Toray Plastics (America) CEO Michael Brandmeier was featured in Providence Business News’ “One Last Thing” on April 11th 2015.  The article is below and can be found on the PBN website.

It’s my belief that to succeed in life you need to have a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and optimism. 

Optimism, however, is often tested among Rhode Island businesspeople. In a state that consistently ranks at the low end of every major business survey, we certainly have issues that need to be addressed – from the complexity of our business environment to the lack of a supply of natural gas, which is fueling the manufacturing renaissance in every region of the country except New England.

Still, no matter where you are, there will always be issues. At Toray, I am surrounded by people whose commitment and can-do mind-set turn issues into opportunities, and opportunities into success.Toray came to Rhode Island in 1985. We knew little about the U.S. market or about doing business in Rhode Island, but we had a dream of growing a national presence for our global brands. Today, we employ close to 600 people, have strong relationships within our community and are celebrating our 30th year here.

If I can offer any advice, it’s this:

• Have a dream of where you want to go, and stay focused on that goal.
• Surround yourself with people who share your values.
• Work hard to bring that dream to reality.
• Make optimism the cornerstone of your success – optimism about yourself, about the people you work with and about the future that you are building together.

Caption: After nearly 20 years with Toray, Michael Brandmeier took the reins at its North Kingstown facility last summer. Its leading position in the market is the result of technological innovation, but as Brandmeier notes, a healthy dose of optimism helped.