September 2012
| Business World Magazine | 119
is slightly unusual, considering they only re-
cently celebrated their fifth. “We still have
some of the banners on the wall that say
‘
Congratulations on the first five years, only
95
to go.’”
“
We think that keeping a portion of your
attention focused on the very long term re-
minds you howmuch success you really need
to afford the necessary reinvestment in the
business to make it to the long haul,” Smith
explains. “That includes how much finan-
cial success you need, how much employee
engagement success, and how much growth
success.”
“
We’re an aluminum company and we ex-
pect to remain an aluminum company, but
we’re going to grow,” he adds. “We’re going
to find a way to take those customers that
have been with us for over 20 years and work
with them to be part of the journey to the
100
year mark.”
At the same time, Smith says that the
company is always aiming to find new cus-
tomers and discover new applications for
aluminum, and thus new opportunities for
success.
“
We talk about creating a sustainable com-
pany, and that means being environmentally
sustainable and socially sustainable as well as
economic sustainable,” he says. “It goes back
to being an ‘and’ company.”
A recent report commissioned by the
Aluminum Association states that over 75
per cent of all aluminum ever produced is
still in use today. Noranda, as an aluminum
business in every sense, is well positioned to
achieve the sustainability they are shooting
for.
“
We believe that building a sustainable
aluminum company is a sure path to our
success,” concludes Smith, once again citing
Noranda’s mission statement. “I believe that
with my whole heart.”
