Company History Tetra Plastics becomes NIKE IHM, INC. in 1998 Tetra Plastics was built on challenges. In the late 1960s, the company developed plastic components for the production of plastic kites and expansion tubes for construction of nuclear power plants. During the 1970s, it developed specialty materials for snow skis and water skis. In the 1980s, Tetra teamed up with NIKE and played a critical role in the development of the NIKE airsole cushioning system that revolutionized athletic footwear. Facing adversity In the Great Flood of 1993, Tetra Plastics took on its biggest challenge to date – salvaging its machinery from a factory inundated with seven feet of muddy water. When the Missouri River burst through a levee and flooded Tetra's Chesterfield plant, the ingenuity that led to the company's numerous innovations in plastics stepped in to guide it through the crisis. The determination needed to rise above the flood reflects the technological creativity that NIKE IHM thrives on today. In 2001, a 36-year-old firm, now an independently run subsidiary of NIKE INC, the company solves difficult problems using innovative engineered technology. Our business strategy We seek customers who need plastic products that require innovation and engineering not available in the standard marketplace. What NIKE IHM is not, is a company that produces commodities in large volume similar to those offered by other companies. We're in the specialty thermoplastics business. We listen to customers' needs and develop innovative solutions to meet those needs. As a result of this strategy, NIKE IHM is growing rapidly. With a staff of more than 300 working in the 220,000 square foot office and manufacturing facility in St. Charles, MO. A second plant is located in Beaverton, OR. The bottom line A large portion of the growth comes from NIKE IHM's non-NIKE customers although NIKE remains the company's biggest client.