Arthur LaVerne Hyde opened A.L. Hyde Company in 1932. Despite difficulties in the Great Depression, Hyde had the foresight to see the potential of plastics industry.

A.L. Hyde Co. was one of the earliest custom molders of small plastic products; its first products of Bakelite and cellulose consisted of small items such as compacts and powderpuff boxes. In 1936, it was one of the first companies in the nation to begin injection molding. From a simple tabletop hand press, Hyde’s injection molding capacity grew steadily. From the early acetate, nitrate, and acrylic resins available in the late thirties, Hyde’s range of materials expanded vastly to the more modern (at the time) materials of Delrin, Zytel, Lexan polycarbonate, Plexiglas, Implex, and Tenite resins.

A.L. Hyde Company is no longer held by the Hyde family.