The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce held their 113th Annual Meeting recently. Pierre Masuy, Plant Manager, OMYA, Inc.’s Florence Verpol Plant was named the 2011 Business Person of the Year. In his remarks RRCC EVP/CEO Tom Donahue noted the importance of the OMYA facility. The plant is the third largest in OMYA’s worldwide system, employing a staff of 175 workers. The plant is also the largest customer of Vermont Railway. Masuy oversaw construction of the plant’s multimillion-dollar dewatering facility that came online in 2009, recycling 750,000 gallons of water a day from the calcium carbonate manufacturing process. Mr. Donahue informed those in attendance that the contributions made by Masuy and the plant go beyond its economic benefit. Donahue stated “At OMYA, they feel it is their civic responsibility to support local efforts that benefit the community and neighbors, in the past six months alone, they have made donations to 56 local organizations and community groups.” Mr. Masuy, a native of France, holds degrees in physics and engineering and a master’s degree in business administration. He relocated from his job at OMYA’s Aragon facility in France to assume the job of Florence plant manager.
While accepting the award, Mr. Masuy thanked his employees at the plant. Mr. Masuy was joined on stage by his key management team and his wife, Patricia. While introducing his team Mr. Masuy stated: “In talking about business, the first thing I have in mind to do a good business, you need to have good people around you.” Mr. Masuy said in a tough economy, his employees “work hard every day to find new ideas to keep our business strong in Vermont to support our customers, to support our people and to support our community,” he said. “It is part of our responsibility and really we like it.”