ILMA Compoundings – October 2019 - 60

PORTRAIT
Michael Ruth
Vice President of Sales & Marketing,
Storchem Inc.
"Build relationships and good things will happen. You can only control yourself. Put effort
into your relationships, and they will reward
you personally and professionally. As Scrooge
once said in The Muppet Christmas Carol, 'If
you need to know the measure of a man, you
simply count his friends.'"

nearly two decades, and I love her more today than ever. Golf
is also a passion of mine, and I have also been known to get
out on the dance floor at ILMA and get funky."

BREEDING CONFIDENCE
YOUNG BLOOD
"I came straight from McMaster University 13 years ago and
joined Storchem. I was the president of the pre-law society
with an undergrad in honors commerce. I planned to go into
corporate law. The former owner of Storchem, Vadym Korsh
(who has since passed), knew my father, who himself had a
long history in the chemical industry in sales. He saw me as
someone who could help grow the company from an early
age - young blood. I told them I had plans to go to law school
long-term, but Vadym was determined to have me, if even
just for a year or two, and insisted no hard feelings if I left. He
was interested to have someone push areas of growth, and I
was interested to take a break from student life, eating meals
outside the 'just add water' spectrum. I chose to focus on our
grease and lubricant lines, and 13 years later, I am still here
and never regretted the decision.
"As the lubricant business rapidly took off, I was blessed with relationships inside of ILMA, and I encouraged Storchem to become
an active member. ILMA has been a great way to establish and
support relationships. I have made so many good friends there
that I look forward to seeing every year. I give a special note of
thanks to Barbara Bellanti; she was one of the first to encourage
me to join ILMA. At first, there were not many young faces, but
everyone was so friendly. Now, when I look around the room,
there are more and more younger people attending meetings,
taking significant roles in companies. It is great to see."

FAMILY MAN
"I love my kids. It was a weird and wonderful experience becoming a father. There is a moment when you hold that tiny
hand, and from then on, you would give anything to protect
them, even at a cost to yourself. My son, Calvin, and my
daughter, Olivia, are what get me up in the morning - literally
and figuratively. My wife, Whitney, has been my best friend for

OCTOBER 2019

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

"My parents were always so supportive. Coaching sports, spending time with me - it shaped me into the man I am today. In
ninth grade, I was the kid who always had an A-plus in sports
but never succeeded academically. My parents spent a great
deal of time helping me with school in the evenings, changing
study habits, proofreading until I learned how to do it on my
own, and generally always being there when I needed help. The
next year I went from a C average to an A average with all their
support. It changed the expectations I had for myself entirely.
"When that happens, you start getting hungry for success
when you feel it is something you are capable of achieving.
School began to feel like sports always had for me, where I
knew I could improve when I was willing to put in the effort. It is
the difference between struggling with a purpose instead of just
struggling. Changing your viewpoint is such a powerful thing in
breeding confidence, and when you have it in yourself, others
see it in you. I always feel like we are who we choose to be, and
I get that from my parents. They gave me the confidence."

OVERCOMING ANXIETY
"When people generally think of me, they do so as a very outgoing, confident person, but as a kid, it was the opposite.
I had a lot of anxiety, and I was very shy. I learned to do a
lot of self-talk to help me get through it. Disconnecting the
emotional response from the physical response, rationalizing
as best you can. Anxiety is also a shared event; everyone has it
to a degree, and I still have it today. It helps to remember that
it is not something that you deal with alone, even if you are by
yourself. You can't stop it; you just learn how to react to it as
best you can in a healthy way."

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ILMA Compoundings – October 2019

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