Avient associates rolled up their sleeves and removed 16 bags of trash and debris found along Turkey Creek on Earth Day.
Less than a year ago, PolyOne and Clariant Masterbatch joined together to create a new company called Avient, a leading provider of specialized and sustainable material solutions for industries ranging from automotive and health care to consumer goods and building and construction.
Headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio, Avient includes 115 facilities in 35 countries. Here in Birmingham, the company manufactures Glasforms™ advanced composite materials across its five-building campus. The company was recently certified as a Great Place to Work™ by the Great Place to Work Institute. The company received this designation after the Institute conducted an official employee engagement survey post-merger, and, compared to other global companies, Avient scored high enough to earn the designation.
Avient warehouse associate Jarmel Suttle is slitting rolls of continuous filament mat to support production lines.
“We are honored to be a part of Avient and to receive this special designation,” said plant manager Tyler Haynes. “It is a testament to our outstanding team of associates – our greatest assets – and our company’s strong commitment to continuous improvement in all aspects of the business.”
The company’s roots in Birmingham stretch back to 1995, when the region was chosen for its geographic location and its workforce, Haynes said. Since then, the company has worked with the Birmingham Business Alliance on workforce development and strategic planning as its business continues to grow.
Avient, which employs 209 people locally, has kept busy this past year creating materials that end up in life-saving products like ventilators and face masks. With the merger nearly a year in and the Great Place to Work designation fueling the company even more, 2021 looks to see the company continue to gain momentum, Haynes said.
“Our legacy is long and accomplished, yet Avient’s new era as a world-class sustainable organization, in many regards, is only just beginning,” he said.