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Striving, thriving, innovating, collaborating, elevating, and accelerating.

The greater Lehigh Valley is home to businesses that are booming and game-changers that are forging the future.

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- Hello, I'm Valerie Bittner, and in this episode of Lehigh Valley Rising, we'll tell the story behind the story of businesses that are booming in your backyard.

- Welcome to Factory.

This is our factory building in south Bethlehem.

- You'll meet three business leaders that are taking business to the next level, working on cool projects and providing opportunities for their employees.

- Right now, we have 275 employees on staff.

People pride themselves in what they work on.

- You'll learn more about how they are accelerating their business, gain insight into some of their global brands, and discover why they chose the Lehigh Valley.

- There was really only, like, two companies in the whole world that were making these materials and distributing them in the cosmetic world.

And one was based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

- If you've ever watched such famous movies as Star Wars, Harry Potter, or any of the Marvel movies, you've likely caught a glimpse of the special effects and props that are made using materials from Smooth-On.

Headquartered right here in the Lehigh Valley, Smooth-On manufactures rubber, foam, plastic, and epoxy materials.

These materials have been used in hundreds of applications to create everything from movie props to ornamental architecture.

We visited Smooth-On's headquarters in Macungie and got an inside peek with Dan Furneaux, the director of operations.

- My name is Daniel Furneaux, and I'm the director of operations at Smooth-On, Incorporated.

- We started and found in 1895, producing our own cement filing material to customers like Bethlehem Steel.

Current ownership started in 1990.

We've grown over 40 times to the size we are today.

We make liquid plastic, liquid rubber, and a variety of foams and epoxies, and many other products.

A relatively large portion of our sales is catered towards the movie and special effects industries.

You guys might be familiar with Slimer.

So, this is a variety of material used, again, both some silicone and urethane.

Right now, we have 275 employees on staff.

People pride themselves in what they work on, whether it's a dragon, having the finished pieces, or people downstairs manufacturing products necessary in order for the dragon to become alight.

You will see, when we walk around, most people will be smiling, not because they're asked to be smiling, but because they enjoy what they do.

- The job is awesome.

It's really cool seeing the different things that we make and how they're applied.

I worked a lot of different jobs, and I've got to say, this is probably the best employer that I've ever had.

- If you're going to be spending most of your time at a company... ...we hope that company is us.

We will invest heavily in you, and hope you can do the same for us.

- Working here, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me personally.

It's a job where I don't feel like I'm going into work.

- We also have employee housing.

We have over 20 individual homes owned by Smooth-On, for company housing, for individuals who can walk to work.

- Good company, good people.

Work around good people.

It's fine.

- These are two brand-new silicone vessels that we added in the last six months.

So, we have over 50 different tanks for different varieties of raw materials, representing over 350,000 gallons' worth of product.

We have interest-free loans for employees.

We have an onsite cafeteria, fitness center, nap rooms, because we run 24 hours, five days a week.

And if you've got to get that nap in, here's the place to do it.

The Lehigh Valley is one of the fastest-growing regions.

The talent pool here is amazing.

The employees and people are amazing.

And we've found great success in being part of a community that respects that and rewards that.

In 2015, we moved into the Lehigh Valley.

We're very proud of being here.

This building is 375,000 square feet, and we now are running out of space.

But 4-5 years ago, no one would believe it that this building, which was five times our size, would be something we would grow out of.

No one's found something we have not been able to make yet.

There's no challenge too big.

- Now, that's a super cool place.

We're going to learn more about Smooth-On's Lehigh Valley success, and how you can be a part of it later in the show, as we're joined by Director of Operations, Dan Furneaux.

From movie props to architectural ornamentation, to a company that, well, makes companies.

"We make value."

That's the slogan that Factory LLC in South Bethlehem uses.

This business accelerator helps companies scale up by providing them the resources to grow their business.

Housed in a rehab building on the old Bethlehem Steel campus, they invest in food, beverage, and pet brands with big potential.

Their goal?

To help small businesses quickly become big brands.

One of Factory's success stories, CEO said, Factory gives a $2 million company the resources of a $200 million company.

We had the chance to sit down with one of the factory's three partners and founder, Richard Thompson, who shared with us how Factory accelerates businesses to the next level.

