About Us
Middle Valley Maple is a subsidiary of Progressive Plastics, Inc. (PPi) located in the lush green mountains of Williamstown, Vermont. Our parent company was founded in 1989, and has since prominently expanded; increasing its tool making, product design, and proprietary manufacturing capability.
In 2009, we partnered with the University of Vermont’s Proctor Maple Research Center to design, prototype, test and manufacture new patented Maple sap fittings. Since then, we have manufactured over 75,000,000 various high-quality fittings for the maple syrup industry.
With over 34 years of plastic injection molding experience, and passion for the Maple industry, our new subsidiary, Middle Valley Maple was born. Together again with The University of Vermont’s Proctor Maple Research Center, we have developed a new line of innovative fittings for the industry. These products will be manufactured and sold from central Vermont. Direct manufacturing and sales will allow for our new line of various fittings to be sold at a lower cost than industry standard.
Our parent company runs three shifts and employs approximately 65 people. Molding capability includes 21 state of art molding machines supported by a complete tooling division, quality, and engineering support.
Middle Valley Maple Executive Team
Hank Buermann
Progressive Plastics owner and President, Hank Buermann, has over 35 years of experience in designing, tool building, molding, and business management. A Class A tool maker, Hank still assists in the designing and manufacture of complex tooling. He sets the direction for the company and assures that the business remains an industry leader in efficiency, productivity, quality, and cost.
Bob Carpenter
The VP of Operations, Bob Carpenter, has over 35 years of experience in manufacturing management. Bob joined the Progressive Plastics management team after working 10 years as the Corporate Quality Manager for another highly successful injection molding company. Bob now also manages the Middle Valley Maple business operations planning, product design, and manufacturing development. Bob has been the focus on the company’s maple industry product design, development, prototyping, testing, and quality for the past 15 years.
Jim Johnson
The company EVP of Sales & Engineering, Jim Johnson, has been with Progressive Plastics for 29 years. Jim’s dedication to the success of the business is visible in all areas of the operation. Jim is also an expert process engineer and develops robust molding processes for all new products. Jim will manage the day-to-day scheduling and production of Middle Valley Maple products.
Jordin Carpenter
Director of Operations, Jordin Carpenter has been with Progressive Plastics for eight years. Jordin manages the company’s proprietary business vision & direction, customer service, sales & marketing, website development, along with the company’s overall business technology systems. These responsibilities include the Middle Valley Maple business.