Herman Muehlstein
H. Muehlstein & Company, Inc.
Inducted 1999
Herman Muehlstein (1902 – 1962) was an entrepreneur and founder of H. Muehlstein & Company, Inc. in 1911. An immigrant from Austria-Hungary, he began as a dealer in scrap rubber in Akron, Ohio, and then in Chicago before moving to New York. This market, which today handles billions of pounds of material, was first envisioned by Herman Muehlstein in the early 1940’s. He originally serviced the rubber industry by recognizing a need to “reuse” rubber. He later worked with an alliance between the Rubber Exchange and the U.S. Government, supplying rubber for the WWII war effort.
Subsequently, he turned his efforts to the plastics industry, creating joint ventures with the Koppers Company, the Dow Chemical Company, and the Foster Grant Company. His persistence pushed him into plastics because he knew, like rubber, plastics can be reused. In this aspect, Herman Muehlstein was a pioneer environmentalist, recognizing a need to “recycle” both plastics and rubber years before it was the environmentally correct or “green” thing to do so. Today, Herman’s company, H. Muehlstein & Company, Inc., is viewed as a global leader. For more than a century, its participation has spawned dozens of companies servicing the plastics industry.
Herman was also a collector of rare books, art, and sculptures. He endowed the University of Akron with the Herman Muehlstein Rare Book Library. He established a foundation for underprivileged youth -The Herman Muehlstein Foundation, Inc. in New York. He also created the Herman Muehlstein Scholarship Foundation at the University of Akron. The scholarship fund at Akron awards scholarships to New York area students wishing to attend the University.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastics materials, Plastics business management