In a conversation presented at the 2026 Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference for the Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) and Association of Rubber Product Manufacturers (ARPM), Rick Riesterer (Chief Commercial Officer at Teel Plastics) and Michael Molling (Consultation and Advisor at Purpose Build Partners) spoke with Michael Benson, Managing Director in Stout’s Investment Banking group.

This article recaps their discussion.

Article Abstract

One of the challenges that comes up most consistently in MAPP Benchmarking surveys is a processor’s ability to intentionally drive consistent, profitable organic growth. The best-in-class, high-growth processors we work with tend to share two traits: a company-wide way to track new business in three categories (business running today, awarded programs not yet in production, and a probability-weighted pipeline of open opportunities) and the ability to track and analyze a defined set of key performance indicators (KPIs). The speakers described how, once a CRM and the supporting procedures were in place, the system was used and by whom, and how it allowed them to organize, track, analyze, and incentivize their sales teams to grow deliberately. They also explained how to track historical conversion rates from pipeline to backlog to revenue, and how those rates become the foundation for credible short- and long-term projections.

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