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Ameritape, Inc. Training Enhances Revenue and Productivity

With the help of: FloridaMakes

About

Ameritape, Inc., located in Jacksonville, Florida, is a converter and distributor of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape and label products representing most major manufacturers, including 3M. Privately-owned, they employ 18 people and specialize in custom slitting and specialty die-cutting. Ameritape’s mission is to create stronger bonds.  They concentrate on doing this in three areas: within the organization, with customers, and with suppliers.

The Challenge

In August 2008, when the economy was at its peak, two 15-year employees, Renee Soares, and Tom Whipple, bought the business.  The next month the economy plummeted. Their biggest customer, worth 40% of the business, went bankrupt. Their largest supplier deleted a product line worth $750,000 in revenue, which forced a reduction in the workforce from 16 to 8 people.  In addition, the new owners of Ameritape had never received any formal leadership training.

We never imagined that we could get so much training in one year and see the results so quickly!  We are so thankful to FloridaMakes for helping us with the grant process and connecting us with qualified trainers.  The Business Advisor made the process so easy, and she was there every step along the way.  The training propelled us forward to be better leaders and work better together as a team.  We look forward to more growth and we are now better prepared for it!

— Renee Soares-Vozel, Vice President

MEP's Role

Despite the obstacles and challenges, Ameritape survived by recapturing business directly from its largest customer, developing new relationships with suppliers to introduce replacement products, heavily cross-training employees, and streamlining production.  After ten years of surviving and growing their business at a slow but steady pace, the First Coast Manufacturers Association introduced them to FloridaMakes, part of the MEP National Network™.  The Business Advisor offered support and guidance in leadership training, team building, quality consulting to transition to the new ISO standard, and specialized training for new equipment.  

After receiving leadership training, revenue increased by 12%.  Growth was supported by hiring three additional employees. Also, team communication improved, pinpointing issues became more fundamental, employees were more engaged, and productivity increased. 

Created June 2, 2020, Updated July 12, 2021