Trust is the Currency of Business at AmSty
By Tim Barnette
I've learned over a long career of observation that trust drives customer purchase decisions more than any other factor.
Certainly, quality and customer service fundamentals are a must – and innovation as well. But the differentiator, the difference maker that puts you in first position, is trust. It's true in our business and I believe it's universal, as well.
You could even say that trust – not cash – is the currency of business.
At AmSty, we put safety first in our operating world. In our business world, the cultivation and building of trust comes first. It's the foundation of how we work – internally with our colleagues and externally with our customers and suppliers.
No one explains it better than the late Steven Covey in his must-read book on the topic, The Speed of Trust.
First published 20 years ago, the core tenets still resonate today – defining how high-performing organizations put trust at the center, adding to agility and speed. After reading it years ago, I recently picked it up again. The lessons hit me as very topical given the volatility in today's petrochemical and feedstock markets and global supply chain shocks becoming the norm.
Covey puts into words what we've long practiced at AmSty: trust isn't simply "nice to have." It's a business strategy to be integrated throughout your organization. It's measurable and actionable.
The book starts with self-trust. If you can't trust yourself – your values, your commitments, your word – it's hard to trust anyone else.
From there, trust extends outward to your colleagues, your partners, your customers and ultimately to institutions and markets. When trust breaks down at any level, things slow down, costs go up and relationships suffer.
That idea shows up clearly in leadership.
If you're a CEO or in a leadership role, trust must be intentional. You make a conscious decision to trust people – to build leadership, commercial and operational teams based on accountability rather than micromanagement. You manage people, not things. When you do that, organizations move faster and perform better. That's what a high-trust organization looks like.
At AmSty, we've built our business around that principle.
We are a leading U.S. producer of polystyrene resin and styrene monomer, supplying high-quality materials that serve as the building blocks for products people rely on every day, such as food packaging, appliances, medical devices, automotive components, paints, adhesives and more. Our customers depend on our supply line for these essential materials as the life blood of their operations. Without them, their businesses can't function.
That reality puts a responsibility on us.
Trust means being there consistently, day in and day out. It's earned in drops and lost in buckets, so must be handled with the utmost care.
It means delivering the highest quality products on time and going the extra mile, if need be, to get it done.
It means transparent communication, even when conditions are challenging.
It means doing whatever it takes to try to keep our problems from becoming our customers' problems.
And it means standing behind our commitments without hesitation.
That's how trust becomes tangible.
Beyond our products, trust shows up in how we work with suppliers, how we invest in logistics, how we approach safety and how we support customers who are navigating change.
What sets AmSty apart is that we've operationalized trust. It's embedded in our culture and how we run the business. Reliability and delivering on our commitments have been normalized as a core value. That's how we've succeeded, grown and built long-term partnerships in a demanding industry.
Our customers shouldn't have to question whether we'll come through. They should trust that we will. It's how we must show up every day.
