Lance NewardNews
November 1, 2021

Lance Neward to Head Plastics Pioneers Association

Lance Neward, a longtime plastics executive, is the newly elected president of the Plastics Pioneers Association. The PPA elected Neward at the organization's fall meeting in Syracuse, NY, on September…
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Jay GardinerNews
October 18, 2021

Obituary: Plastics Hall of Famer Jay Gardiner

Jay Gardiner, a Plastics Hall of Fame member known for volunteering for numerous plastics industry causes, died Oct. 15 after a battle with cancer. He was 70.
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martin starkNews
October 18, 2021

Bekum America leader Stark retiring after more than 50 years in the industry

Plastics Hall of Famer Martin Stark has retired as chairman of Bekum America Corp. after 50 years in the industry, mostly with the U.S. operations of the German extrusion blow…
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Dave ShultzNews
June 21, 2021

Dave Schultz – Plastics Pioneer Wins William C. (Bill) Zekan Award

Dave Schultz, member of the Akron, Ohio Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers, was awarded the William C. (Bill) Zekan Award for his outstanding service to the Section during…
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VinceNews
May 20, 2021

Vince Witherup

Vince Witherup carried the torch for the U.S. plastics industry around the world as an executive at Franklin, PA-based auxiliary equipment maker Conair Group Inc., and as an ambassador for…
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WylieNews
May 20, 2021

Wylie Royce

Wylie Royce is executive vice president of colorant and specialty chemicals company Royce Global, and a partner and director of Royce International, a supplier and manufacturer of epoxy resins, hardeners,…
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MonteNews
May 20, 2021

Salvatore Monte

Salvatore Monte, president and co-owner of Kenrich Petrochemicals Inc., holds 31 U.S. patents; has authored numerous technical papers, journal articles and book chapters, as well as authored a popular reference…
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Steve PetrakisNews
March 19, 2021

Inspiring the next generation

As he looks forward to retirement, PLASTICS executive and industry veteran Steve Petrakis takes pride in the people he's mentored in the industry.
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bob jacksonNews
February 1, 2021

Bob Jackson, blow molding machine guru

Bob Jackson, founder of Jackson Machinery is a veteran in the blow molding machinery industry. His plastics career began in 1968 at Peninsular Machinery Co. in Detroit, with stints at…
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Maureen SteinwallNews
January 3, 2021

Maureen Steinwall, Renaissance woman

Maureen Steinwall hardly needs an introduction, as her career in the plastics industry began when at age 30 she told her father, the founder and owner of Steinwall Inc., “a…
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Plastics HOFNews
December 28, 2020

Hall of Fame Inductees Include Three PPA Members

Congratulations to three of our esteemed members of the Plastics Pioneers Association for their membership into the Plastics Hall of Fame. A total of 10 new members to the Plastics…
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AlineNews
December 10, 2020

Aline Alroy In The News

Aline Alroy is Vice President of Sales for High-Technology Corp. She was greatly influenced by her father, a scientist and inventor who developed the screen changer, a device that took…
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CourtneyNews
October 27, 2020

Artists in the Libraries

Courtney Asztalos is an accomplished artist in various processes—photography, sound, installation, video, drawing, artist books, and collage. She is also the curator for the Plastics Collection at Syracuse University Library…
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SandyNews
October 27, 2020

PPA Member Alexander (Sandy) Guthrie Profiled in Plastics Machinery Magazine

Alexander (Sandy) Guthrie grew up in a family business that was a pioneer in plastic extrusion. His father founded Sterling Extruder Corp. in 1959 where Guthrie worked summers, joining the…
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Stan GloverNews
October 7, 2020

Stan Glover Sets High Standards

Stan Glover's early fascination with the world beyond his hometown in the Finger Lakes region of New York led him on a path that is benefiting plastics machinery and processors…
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KennethNews
September 4, 2020

Kenneth E. Pawlak In the News

Many of the members of the Plastics Pioneers Association continue to have careers in the plastics industry and contribute to the success of others. Kenneth E. Pawlak, inducted into the…
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Rod RothNews
April 2, 2020

Rod Roth Obituary

Rodney (Rod) Roth, one of the founders of R&D Plastics LLC (Hillsboro, OR), passed away on March 25th at the age of 77 after a long battle with cancer. He…
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Plastics Hall of FameNews
February 10, 2020

PPA’s Charles Sears Induction into Plastics Hall of Fame

The Plastics Pioneers Association (PPA) is proud to announce that Charles (Charlie) Sears has been posthumously inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame. Charlie became a member of the PPA…
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natureNews
October 23, 2019

Sustainability in Plastics Manufacturing

Plastic Molding Technology is building value through sustainable practices. Going green is good business for plastic injection molding, and our commitment to sustainability is supported by an integrated approach across…
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handshakeNews
October 23, 2019

A Primer for “Growing Your Own”

This presentation was given by Bekum at the PPA General Membership meeting in Minnesota. A related story is shown in the July 24th Plastics News posting.
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Rick ShafferNews
September 30, 2019

Shaffer restarts consulting company with focus on sustainability

Plastics industry veteran Rick Shaffer has restarted his consulting firm InterTech Rx LC in Chandler, Ariz. Shaffer was most recently managing director of the western region of Westfall Technik Inc.,…
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Bekum President and Chief Operating Officer Steven LondonNews
July 24, 2019

Bekum assembles its workforce through apprenticeships

The average age of workers on the floor at Bekum America Corp.'s manufacturing facility has gone down. The German maker of extrusion blow molding machinery credits the workforce age drop…
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Apollo GearNews
July 23, 2019

Apollo 11 Took Plastics to the Moon 50 Years Ago!

Written by Don Rosato The 20th century will be remembered 500 years from now as the century when humans began the exploration of space. The Apollo 11 space mission launched…
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Wolfgang MeyerNews
May 31, 2019

Wolfgang Meyer to head Plastics Pioneers Association

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stolen placqueNews
April 26, 2019

Albuquerque Finds Plastic an Excellent Material for Historical Markers

By Clare Goldsberry While in Albuquerque for the Spring 2019 PPA meeting, a local TV news segment focused on the problem of people stealing the large, brass historical markers around…
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plastic toolsNews
April 26, 2019

PPA Works Hard to Keep the History of Plastics and the Industry Alive

By Clare Goldsberry Keeping the history of plastics and the plastics industry alive for future generations is an important mission for the Plastics Pioneers Association. It is so true that…
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new PPA membersNews
April 18, 2019

Plastics Pioneers names eight new members during its spring meeting

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greenpeaceNews
April 18, 2019

Plastics News Now: Greenpeace targets Nestlé over plastic packaging

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