NINE INDUSTRY LEADERS AND INNOVATORS TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE PLASTICS HALL OF FAME IN A GALA CELEBRATION AT NPE2009
Industry Pioneers from U.SA., Canada, South Africa, Austria, and Italy to Be Honored in Formal Event at New McCormick West Ballroom on Monday of NPE Week
WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., April 6, 2009: An international group of nine pioneers who achieved fundamental advances in plastics polymers, processing, and applications will be formally inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame at a gala banquet during NPE2009, it was announced today by The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). Produced by SPI, NPE2009 takes place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place.
The Plastics Hall of Fame gala will start at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 22 in the ballroom of the West Building of McCormick Place. The keynote speaker will be Mike Ditka, celebrated former player with the Chicago Bears football team, member of the Football Hall of Fame, and commentator on the ESPN television network.
The nine inductees to be honored during NPE2009 are listed below.
● Robert Barr, developer of design concepts for plasticating screws now used throughout the plastics machinery sector; innovator and entrepreneur in blow molding equipment.
● Paul N. Colby, innovative designer, manufacturer, and entrepreneur in the field of feed screws for plastics processing machinery.
● Trevor Evans, whose leadership in plastic packaging included innovative work in package design and manufacture and executive management of key packaging firms.
● Prof. Paolo Galli, polymer chemist and resin company executive whose developments in the field of polymerization catalysts led to the creation of new types of polyolefins.
● James Hendry, inventor of a wide range of injection molding and structural foam machinery systems and developer of gas-assisted injection molding.
● Ralph A. Noble, compounding innovator and executive who pioneered the use of plasticizers for flexible vinyl and crosslinked polyethylene for wire and cable.
● Georg Schwartz, executive who became head of a small Austrian engineering firm and developed it into a leading global injection molding machinery manufacturer.
● Robert Swain, pioneer in the development of applications for polypropylene, then in the production of color masterbatches as founder and head of a leading supplier firm.
● Dr. Donald Witenhafer, polymer chemist whose inventions in PVC polymerization ended the threat of cancer caused by vinyl chloride emissions during resin production.
Biographical Information. See accompanying ''Biographical Sketches'' for information on all inductees.
High-Resolution Photos. For an online photo album of the nine inductees plus keynote speaker Mike Ditka, click on the link below or paste the web address into your browser. All photos are downloadable.
Table reservations for the Plastics Hall of Fame Gala at NPE2009 can be made by contacting Alan Carter at acarter@plasticsindustry.org or 1-202-974-5284.
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The Plastics Hall of Fame was founded in 1972 to honor individuals whose extraordinary accomplishments contributed to the growth of the plastics industry. The Plastics Hall of Fame is administered by The Plastics Academy. New living inductees are elected every three years by a majority vote of the living members of the Hall of Fame and are honored at the triennial NPE. Between NPEs, posthumous inductees are honored. Thus far 144 individuals have been inducted. More information is available from The Plastics Academy by contacting John R. Kretzschmar at jkretz@verizon.net or 1-419-352-5922.
The NPE2009 international plastics exposition will take place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The event is produced by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). Co-located with the NPE trade show will be seven other SPI- and partner-sponsored conferences and expositions, including SPE's ANTEC 2009 technical conference. Visit www.npe.org.
Founded in 1937, SPI is the plastics industry trade association representing the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's member companies represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.1 million workers and provides nearly $379 billion in annual shipments.
