PPA Members In The News

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 the tough times brought on by the pandemic. Zekan (1920-1991) spent his career at A. Schulman, based in the Akron, Ohio area, serving in the #2 position under Alex Schulman…

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 the NPE trade show. He has been involved in plastics for more than 50 years, beginning as a salesman at Conair and working his way up to executive vice president.…

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, diluents and specialty chemicals used in the coatings, construction, electronics and aerospace industries. Royce holds a U.S. patent in a proprietary method utilizing electron beam modification of resin to create…

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 manual on titanates, zirconates and aluminates. He is recognized as an expert in the development and commercialization of coupling and compatibilizing agents. His first commercial titanate was hailed as a…

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

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 Davis-Standard Sterling, and Haysson Manufacturing. That experience led Bob to founding his own company in 1986. Check out Bob’s interesting career history in the PMM interview:

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 girl’s place is in a manufacturing plant.” As we in the Plastics Pioneers Association (PPA) know, Maureen has been a guiding force not only in expanding Steinwall Inc.’s business, but…

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 Hall of Fame will be inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame on May 16 at NPE2021 in Orlando, FL. Three of the 10 chosen new members are members of…

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 off in the industry. He was responsible for Aline to ultimately get a career in plastics equipment. Read Aline’s full profile Q&A with Plastics Machinery Magazine from December 2020.

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 which is sponsored by the PPA.