Old School, New School: Quaker Chemical Corporation
Location: Conshohocken
Industry: Chemical specialties
Local employees: 117
Revenue: $460 million
This almost 90-year-old chemical company, which supplies products to the steel, auto and construction industries, among others, has a unique culture that blends the best of an old-school workplace with the opportunities of the new economy. “Even though we’re an international company, we’re still small,” says company rep Jan Waldauer. Quaker’s U.S. headquarters in Conshohocken has fewer than 120 employees — which means politics and bureaucracy don’t reign, and there’s a family feeling. On the more progressive side: Quaker operates around the world, allowing some of its employees the opportunity to spend time in its offices in Amsterdam, Shanghai and Rio. Toss in a summer-hours program, an on-site fitness center and generous retirement benefits, and it’s no surprise the company has such a high stickiness factor: The average employee has been here for 14 years. – Philly Magazine
