Gabriel Performance Products Drives Growth and Innovation in Downtown Akron

Written by Max Pastoria

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March 14, 2021

Featuring:

Seth Tomasch, Gabriel’s CEO, meets with CVCA’s Drennan Akins, Max Pastoria, and Erin Venus for an interview.

Photo by Elmer Thomas

Specialty Products

“What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘chemicals?’” asked Seth Tomasch, CEO of Gabriel Performance Products. Often, due to history’s chronicle of the chemical industry, the word carries unintended baggage, yet at Gabriel, that notion is being changed every day. Gabriel Performance Products is a leading specialty chemical manufacturer, delivering premium chemical solutions with excellent customer service and care. Since Audax Private Equity purchased Gabriel in 2014, the company has focused on enhancing their product line and manufacturing capabilities to serve their customers internationally.

Team Culture

“Culture drives performance,” said Tomasch. At Gabriel, he and his team have created a significant corporate culture of accountability. “It’s reached a state in the last two years where we have people who like to be together, that enjoy coming to work and do an incredible amount of work for the number of people we have. And it sounds cliche, but when you can get it to work, it’s the secret sauce.” Tomasch said that what sets the company apart from other businesses in his industry is its extreme focus on customer service. When it comes to hiring, Gabriel looks for qualities that will perpetuate this culture that has brought such success. These include self-accountability, foremost, but also include ethics, honesty, and transparency. “It’s something that we have the freedom to do as a small company,” said Tomasch. “When you have people that are accountable for themselves, you can give them a ton of freedom.” Gabriel has 165 employees in all, twenty-five of which work in Akron. It has manufacturing plants in Ashtabula, Harrison City, Pennsylvania, Rock Hill, South Carolina, and other offices in Sarasota, Florida. Its headquarters were formerly located in Ashtabula, however, in 2016, the company made the decision to move to Akron. The reasoning behind this, Tomasch explained, was twofold. The Akron area has a higher percentage of college graduates, and with a growing business, more accountants, IT professionals, and other positions needed filled. Along with that, the city’s history of rubber and polymer attracted them, too. Since the move to Akron, the company has had “fantastic success,” said Tomasch.

Ownership

Just recently, Huntsman acquired Gabriel from Audax. As this transition and integration takes place, the company looks forward to years of success and helping their customers succeed in the process, too. “Gabriel – a company you can trust to do the right thing every time.”

Office Location

Gabriel’s headquarters resides in the AES Building on South Main Street in Akron. The building is perfect for the company. On top of the amazing office view of the Ohio and Erie Canal, as well as some historically influential parts of the city, the AES Building makes life simpler for the companies, including Gabriel, that call it home.