Kickstart: Molding honors

The Society of Plastics Engineers' Mold Technologies division is honoring some of the top mold makers of 2023.

Charles "Chuck" Heitmeyer, senior tooling engineer for AMG Tool & Die of Bryan, Ohio, was named 2023 Mold Designer of the Year on April 5. Heitmeyer has more than 40 years of experience; developed a proprietary mold base; worked on two-shot molds, an insert molded crossbar, double helix cooling jacket; and converted a part from compression molding to injection molding while also mentoring younger tooling engineers.

Patrick "Pat" Roussey of Mayer Tool & Engineering Inc. in Sturgis, Mich., was named 2023 Mold Maker of the Year. Roussey began his tooling apprenticeship at the age of 25 in 1996 and has been key in helping the small-town shop win work from international companies. Roussey has owned Mayer Tool since 2020.

The first winner of the SPE Mold Repair Technician of the Year, John Demakis Sr., recognizes not his individual work on tools, but rather his work in the creation of a company — Alliance Specialties and Laser Sales of Wauconda, Ill. — focused on mold maintenance, laser engraving, laser welding and polishing. "He built a business where all the work could be done under one roof," his son and Alliance President Tony Demakis wrote in his nomination.

Winners receive a $1,000 stipend that is presented in their names to a plastics or mold making program of the recipients' choice. HASCO America Inc. sponsors the Mold Maker of the Year award, Progressive Components Inc. the Mold Designer and MoldTrax LLC the Mold Repair Technician.

Holcim Group, the company that just completed a $1.2 billion purchase of PVC roofing maker Duro-Last, isn't just a rapidly growing player in the construction industry.

Its Holcim Building Envelope division — which includes roofing — is also among the companies honored by Newsweek magazine as both a Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023 and America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2023. It was one of just 13 companies in the industrial sector to receive both honors, our sister paper Rubber News writes.

Holcim Group maintains a 2025 goal of having women comprise 25 percent of the senior management teams. Holcim Group's current rate sits at 14 percent.

"This is a tremendous achievement for our company and our industry," Jamie Gentoso, president of Holcim Building Envelope, told RN. "We are working hard to be the model that shows there are opportunities for all individuals in construction and manufacturing."

High-end cooler maker Yeti is promoting its Go Box line of hard-sided portable storage containers by helping people replace the things they lost.

Our sister paper Advertising Age says the company's representatives perused social media to find posts from people who lost outdoor gear — such as ice axes, fishing tackle and cameras.

"Our mission has always been to help make the wild more accessible to more people. Not having gear — or resources to replace gear — limits people's ability to be outside. We hate that," Yeti Chief Marketing Officer Paulie Dery told Ad Age.

The "Craigslost" campaign emphasizes the hard boxes as the best way to ensure you don't get separated from your gear in the future.