U.S. Plastic Corp. founder and philanthropist R. Stanley Tam died Sunday at 107 years old, the company confirmed Monday.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
LIMA — U.S. Plastic Corp. founder and philanthropist R. Stanley Tam died Sunday at 107 years old, the company confirmed Monday.
Tam dedicated his fortune to Christian causes, forming a “pact with God” to donate his firm’s profits to support the teaching of Christianity around the world.
He started as a door-to-door salesman and founded States Smelting and Refining Co. from his home when he discovered he could reclaim used silver discarded from developed film, and eventually founded U.S. Plastic Corp. at the suggestion of photographers who wished they could purchase plastic darkroom trays instead of metal, according to a Dec. 19, 2012, article in The Lima News.
Tam, who once described himself to a Lima News reporter as “God’s employee,” spoke of a “profound conversation with God” that led him to establish a foundation that would “give 100% legal ownership of the company to God,” according to the company’s website and an article from The Lima News from Nov. 30, 2013.
Tam and his wife Juanita, who died in 2006, would go on to donate more than $100 million of their fortune to Christian causes, according to the Nov. 30, 2013, article.
The evangelist regularly mailed gospel tracts to his clients and decorated the side of his firm with the inscription: “Christ is the answer,” visible to passersby on Interstate 75. Tam described the sign as a “touch of witness” in his 1975 book, “Every Christian is a Soul Winner.”
When Tam retired from U.S. Plastic in 1999, he founded a handcrafting furniture business that he described to a Lima News reporter as a “front” to “lead souls to Jesus.”
Tam published four books including his memoir, “God Owns my Business,” which describes his philosophy of blending faith and business.
He mailed 30,000 copies of the book to Lima residents in 2013, telling The Lima News at the time that, “God spoke to me to mail them, so I’m going to obey.”
“Stanley was not only known for his drive to succeed in business but also for his commitment to God and passion for sharing the gospel message,” U.S. Plastic Corp. CEO Kevin Kempton wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
Tam “dedicated himself to making as much money as possible to invest in Christian missionary work,” Kempton wrote. “He hoped to encourage others to fully obey God and to make Him the center of their lives. Even after Stanley retired, he remained involved, meeting with former colleagues and giving his advice. At U.S. Plastic, we will honor his memory by continuing the work that Stanley Tam was so passionate about.”
