In his years of leadership at Sterling, Hiebert consolidated the brand names of Bayer, Centaur-Caldwell and Chas into a single division that became increasingly profitable and also launched the environmentally conscious Zimmerman process, designed to help reduce industrial pollution. He also began a period of international expansion, building plants across Latin America, Asia, Europe and Africa. When Hiebert became president in 1955, net sales were at a level of $167 million with earnings of $30 million, and had risen to levels of $720 and $69 million, respectively, by the time he left office in 1972.