Kam Raykovitz has been part of the plastics industry for nearly 25 years. Her career has included leadership roles with experience in commercial strategy, targeted business growth, supplier relationships and inventory management.
Raykovitz earned a bachelor's degree in communications and psychology from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. She worked for Dow Automotive Systems' customer service team, then she accepted a distribution channel manager position with Trinseo, where she managed the styrenics business of 37 million pounds and $51 million annually.
"It was exciting to start my first sales position in plastics, and I had the support of several mentors along the way. Entec was actually one of my customers at the time," said Raykovitz, who was approached by Entec with a job offer in 2011 and is now its product manager for filled polypropylene. "I was interested in plastics because I truly enjoy building new relationships with people. Above anything else, relationship-building is a crucial aspect of the plastics industry. Working in plastics allows me to do something I enjoy every day: connect with people."
Raykovitz was the first woman to join Entec's commercial management team as a business manager: "It was a proud day when the founder of Entec said that I was breaking the glass ceiling at Entec by being the first woman to join their team."
In her current position as product manager, Raykovitz is responsible for the filled polypropylene business unit, which comprises 96 million pounds and $100 million in revenue.
"I focus on nurturing key supplier relationships in order to maximize overall growth and profitability for Entec's filled polypropylene portfolio. My position involves strategic collaboration with leadership, sales, purchasing and planning to create a robust product offering, inventory strategy and growth plan," she said.
Entec implemented a new strategic planning method that outlines aggressive volume goals in 2024 and beyond. As part of this process, Raykovitz said she needs to drive exponential growth within her portfolio, which has required an intense level of collaboration with internal stakeholders and leadership to achieve these new targets.
"It's no secret that plastics is a male-dominated industry," she said. "Instead of trying to prove myself to anyone else, I have focused on making myself proud. Considering I started in plastics knowing nothing about this industry to building confidence, earning promotions and gaining respect from my peers, I continue making myself proud today."