Doing Everything Right

"There's a real can-do attitude here," he says. "We have a lot of good people who step up and show leadership. That's part of the reason for our success."

Another reason—perhaps the most important one, Thomas proposes—is its close association with its parent, Eastman Chemical. The company was founded in the late 1920s, and by the 1950s, it was in need of various printing services, which Thomas claims couldn't be found on the outside (in the Kingsport area) at the time. Thus, Eastman Chemical set up its own shop and provided those services internally.