- I'm Rich Thompson, I was born an entrepreneur, and that's what I've done my whole life.

When you love something, you do that every day of your life.

And I've been very fortunate my whole career to be doing that since I was in high school.

Welcome to Factory.

This is our factory building in South Bethlehem.

It's called Factory because it's an old Bethlehem Steel factory building.

So, out of respect for the old Bethlehem Steel industry, We call it Factory LLC.

We don't make anything in this building except for one really important thing.

And that's value.

So, the idea , a company comes in the end over here.

In 1-2 years, it goes out the other end, and we've either sold it to a synergetic company, or we have set up a business for it outside of the Factory.

Like Stuffed Puffs, off of 22.

We built the manufacturing facility, and we have 130-40 people working over there.

Can see this 40,000 square foot old Bethlehem Steel building that we renovated here.

So now, you can see the space, looking back this way, you can see the size of the space, we can put up to 500 people in here to do, like, our Shark Tank event, or, in this case, our Startup Lehigh Valley in October this year that will be held here.

We bought the building in September of 2017, and it took a year and a little bit of cash to do all this renovation you see.

We have about 45-50 people that work in the building at any given time, maybe 8-10 interns from the various colleges around town.

And so, the idea we have almost - never have everything - but you have almost everything you need in this building for a CPG food company, beverage company, or pet company that might be growing up to become a bigger company.

- We'd like to be a $40 million company in three years.

Mikey's is a gluten-free, grain-free, and soy-free convenient frozen food company.

- Everybody around here has an idea, but it's about how you get it executed, and you can only get it executed with a couple of things, you have to have capital, for sure, but you have really good partners that know how to help you execute something.

because I don't care who you are, there might be 25 things to do, you might be able to do two, three, four or five of them, but the other 20, you have to have people to help you do those things.

And a lot of people don't realize that.

Right?

They don't look in the mirror and say, "Oh, here's what I'm good at."

They look in the mirror and say, "Oh, I'm going at everything!"

Wrong answer.

Having the capital's important, having the knowledge is important, but having the right team on the field for that project is really important.

And then, think of all this as a classroom, and all the people that work here are professors.

So, it's like you come in here not to spend the rest of your life, but to learn and to graduate, and to grow up and to create wealth.

That's what happens in this building.

The idea is to work with the entrepreneurs to be sure that the right fit for this type of environment, and they want to learn.

It's like a good student in college, right?

You've got to show up.

And if you don't show up, and you only show up when the test is, and you crammed all night before, that's not really learning at a high level of college.

So, the same is here, we have all these people that you have this camaraderie with, and you trade ideas with.

We've built a community of entrepreneurs here.

- Collaboration is key.

You know, being able to pull the resources of $5-10 million companies is a game-changer.

And Factory's there to help us.

You don't know what you don't know.

And these young entrepreneurs, they're in that position.

And I was there, too, at one time.

So I know that.

But now, being older and having gone through a lot of these opportunities and projects, is that now I'm in a position to be able to look back.

What happens is that I look for the entrepreneurs, right?

Because the entrepreneurs can make or break a business.

So, we saved this old 1940 building.

It's pretty cool place to work.

We wanted a place that people felt good in.

So, all those things came together in Bethlehem, P.A.

- The Factory is always looking for the next brand that needs a little help to go from big potential to big brands.

Speaking of big brands, how about the global brand of Beauty Blender?

17 Beauty Blenders are sold every minute worldwide.

What's a Beauty Blender, you ask?

It's an award-winning egg-shaped makeup sponge that Lehigh Valley CEO and celebrity makeup artist Rea Ann Silva created.

This global game-changer can be found in the makeup bags of makeup artists, celebrities, and influencers like Meghan Markle and Kim Kardashian.

Headquartered in Hanover Township, Rea Ann and her team ship out over 3,500 makeup sponges per day.

Recently recognized by Forbes magazine, the Smithsonian, and countless other publications, Rea Ann shared with us some insight, how this category creator was conceptualized, and how her company continues to grow.

- My name's Rea Ann Silva, I'm the CEO and creator of Beauty Blender.

