HIGH PRAISE FOR HI-GEAR
Female CEO receives accolades for going green efforts and more
When Svetlana Aptekman and her husband started their business Hi- Gear Products over 25 years ago they worked tirelessly, side-by-side, to get it up and running.
“Our blood, sweat, and tears went into the business,” Aptekman recalled.
“He was the creative inspiration with a chemistry background, proficient in innovative product development and marketing, while I diligently managed the business and finances. We had an unconditional confidence in one anoth
er, and I never doubted our ability to create a successful enterprise together. We made a perfect team, both as partners in business and life — our business grew and thrived.”
Her husband passed away unexpectedly 13years ago, and Aptekman’s “world was upended.”
“I was left to raise our two young children and lead our hard-won business on my own,” she said. “It was by far the biggest challenge I have ever faced in my lifetime.”
While Hi- Gear is headquartered in Hudson, its manufacturing facility, located on Whitney Street, operates alongside USPack, which was founded in 2004 by Hi- Gear instead of outsourcing shipping to another company or country.
USPack, together with its parent company HiGear Products Inc., produces and distributes automotive aftermarket and household cleaning products.
With the Leominster manufacturing location and a distribution center in Fitchburg, the company offers specialty chemical products that are wholly made in the United States including engine additives and cleaning formulas, everything from motor oils to household cleaners, janitorial products and hydraulic fluids, to name a few.
The company’s product line and capabilities have grown exponentially since its founding in 1997, and today, USPack offers more than 3,000 products for practically every application in the automotive aftermarket industry, as well as household and industrial cleaning chemicals.
“Thankfully, my parents and upbringing instilled the importance of both strength and determination in one’s life and actions,” Aptekman said. “This fortitude and resilience, as well as a sense of humor, helped me in many different circumstances. Achieving my goals and making my own voice heard has always required me to be knowledgeable, confident, and resolute in my decisions. I pride myself in being able to communicate in a clear and concise manner with no consideration to mine or any other person’s gender or background.”
In October, Hi- Gear earned national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Center for Women & Enterprise, a regional certifying partner of Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.
In addition, the company was bestowed with a Green Manufacturing Award in April from the Worcester Business Journal as a result of the company’s power coming from solar energy and Aptekman’s dedication to giving
back to the local community by promoting responsible manufacturing via the use of green energy technology and reducing the use of harmful chemicals.
“We currently are fully powered by solar energy and have made efforts to decrease waste and overall carbon footprint,” Aptekman said.
Having manufacturing in-house gives them the ability to control costs by improving efficiencies, eliminate hazardous ingredients, and reduce energy with solar panels that were installed on the building roofs during construction.
While she may strive to not let gender affect how she personally treats people, including staff and customers, Aptekman said she certainly is not immune to gender biases and stereotypes.
“Frankly, I have never
consciously reflected on how being a woman in this male-dominated industry would be problematic, but granted, there are unique challenges that gender poses in this role,” she said. “I have rarely experienced overt discrimination in my professional life, but I find myself navigating through nuanced and subtle moments.”
Aptekman said that first and foremost, to be credible in her field, she must be knowledgeable.
“In many ways I must know about all things related to the automotive aftermarket industry to an equal or even larger degree than my male counterparts because it is always assumed, by virtue of being a man, that they have the technical expertise,” she said. “I must always be ahead of the curve.
She said that despite the
differences between the automotive and chemical manufacturing networking events that she attends, “one similarity always prevails. You can count the number of women attendees on one hand, if any.”
Nonetheless, Aptekman always endeavors to approach each situation “in a dynamic and flexible manner.”
“When exhibiting at trade shows, domestically and abroad, I meet with hundreds if not thousands of potential customers, suppliers, and individuals of different backgrounds, views, and beliefs,” she said.
“I see them all as gatekeepers or possible opportunities to further business and personal growth. As such, I need to be open to all of them and meet them where they are, so to speak. In certain parts of the
world where it is uncommon and foreign for women to be in traditionally male roles, I am perfectly comfortable stepping back a bit and giving my male colleagues the opportunity to represent our company in a front-facing manner.
“While never losing your pride or allowing others to discriminate against you as a woman, it is also critical to intimately understand religious and cultural differences, local customs, and traditions,” Aptekman continued. “When appropriate, it is essential to be flexible, tactful, and respectful of these fundamental differences. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I have found that this kind of adaption is essential to keep moving forward, be successful, respected, and happy in my personal and professional growth.”
She said that being a single mother and president of an automotive chemical manufacturing and distribution company “leads to a multitude of individually challenging circumstances.”
“Balancing family life with work obligations, creating a safe, progressive, and productive workplace for all my workers, being the leader of a company in an industry that is predominantly led by men, and an extensive travel schedule are just a few to mention,” Aptekman said.
The “significant challenge” of being able to strike a healthy balance between family and career is one of the many dilemmas that working mothers are inherently familiar with.
“Building a successful company meant an opportunity to give my children a good education and the life I wanted for them, but it
did mean I had to sacrifice a lot of my time and attention,” Aptekman said. “Working for myself allows me to be flexible with my time now, however in retrospect, devoting my time fairly between work and family in the first years of building the company was strenuous to say the least.”
Despite the age-old struggle to attain balance, Aptekman said she is proud of her achievements and determined to help her company keep growing and prospering.
“We have worked and continue to work with some incredible brands and retailers,” she said.
“I would like to see our private label and domestic sales sector of the business to continue its rapid growth, while remaining established and a household brand in global markets,” she said.
“To support expansion, we plan to invest in more robust machinery and state-of-the-art equipment to increase operational productivity and efficiency,” she said.
Aptekman said she takes pride in being an employer and leader “of an incredible team of individuals” that includes 16 employees.
“I wish to provide additional training and recognition opportunities for our employees while sustaining the best possible working environment for personal and career growth,” she said.
“I am committed to achieving all of these goals for growth in the most sustainable way,” Aptekman added.
We continue to work on other ways to make our business greener and I am eager to see the results of our efforts in the future to come.”