right now? And how much potential is out there?
Seaholm: I’ve heard at one point, there are 12,000 plastic processors in the United States. We do not represent 12,000 plastic processors; I wish I could say we did. So, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of relevant manufacturers who should be part of this association. We’ve got well over 800 member companies [of] varying sizes. But we can always get more. Much of what I really want us to do in the coming months is make that [sales] job easier, and that’s by building our relevance and reputation as a place to be. The more successful we are, the more members we will get, the more resources we have, ultimately, we’re going to be able to do more and bigger things on behalf of the industry.
What other possible revenue streams are there?
Seaholm: There are ways to bring in dollars that aren’t just a broad-based membership dues increase. It’s events, it’s sponsorships, it’s special projects. We’re a meeting place for the entire industry, right? We’ve got parts of the entire supply chain … so bringing people together at events, producing great events that actually generate revenue is going to be something that we put more attention into. In addition, there are plenty of projects that we can do that member companies can help fund outside of just straight membership dues. And those types of projects are the things that we need to do to really build the reputation of the association and ultimately be that voice of the industry.
What kind of special projects might members sponsor?
Seaholm: You can imagine what the priorities of the members are. They follow the same three pillars I’ve mentioned: sustainability, advocacy, communication. You just work it backwards from there. You look at communication, and there’s no shortage of things that we can and should be doing to advance the message that plastic is the best option in most applications. And there’s the academic or intellectual component of it, as well. A lot of studies … can be and should be done, for us to tell a story that isn’t just shilling on behalf of the industry. It’s us showing scientific data that says, “Plastic is an integral component of society.” In addition, there are projects like Operation Clean Sweep that we can dedicate greater resources into. Then, you go into advocacy, and it all blends together. So, there are ways in which members can invest in specific things that are really priorities for them; we just have to work with them to find out what they are.
Is there a way to better leverage relationships with other trade organizations, such as the Society of Plastics Engineers or American Chemistry Council?
Seaholm: One just comes down to regular communication, and an open line of communication between the associations. We all recognize that we’re stronger together. There are meetings with the associations referenced already on the books for the coming weeks, or days.
Carteaux was head of the organization for more than 10 years, but your immediate predecessor, Tony Radoszewski, was at the helm only a few years. How do you see your tenure unfolding?
Seaholm: Having been in the role for less than two weeks, it’s really difficult to say, but, having just had a strategy session with our executive leadership team, we were talking three- to five-year windows for our goal-setting. This isn’t a short-term stint for me; I’ve found a home in the plastics industry, and I’m incredibly privileged to be sitting in this seat. Bill Carteaux was synonymous with this position; it’s truly humbling to think that I’m sitting in his seat today. Last week, it was pretty remarkable that the first meeting I was conducting as CEO, I was standing on the very same stage that, on Oct. 31, 2018, I was with Bill for the last time. Talk about going full circle. Bill hired me into [PLASTICS] five and a half years ago. It was never the plan to be in this role. That was never really a goal, or even something that I aspired to be. When the opportunity, or perhaps need, arose, I said, “It’s up to me to step up and lead this organization.” And hopefully, I come through and ultimately am a good leader, but time will tell.
What’s the roadmap for the next six months or so?
Seaholm: There are a lot of things that we’ve got to do. There are a lot of communications that need to happen with members. One of the things that I pledged last week: We are going to be accessible. I want to be as accessible as I can be. Some of the earliest things that need to happen is meeting with members. I’m meeting individually with every single member of the staff. There’s a lot of outreach that has to happen in the short term. There’s some little bit longer-term planning that we have to do. We have to revise and update our strategic plan to better reflect the priorities of the organization. Like I said, we’ve got to be the voice of the industry, so in the coming months, we’re going to do what we can to get to that point.
How optimistic are you for this association and for the industry?
Seaholm: I’m hugely optimistic about the future of the association. I think we’ve got a great foundation from which to build, and we’ve got willing and able members who are actively engaged in wanting to see our success. If we do our job, not only are we going to get greater investment and greater membership, but plastic is going to be in a better place as an industry for years to come.
Karen Hanna, senior staff reporter