Beauty Blender is the only tool that's created specifically for your complexion products and the perfection of flawless application of those products.

Being creative has been kind of like my life's calling.

I went to school, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandizing in Los Angeles.

As a starving student, I had to support myself.

So, I found a job in a department store as a perfume model.

And I found very quickly that if you ever want to live a solitary lifestyle, become a perfume model because nobody wants you to spray them with perfume.

I learned that the girls over in the makeup counters were having a lot more fun than I was.

I never saw Beauty Blender coming.

The story is all about organic growth.

It's about fulfilling a need.

It's about, really, truly, innovation that makes someone's life easier.

There are still makeup artists out there that use these wedge-like, pie-shaped sponges that have sharp edges.

The thing about those sponges, in high definition, when you drag them on the face, it leaves a line of demarcation and you can notice these textural changes on the skin.

So, we started beveling.

It ended up being an egg shape because, if you look at a triangle and you cut the edges off, you end up with an egg.

That is how the sponge shape, that's how the idea of the sponge came about.

Who can help me make this sponge?

There was really only, like, two companies in the whole world that were making these materials and distributing them in the cosmetic world.

And one was based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Yay!

When I first met Catherine Bailey, and she became very integral to the business, she looked at what I was doing in Los Angeles and said, "Hey, kid, listen.

I'm going to tell you something.

"I can save you some money if you trust me.

"And if you trust me, you will move your business "to the Lehigh Valley."

- My name is Antigua Ignacio.

I am a trainer, but I normally receive a new hire and show them what to do, and how to do it.

I love to work here because it's very convenient.

It's close to my house.

It's nice and neat.

Very clean.

I love the product.

I know how it does stuff.

I know how to touch, I know how to create.

- I love working at Beauty Blender because it's a very family-oriented work environment.

I handle any incoming packages.

I travel throughout the company on a daily basis, and I go home very happy.

- I get here to the Lehigh Valley, and I think, like, "Wow, this place is so charming."

It's a beautiful, beautiful area.

- What I like about the Lehigh Valley is it's diverse.

There's a lot of things to do.

You know, you're close to Philly, close to New York.

You're right on the coast, close to New Jersey, you can go to the beach.

So, it just has everything.

- I invest in the area.

I live here, I invest in the people, and, you know, we've grown here so much, I think we've got 2-3 fastest-growing businesses here in the Lehigh Valley, because we've just thrived here.

It's been a really, really wonderful experience.

- So great to see all the success, and, of course, all the jobs right here in the Lehigh Valley.

Now at the top of the show, we told you about Smooth-On, and all the great things the company helps create.

What's next for Smooth-On?

And how might you get to work at a place with so many employee benefits?

For that more, let's sit down with Dan Furneaux, the director of operations at Smooth-On.

What do you see next for Smooth-On, and in what way do you envision this already-growing company that's already a thriving business?

- Great question.

So, we've been in the Lehigh Valley for now seven years, and we continually reinvest in new applications and new products.

Every year, we develop 24, two dozen new products, and we look to acquire companies that that support what we make, and other products that we facilitate in order to continually grow through our domestic and international market.

People are the backbone of what makes companies great, and we focus heavily on that in our own community.

- Sounds like business is going great, but every business has challenges.

So, what are some challenges that Smooth-On has going on these days?

So, like I said, we moved out into the Lehigh Valley in 2014.

That seems like a decade ago for us.

We were at a building that was in eastern Pennsylvania, around 80,000 square feet.

And we moved into our current facility, which is 375,000 square feet, over four times the size.

Fast forward to today, 2021.

We are bursting out of the seams.

In a great way!

A good thing about growth is that it engages people and reinvigorates them.

Although, if you asked any of the employees that worked with us, they would be asking for more space.

And to that same point, we're looking at acquiring or building a new area across from our current building at 150,000 square feet, which we're currently in the initial design phase for.

- Wow.

Give our viewers something that you get out of having Smooth-On right here in the Lehigh Valley that you wouldn't get in other parts of the country.

So, for us, as an employer, we've found a great sense of community.

The candidates around here are exceptional, and the amount of people pouring in from all over the States to the actual area and the infrastructure involved is phenomenal.

We do a lot to try and engage employees and keep them motivated.

