CPIA honors many for significant roles
TORONTO — Awards for industry leadership and trade groups working together were the themes of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association's annual general meeting, held June 3 in Toronto.
Harvey Rosenbloom, owner of carryout plastic bag maker Hymopack Ltd. in Toronto and foam packaging company Dyne-A-Pak Inc. in Laval, Quebec, received the Leader of the Year Award. CPIA presented that top award, plus introduced three new awards.
CPIA members also heard from leaders of two other trade associations: Bill Carteaux, president and CEO of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc., and Steve Russell, vice president of plastics at the American Chemistry Council. They announced their organizations' collaboration with CPIA on a project to enhance the plastics industry's reputation.
The new Plastics Innovator Award went to W. Amsler Equipment Inc., a blow molding machinery maker based in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Werner Amsler founded the company.
The new Plastics Stewardship Award went to Néstle Waters Canada in Guelph, Ontario, for its achievements in lightweighting PET water bottles, and also to Brampton, Ontario-based Par-Pak Ltd. for its extensive efforts in recycling and energy conservation.
Also new, the Plastics Newcomer of the Year Award went to Martin Vogt of EFS-Plastics Inc., a recycler in Elmira, Ontario, for his trend-setting work in post-consumer resource recovery.
CPIA President and CEO Mark Badger said all five winners were recognized “for their significant positive contributions to the industry and the environment.”
Cleveland SPE unit hands out awards
CLEVELAND — Officials of the Cleveland section of the Society of Plastics Engineers handed out awards and scholarships at the group's May Awards Dinner.
Jack Dubsky, an active SPE member since 1978, won the Outstanding Member Award. Dubsky graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and went to work at Clevite Corp., later renamed Gould Inc. Then he worked for 10 years at Akron Plastic Enterprises Inc., a custom injection molder in Twinsburg, Ohio. After Akron, he worked for 15 years Malish Corp. in Willoughy, Ohio, before retiring.
Cleveland SPE leaders also helped judge plastics-related presentations at the Cleveland Science Fair. Winners are:
First place — John Boykin of St. Peter Chanel High School in Bedford, Ohio, won $150 for his project, “Can recycled plastics help improve the infrastructure of buildings and reduce greenhouse gases?”
Second place — Joey Miller of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, picked up $100 for “Preparation of polystyrene nanoparticles for use in medicine-delivery systems.”
Third place — Christian Colo of Benedictine High School in Cleveland won $50 for his project: “Does acidity affect the strength of polymers?”
SPE also sponsors an essay contest each year. This year's topic was “The Wonders of Plastics.” Student essays were judged by a local committee. Winning essays from the Cleveland region were forwarded to the national essay contest. The contest is open to all high school students in northeast Ohio, but all the winners are seniors at Rocky River High School.
The winning essay, “Plastics' Beneficiary Role in the World,” was co-written by Tyler Weseling and Scott Schaughnessy. Their theme was that plastics have had a dramatic affect on water quality through the use of PVC pipes, have improved comfort and safety in running shoes and have protected food from spoiling quickly via plastic packaging.
Second-place essay winner was Abigail Kraus for “Plastics in Fashion.” Third place went to Alison Grossman for “Plastics: A Trend in Fashion.”
The Cleveland SPE also handed out three $500 scholarships, to Shane Gontarz of Solon High School, who will attend Ohio University in the fall; Katherine Polenick, who will enter her junior year at the University of Cincinnati; and Jessica McClarren, who just finished her junior year at Baldwin-Wallace College.