Safety system maker Turtle Plastics becomes women-owned business

Turtle Plastics, a maker of recycled plastic safety and tile products in Lorain, Ohio, is now a women-owned small business.

Tom Norton, the founder of Cleveland Reclaim Industries, which does business as Turtle Plastics, has shifted the majority of his shares to women in leadership roles within the company, the company said in a July 16 news release. President Liz Demetriou and clinical EHS adviser Karen Bradley are now the company's majority shareholders.

In the release, Norton said the company felt "these new steps will not only propel Turtle Plastics dynamically but will ensure its existence indefinitely in carrying out lifesaving products," as well as supporting the Turtle Plastics Foundation.

Bradley, Norton's wife, had recently begun taking on a more active role in the company, the release said, working with management shareholders Demetriou and Dennis Hildebrandt.

"Tom and I were delighted when Liz agreed to become the president of Turtle Plastics and Dennis became vice president," Bradley said in the release.

Turtle specializes in safety stabilization products, such as its Turtle Tile safety mats, wheel blocks, risers and pads to provide a stable surface for heavy equipment. The company said it began in 1980 in Cleveland for plastics recycling and added manufacturing of safety products to close the recycling loop.