So, we own a lot of houses nearby us that are then rented out to employees at a fixed rate per week.

And we also encourage individuals then to be able to walk from work, an environment that supports that.

Going through appropriate recruiting processes, it's very helpful when you've got a great pool of candidates to search from.

And most people, once they walk into our lobby and see a dragon above your head, and a lava floor on the ground, are usually taken aback and they don't assume that that kind of infrastructure or company exists nearby.

- What use of a Smooth-On product have you found to be the most surprising?

- Earlier in the show, I think you saw how we were sculpting a dragon.

And that's used in themed environments all over the world, most of which we are very proud of.

And of recent events, we were very proud and very astonished that many of our products were used by many customers and distributors throughout the world to create rapid prototypes, during when Covid started to hit the world as a pandemic.

- Wow.

- For ventilators and respirators, when the world could not pivot in time to build these such devices.

I, for one, feel very proud to be part of a company like that singly because we had no idea that this would be an application.

The ones you know about, you can assume.

The ones you don't should be something that surprises you.

- So, we heard earlier how your employees are just so happy working there, but I want you to expand on a little bit more about the housing, and how that makes for a happy workforce.

- Sure.

So, we place a significant portion of an employee's value on how happy they are as to where they work.

We spend a lot of money and reinvest in lighting, the entire facility's air-conditioned at a breezy 72 degrees, no matter if it's winter or summer.

And then, obviously, we have appropriate facilities, both internal for a full-time fitness center, cafeteria, and then, employee housing.

So, the employee housing allows individuals in a manufacturing environment like ours to have the opportunity to move into a house where they normally wouldn't be able to for various reasons, including low credit scores.

And then, their weekly... Their weekly rent is deducted automatically, allowing them to effectively focus on the one thing that we need them to do, which is work.

And when they come to work, they're meant to bring their troubles to work.

We spent a lot of time with people finding out how their weekend was, how their days are going.

A happy worker is an engaged worker, and most of the time, when you're with us or with any company, you're spending more hours at that job than you would do at home.

So, for us, placing some value on that is important.

- Now, I know Covid and the pandemic has given its own challenges to employees.

How have you been able to help your employees through these times?

- Great question.

The pandemic has certainly been a challenge for businesses and employees alike.

We're only as strong as each individual working with us and for us.

And during these times, we rely heavily on that same level of happiness.

So, Smooth-On supports the employees.

And I'm very proud to be part of it in a manner of ways, including the appropriate housing accommodation we've talked about, along with employee loans that are interest-free.

So, during this time of the past 18-plus months now, a lot of employees have had hardship.

And during those times, if you are needing help, you're welcome to come and speak to us.

That's what normally happens.

They then are met with support, and we find a appropriate amount that supports them, allowing them to focus on themselves and focus on their job so that they aren't distracted by the chaos that exists around us.

The better we can support them, the more they can support us.

And that's what makes us a Smooth-On family.

And we're very proud of that.

- If somebody wants to work for Smooth-On, what's the first step they should take?

We're located, obviously, in the Lehigh Valley.

We welcome you to come and tour our facility.

If you find our parking lot and our Smooth-On logo on the outside of our building, and there's a giant dragon on the front lobby, you know you're in the right space.

Once you walk inside, you'll be introduced to a few people that work at one of our distribution stores.

And you happen to be walking on top of a lava floor.

Ask them about their job, ask them how they got started.

You'll then be probably introduced to a bunch of other people, including going upstairs to our fourth floor.

And meeting people, for us, again, based on value and happiness is what should allow you to choose us as a company to work for.

Other than that, there are normal channels to go through.

Our website, our employment page, LinkedIn, we are constantly recruiting, and great people will always be sought after.

- Thank you so much for being with us, Dan.

It just sounds like such an incredible place to work.

- Thank you so much for having me.

- When you think of business and the Lehigh Valley these days, things are going in the right direction.

Growing, flourishing, frankly, this area and this show is Lehigh Valley Rising.

I'm Valerie Bittner.

Thanks for watching.

- BSI Corporate Benefits is a proud supporter of Lehigh Valley Rising.

- The Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research at Lehigh University College of Business provides programs for working professionals.