Our History

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Board of Directors:

David Kietzke - CEO, Co-Founder
Mike Kietzke - Co-Founder, Director
Chris Kietzke - CMO, Corporate Shareholder
Mark Casey - President N.A, PP East Shareholder
John Maglione - CFO

Related Companies:

Professional Plastics, Inc. is a family-owned distributor and fabricator of engineering plastic shapes (Sheets, Rods, Tubing, Films, Parts). Established in California in 1984, the company operates 22 full-service distribution and fabrication facilities in the USA, Singapore & Taiwan. The company currently employs more than 500 people through it's various divisions, and generates more than $ 250 million in annual revenue.

Early History

Professional Plastics was founded in October 1984 by Larry, David & Mike Kietzke with two initial California locations; Anaheim & Santa Clara. The Anaheim location served as the companies' headquarters, and was managed by Larry Kietzke, and his eldest son David. The duo focused on the military and aerospace markets that dominated Southern California at the time. David's connections at companies such as; McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed, and General Dynamics were critical to early success, while Larry's 20+ years of sales & management experience provided both market credibility and administrative oversight. The Santa Clara location was managed by Dave's younger-brother Mike, who at just 25 years old had already emerged as a successful salesperson and manager within the industry. Under Mike's leadership, the Silicon Valley location became an industry powerhouse focused on engineering plastics used in the electronics and semiconductor markets, and serving as a key supplier to the UC Livermore & Berkeley National Labs. While the trio of founders worked to build a financially viable business, it was all hands on deck for the Kietzke family. Larry's wife Patricia ran the companies' computer system. Their 20 year old daughter Lori handled the bookkeeping, and their 16 year-old son Chris handled shipping and receiving after school. A few years later, Larry's youngest son Rich also joined the team.

Expansion

From 1984 to 1986, the company grew quickly enough to add a third location in Phoenix, Arizona. The company experienced steady growth over the next several years, and by 1992, Chris had completed college and joined Mike in San Jose. At that time, the company sharpened its' focus on high-performance materials such as: Vespel®, PEEK, Ultem®, and Kynar® used in the semiconductor industry. In 1993, Rich joined his brothers in San Jose, introducing profitable new product lines into new market segments. Throughout the 90's, rapid growth in the semiconductor industry helped fund further expansion of the company. From 1992 through 2001, the companies' revenue grew drastically and the company added locations in more than a dozen markets nationwide. Revenue climbed from $ 7 million in 1992 to more than $ 57 million in 2001. While Larry, David & Mike continued to manage the California locations, Chris moved to Texas in 1996, establishing locations in Austin, Houston & Dallas before returning to California and joining the companies' ownership group in 2001. Between 1996 and 2003, the company also added key executives such as Scott Patten (1996 - COO - now retired), and Mark Casey (2003, now President North America). Mr. Patten was instrumental in the companies' expansion into the Northwest USA (opening locations in Washington, Oregon, and Montana), and Mr. Casey was instrumental in the companies' expansion to the Eastern USA (opening locations in New York, Cleveland, Atlanta & Tampa). By 2002, Chris Kietzke had turned his focus to international markets eventually opening locations in Singapore (2007) & Taiwan (2013). In 2021, Mark Casey was promoted to President of Professional Plastics' North American operations, and continued his efforts to expand the companies' product range and end-market diversification.

Acquisitions

In 2012, David Kietzke negotiated the acquisition of Planet Plastics (Chino, CA), a plastics fabrication company, and it's sister company Paragon Plastics (Santa Ana, CA). In 2016', Planet Plastics acquired the assets of Amron Manufacturing and consolidated their production into the Chino facility. In 2019', Chris Kietzke negotiated the acquisition of Adapt Plastics and Hi-Tech Polymers of Rockford, Illinois. Adapt Plastics would later assume the Professional Plastics name and experience significant growth under the leadership of John Johnson. In 2020', Professional Plastics acquired SciCron Technologies of Amarillo, Texas.

The Rise of E-Commerce

Professional Plastics recognized early that this emerging technology had the capability to revolutionize it's business. In March 1997, the company launched www.professionalplastics.com (a year before Google), and embarked on a long-term plan to become the online leader in it's market segment. Through these efforts, the company developed the most comprehensive, e-commerce website in the plastic shapes industry. They also developed proprietary price calculation tools, and the website became an instrumental part of the Professional Plastics global expansion. Today, ProfessionalPlastics.com ranks as the # 1 website in the plastics distribution industry, and hosts more than 3 million visitors per year. Our secure website portal processes more than $ 125 million per year in business transactions with our customers, while providing real-time order confirmations and shipment tracking details.

Value-Added Services

In the mid 2000's, the company began to broadly diversify beyond it's core semiconductor and aerospace markets. The company began investing in fabrication equipment, and making a number of strategic acquisitions. Under the leadership of Mark Casey, the Buffalo, NY facility invested heavily in precision cnc machining equipment to produce tight tolerance fabricated components. The value-added investment strategy extended across the company and led to the purchase of more than 75 CNC Panel Saws & Routers, Machining Centers, Mills, Lathes, Slitters, Grinders, Vacuum-Formers, Injection-Molders, and Laser Cutters. The company acquired Planet Plastics (Chino, CA), a plastics fabrication company, and the assets of Amron Manufacturing, a thermoplastic and foam molder specializing in aircraft interior seating components. The company later acquired Adapt Plastics & HiTech Polymers of Rockford, Illinois; fabricators of precision-machined plastic parts & molded urethane seals and rollers used in the food processing industry. Professional Plastics also acquired SciCron Technologies of Amarillo, Texas; a specialty coater of proprietary ESd, Anti-Fog, Anti-Glare, and Hard-Coated products used in cleanroom equipment and the semiconductor industry. With a primary focus on quality, Professional Plastics also achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and AS 9100 certification at multiple locations.

Professional Plastics Today

Professional Plastics and it's subsidiaries now employ more than 500 people in 22 locations worldwide. The company is a distribution partner for industry leaders such as; Mitsubishi MCAT (formerly Quadrant EPP), Plaskolite, Roehm-America, Rochling, Norplex-Micarta, Saint Gobain, Simona, Vycom, and Corning Macor. Professional Plastics is currently the fourth largest supplier of engineering plastic shapes in North America while remaining 100% family-owned, and operated. Upon Larry Kietzke's retirement in 2006, David Kietzke assumed the title of CEO, and Mike Kietzke assumed the title of Executive Vice President (retired 2018). Chris Kietzke is the Chief Marketing Officer and Asia Business Director. David's sons; Brent (Special Projects Manager) and Jeremy (Corporate Operations Manager) have joined the company, as did Mike's son Daniel (Purchasing). Mark Casey is President of North American operations, and John Maglione is the Chief Financial Officer. The company has been fortunate enough to have many dedicated long-term employees, including more than a dozen with 30+ years with the company, and one with almost 40 years (Delia Smith - current San Jose Business Manager). None of this success would be possible without the dedication, effort and entrepreneurial spirit of our incredible staff.

In Memorium of Patricia Kietzke: Our Dear Mother passed away peacefully on Friday January 28th, 2022 (read more)

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