Saturday, December 13, 2014

Mell Ettinger our sixth president

Right after the departure of Don Wheeler, Mel Ettinger appeared as the sixth president of Polychrome.   His arrival at Yonkers headquarter was memorable as he came in a chauffeur driven limo, the first in Polychrome and the last although a limo service is a standard perk for major Japanese company executives.    As CEO he saw the Columbus factory opening in 1991.   But he is probably best remembered for closing  the company headquarter in Yonkers and then relocating it to Ft. Lee, New Jersey co-locating with then the immediate parent company, Sun Chemical.               We also saw the final closing of Yonkers plant and consolidation of the production in Columbus during his term.          His charming and dashing way could not turn around the  US business due to the hemorrhaging investment in Columbus  and probably caused his departure.