PBN 2020 Leaders & Achievers Awards
Emily Reade | President, Reade Advanced Materials
CHEMISTRY WAS A whole new world to Emily Reade, a former banker, when she started at East Providence-based chemical manufacturer Reade Advanced Materials.
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The actual reason Reade went into banking, she said, is that those financial institutions all had management training programs.
“It was nice to think I would go through training and learn about all [kinds of industries and businesses] and come out with some kind of transferrable skill set,” Reade said.
And that she did. When her husband, Charles, decided to take over a portion of his family’s business, she joined him at Reade Advanced Materials. The couple decided that Emily Reade would handle all business on the operational and administrative end, while her significant other was in sales and had visions of product lines and markets, she said.
“I had no chemistry background, but I learned. I really loved understanding what our customers are using the product for,” Reade said.
She used management and technical skills to understand the financials and human resources she had learned in banking to grow the company. Today, Reade is the manufacturer’s president and helped grow the company exponentially and globally. The manufacturer has opened offices in Nevada and Panama City, Panama.
Employee loyalty has been critical in the company’s success. Nearly half of Reade Advanced Materials’ employees have been there for a decade or longer.
“I feel the most important asset [is] the people that work for us,” Reade said. “I’m a strong believer in standing behind them and, when warranted, promoting them and to fine-tuning their skill sets so they are excited about their job when they go out in the marketplace.”
Reade said she is most proud of both the foothold the company established in the market and the loyal customer base it has developed. Reade is also pleased that her daughters have joined the company.
“I’m incredibly proud of the fine young women they’ve turned into and their skill set and their passion for the business,” Reade said.
