On August 19, STOCKMEIER Urethanes, in partnership with AC&S Inc., opened its doors in Clarksburg, West Virginia, for a day of conversations connecting employees, industry representatives and policymakers around safety, stewardship and the future of manufacturing in the region.
Through an employee town hall and policymaker roundtable, the event demonstrated how Responsible Care® can support strong performance inside a facility and meaningful engagement beyond its gates.
As a members of ACC, STOCKMEIER and AC&S participate in Responsible Care, the chemical industry’s leading safety and sustainability initiative. The program sets clear expectations for participating companies, including tracking and reporting performance, implementing rigorous management systems and safety codes, and undergoing independent third-party certification.
The results are measurable:
- Three consecutive years of record employee safety performance
- A 27% reduction in the Total Recordable Incident Rate since 2017
- Responsible Care companies are 5x safer than the overall manufacturing sector and 3x safer than the broader chemistry industry
The day began with a town hall focused on building employees’ understanding of Responsible Care and empowering them to confidently tell the story of the work happening at STOCKMEIER. Dan Roczniak, Senior Director, Responsible Care at ACC, spoke about the initiative and the role employees play in putting its principles into practice every day.
The conversation connected Responsible Care to employees’ daily work, from identifying and managing risk to emergency preparedness and community coordination. It also reinforced the value of employees as trusted voices. The people closest to the work are often best equipped to explain how strong safety practices support both facilities and their surrounding communities.
Those conversations continued during a policymaker roundtable that brought together ACC members, related industry employees, local elected officials and representatives from the West Virginia Manufacturers Association and the Gas & Oil Association of West Virginia. The discussion focused on safety, environmental stewardship, workforce development, operational excellence and the opportunities and challenges facing manufacturers, energy producers and their communities.
The day also included a visit and discussion with U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a longtime champion for West Virginia’s industry and manufacturing sector. Senator Capito has a long-standing connection to STOCKMEIER, having visited the Clarksburg facility in 2023 to meet with company and local leaders and learn more about its operations. Her continued engagement with the state’s manufacturing community underscores the importance of connecting policymakers directly with the people and facilities helping drive West Virginia’s economy.
ACC thanks STOCKMEIER Urethanes for its generous hospitality and AC&S Inc. for its partnership and looks forward to continuing this important work and building on these conversations. From the facility floor to discussions with policymakers, the message throughout the day was clear: the strongest stories about American manufacturing come from the people who live them every day. Responsible Care gives those stories a foundation of proven performance and gives the people behind that performance a voice.