Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
August 26, 2016 02:00 AM

Do you believe in magic? One plastics executive says yes

Roger Renstrom
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Michael Smith
    Over 30 years, Smith has given more than 1,200 performances.

    Plastics industry executive and professional magician Michael Smith is lobbying the U.S. House to declare magic as an art.

    During the June 21-22 Plastics Industry Fly-In event in the nation's capital, Smith visited the Washington offices of congressmen including Republicans Duncan Hunter of Alpine, Calif., and Darrell Issa of Vista, Calif. Subsequently, Smith visited with Hunter at an in-district gathering.

    Smith is asking Hunter, Issa and others to support House Resolution 642, with a goal to designate magic as “a rare and valuable art form and national treasure.”

    Hunter, in whose district Smith lives, followed up with a letter, “You can rest assured that I will keep your thoughts firmly in mind should I have the opportunity to vote on this legislation.”

    The Los Angeles-based Academy of Magical Arts Inc., operator of the Magic Castle, actively encourages support for the resolution.

    “As a performing professional member of Hollywood's famed Magic Castle, I recognized early in my career to respect magic as an art and science and as a performer to share my talents enriching the lives of others and, just for a moment, suspending their disbelief,” Smith said.

    Smith, 70, is president and CEO of injection molding press distributor L.K. Systems Inc. of Ladera Ranch, Calif. Parent firm Hong Kong-based L.K. Technology Holdings Ltd. manufactures the equipment in Ningbo and Shenzhen, China.

    Smith's plastics industry career includes tenure with Industrial Molding Corp. of Torrance, Calif., Engel manufacturer representative Euro-Tec Inc. of Anaheim, Calif., and, from 1990-2008 still in southern California, Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. of Bolton, Ontario.

    Smith was general manager for Husky's western U.S. region and then general manager for Husky national sales force development and best practices.

    While semi-retired, he dealt with consulting assignments, gave motivational speeches, made magic presentations and pursued business writing opportunities.

    In 2014, L.K. Technology Holdings recruited Smith to implement plans to expand its geographic market for injection molding equipment. Smith joined the firm in July 2014 and established the U.S. division.

    Smith has held leadership roles with the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.'s western region and related chapters and received SPI's 2001 Western Plastics Award for exceptional individual service.

    On average, Smith gives six to 10 magic performances yearly. The efforts include corporate and customer events usually with keynote and motivational aspects. Charity events include those for alcohol-and-drug-abuse-prevention programs of the Hope Foundation and high school graduation night parties.

    Private dinner parties pay for the service.

    “Magic as an art is, in many cases, commercial and, therefore, to some degree it is already funded.” Smith said, noting the National Endowment for the Arts and some state and municipal grant programs could support public funding initiatives on behalf of magic.

    Over 30 years, Smith has given more than 1,200 performances with about one-half pro bono and the remainder on paid assignments.

    Regarding the pending House resolution, Smith exudes: “Magic goes big time!”

    Motivational speaker and magician Eric Hogue, mayor of Wylie, Texas, initiated the effort to have the federal government officially recognize magic. Hogue's congressman, Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, introduced House Resolution 642 on March 14 with the goal to designate “magic as a rare and valuable art form and national treasure.”

    So far, 14 other legislators have agreed to co-sponsor the resolution, which is pending in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

    A lengthy article in the May 2016 issue of Magic Magazine suggested, “The time to strike is now. David Copperfield has been tweeting out calls to action, and a website — https://hr642.com — has been set up to make it easy to sign a petition urging Congress to pass this resolution. We've long known that what we do has the ability to be elevated to art. Now it's time for the rest of the world to know it, too.”

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    2
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    3
    Report urges treaty to regulate plastics like pharmaceuticals, limit growth
    4
    One injured in explosion at Ineos cumene plant in Texas
    5
    Engineering resin prices close the first quarter with a drop
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified