UNITED SOLUTIONS ENJOYS BANNER YEAR
Plastics manufacturer planning to add 100 new jobs
LEOMINSTER » Plastics manufacturing company United Solutions is forecasting another banner year in 2021, including continued growth and the addition of 100 jobs.
“2020 was an historic year for United,” said CEO Dave Reilly. “Due to COVID, many families were working and going to school from home. Many decided to work around the house painting a room, organizing, or cleaning the attic. Our products supported all of these home type projects.”
United Solutions manufactures plastic storage and organization totes, outdoor trash and recycling bins, and paint and work buckets that meet consumer and industrial needs.
“Our Rubbermaid storage totes were in hot demand throughout the year,” Reilly said.
The increase in sales of United’s products related to organizing, painting, and storage was due to many factors, the biggest one being the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in overall sales rising in 2020 by quite a bit – 44.5% to be exact.
The significant growth enabled United to invest more in the company’s infrastructure. They purchased a warehouse on Jytek Drive that serves as a distribution center and invested more than $12 million in equipment and tooling this year.
The company, which is headquartered at 33 Patriot’s Circle, underwent an ownership change in 2018 after being family-owned for 100 years. Reilly has been at the helm of the business since February and brings years of business leadership experience with him.
“United Solutions needed
additional focus on operational excellence, team building, and customer service,” Reilly said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work in a number of companies that required operational innovations, using a team-based approach in solving issues and focusing on increased sales and profitability. My interests and the needs of United aligned well.”
The company is a licensed manufacturer for several recognizable storage brands and will be launching several new products in 2021 including an eco-friendly line with Rubbermaid manufactured with recycled plastics.
Reilly said it is “extremely important” to him and the company to carry on the legacy of the Tourigny and Zephir families, who owned the company for a century.
“They have built a culture in this area that is based on providing good, hardworking people the opportunity to earn a living and take care of their families,” Reilly said.
Part of continuing their legacy means providing jobs to community members; Reilly said they are planning to hire more than 100 factory workers over the next 12 months.
“Historically, United used temporary workers for manufacturing its products,” he said. “To build a culture of teamwork, accountability, and service we feel it’s important to hire these workers as full-time employees, with exceptional insurance coverage and benefits. We want to build a community that works hard, contributes to the success of United, gets rewarded, and gives back to the community.”
It also means being a company that gives back. In 2020 United donated a number of Rubbermaid storage totes to first responders and front line and essential workers in fire departments in Leominster, Fitchburg, Hopkinton, and Waltham as well as to Leominster Emergency Management, UMass Memorial HealthAlliance – Clinton Hospital, Leominster Campus, and the mayor’s office,
Reilly said they anticipate the company’s growth to continue in the new
year.
“We are very bullish regarding 2021,” he said. “Ecommerce sales continues to be a strong avenue for our products. We are also gaining ground selling our products into brick-andmortar retail stores and
our plans are to expand on the product foundation set in 2020 and increase our product offerings. We are launching many new products during the year including sustainability products, expanding our Rubbermaid Action Packer
line of products, and introducing a new Rubbermaid Storage Tower.”
Reilly said the company will keep thriving as long as they continue to place their employees first.
“Continued training, job enrichment, expanding roles, are all areas we will pursue to ensure our greatest assets feel valued and their work dignified,” he said.
“This enables us to be proficient in servicing our customers, our community and each other.”