Promoting Excellence in Small Business: Pressure Products & PhillyCarShare

Two of ten winners of the Chamber’s 2008 Excellence Awards Honoring the Region’s Small Businesses are featured in this issue: Manufacturer of the Year, Pressure Product Industries, Inc.; and Non-Profit Organization of the Year, PhillyCarShare. Be sure to look for additional winners in upcoming issues. Click here to submit nominations for the 2009 Excellence Awards.

Manufacturer of the Year, Pressure Product Industries, Inc. (Tim Patterson, Vice President)

Tim Patterson, Vice President. Top Guns Photography

In an environment where importing manufactured goods to the U.S. has steadily increased, Pressure Products Industries, Inc. (PPI) continues to buck the trend and boost the local economy by exporting to countries in Asia and South America.

An engineering-based company with decades of experience, PPI has considerable expertise in designing, manufacturing and installing special fluid-handling equipment for liquids under pressure used in laboratories, pilot plants and production sites around the world.

The current owners and management team of Mark J. Slavinski, Vincent M. McCalley and Thomas H. Patterson, purchased the company in 2000. Since then, PPI has made substantial investments in product development, manufacturing equipment and human resources. The result: a three-fold increase of company revenue, making it the leading U.S. provider of this equipment and third largest internationally.

Advanced designs require precise manufacturing. PPI’s facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art automated metalworking equipment, and its many innovative developments created the broadest product line in the industry, providing customers with a single-source outlet for their needs.

Since the company’s primary customers are engineers in the fields of chemical, petrochemical, petroleum, specialty gases, and pharmaceutical and energy research, PPI’s staff of 50 assure high standards through experienced craftsmanship, thorough testing, and accessible technical support.

All of the manufacturing is done at the company's Warminster, PA plant. Competing primarily with overseas companies, PPI recently established offices in China and Japan, in addition to its other locations.

The Award was sponsored by Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center.

To be considered for the 2009 Manufacturer of the Year award, a company must have exceptional growth, innovative manufacturing concepts, strong employee training and be involved in the community.

Non-Profit Organization of the Year, PhillyCarShare (Tanya Seaman, Co-founder and Executive Director and Clayton Lane, Co-founder & Deputy Executive Director)

Kathleen Thomas, Clayton Lane, and Tanya Seaman. Top Guns Photography

PhillyCarShare’s premise is simple: automobiles, while necessary, are abundantly overused. A vision emerged to reduce automobile dependence citywide by creating a community-based car-sharing experience that would exceed the convenience, flexibility and affordability of car ownership. As a non-profit, PhillyCarShare viewed decreasing auto use as a social benefit rather than a bottom-line endeavor.

Five local Philadelphians, all volunteers, set out to prove this concept in 2002, with nine members, two cars, and a modest $25,000 investment. A year later, 535 members had given up 270 personal vehicles to share 13 environmentally friendly cars. The organization’s goal was to offer low-emission vehicles throughout the city, available by the hour, to members with personal electronic keys and 24-hour access.

By 2004, the City of Philadelphia joined, becoming the first government worldwide to share cars with local residents to reduce its large fleet. It relinquished 330 municipal vehicles, saving taxpayers $7 million to date. Additionally, over 500 member companies now offer their employees the benefit of driving for work without driving to work, while avoiding the $11,000 annual cost of owning and operating a company car.

In 2006, Philadelphia became the fastest-growing car-sharing city on the planet and PhillyCarShare focused on becoming more innovative to reach more people and places. The organization became free to join. It also became the first and only service in the nation to offer membership to drivers aged 18-20. It placed shared vehicles on virtually every block of Central Philadelphia and deployed the lowest-emission fleet of any large car-sharing system in North America.

Five years later, PhillyCarShare has signed up an astounding 25,000 Philadelphians; decreased the number of vehicles on the streets by 10,000; reduced members’ auto emissions by 90%; created employment for 41 people; and saved Philadelphians $40 million annually on car ownership — money that can be spent instead in our local economy.

Most recently, PhillyCarShare was among 10 winners of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s first-ever Philadelphia Sustainability Award, and received additional accolades by 30% of the online voters who selected it for the People’s Choice Award. Today, PhillyCarShare continues its mission to make Philadelphia less about cars and more about people.

The award was sponsored by Bank of America .

To be considered for the 2009 Nonprofit Organization of the Year award, organizations must provide an original service, have outstanding benefits and contributions to the community and provide a measurable outcome of results.