Imperial Plastics owner wins chamber award

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Norman Oberto is Lakeville Chamber of Commerce’s selection

Norman Oberto, owner of Lakeville-based Imperial Plastics Inc., will be recognized as the Lakeville Chamber Business Person of the Year during a Monday, Jan. 30 ceremony. Photo submitted

Norman Oberto, owner of Lakeville-based Imperial Plastics Inc., will be recognized as the Lakeville Chamber Business Person of the Year during a Monday, Jan. 30, Chamber Membership Meeting and Holiday Dinner at Crystal Lake Golf Club and Banquet Facility.

Oberto purchased Imperial Plastics, a manufacturer of engineered plastic components, in Lakeville’s Airlake Industrial Park in January 1997.

Since then the company has tripled the number of employees as it has grown through the acqusition of other molding companies from 50,000 to 263,000 square feet in five locations – four in Lakeville and one in West St. Paul.

“Consolidating the supply base proved beneficial for our customers as we can now offer more support, design and development services than before,” Oberto said of the mergers.

Even during the economic downturn, Oberto and his staff have grown the business and created new applications by converting previous metal components to plastics.

“Although the economy shrunk by about 15 percent and our piece of the pie was smaller, we worked harder to make up the difference,” Oberto said. “We’ve worked to become a one-stop-shop, catering to the customers needs.”

Imperial Plastics also has two offices in China operating under the name Integrated Products Inc.

Oberto, a Lakeville chamber member, was selected for the award based on his contributions toward improving the business climate and making the community a better place to live and work.

“In the end, it’s having the right attitude,” Oberto said of his company’s associates being able to grow the business.  “We provide the best value for products and services to our customers – emphasizing safety, quality, and production with on-time delivery. We are here because customers want to do business with us.”

Oberto grew up in Decatur, Ill., where he attended Millikin University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering.

The event will have a social hour that begins at 6 p.m., and dinner and program from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person and can be reserved by calling the Lakeville Chamber office at (952) 469-2020 or www.LakevilleChamber.org. People do need not be chamber members to attend.