The mold technologies division of the Society of Plastics Engineers handed out four individual awards May 8 at NPE2024, recognizing its Mold Maker, Mold Designer and Mold Repair Technician of the Year, as well as a new category: Apprentice of the Year.
The awards went to Gabe English of Western Carolina Tool and Mold in Mill River, N.C., for Mold Maker of the Year; Keith LeSage of Westminster Tool (W2691) in Plainfield, Conn., for Mold Designer of the Year; Scott Phipps of United Tool and Mold in Liberty, S.C., for Mold Repair Technician of the Year; and Adam Conley of Omega Tool Inc. (W1588) in Menomonee Falls, Wis., for Apprentice of the Year.
Scott Peters, chair of the SPE's mold division, said the professional awards are designed to recognize executives who are supporting the ongoing development of the mold making sector.
"They are nominated for their contributions to the industry, their contributions not only on an ongoing daily basis but how they are bringing up the next generation," said Peters, who is also president of Molded Marketing LLC in Burbank, Ohio.
"We as an industry are extremely fortunate to have these kinds of individuals," he said. "Having people across the industry who really love the business and are giving back in these ways just shows what mold making and mold design is all about."
The ceremony was held at the booth of Mold Making Technology magazine and Gardner Media (S30135).
English, who said he bought Western Carolina Tool with his wife in 2020, said it was an "incredible honor" to receive the recognition, especially for the 17-employee shop.
"If I have one message, it would be invest in your young people," he said. "When I bought the shop in 2020, the average age in the shop was in the late 50s. It's now in the mid-40s.
"I have fantastic young people," English said. "The reason that I got this award is because so many people fed into me. And I think these guys in leadership here have a responsibility to do that for these young people and bring them in."
Phipps said he started United Tool in 1995, and by 2004 had switched the business model from building new molds to only repairing molds.
The company has grown from about 30 employees then to 80 employees now.
"We're actually by far one of the biggest mold repair shops," said Phipps, who is president of the company. "Everybody said it was almost impossible to do."
It switched its business model because it felt the mold repair business would have better payment terms.
"The biggest thing was the cash flow; the payment terms on new tool builds was just going further and further and further in the hole," he said.
The company has had to focus on training, Phipps said: "We get a lot of young people and just teach them how to repair and fix them."
LeSage, a design engineer at Westminster Tool, said he considered the award a team effort and felt "a little bit out of my comfort zone" in receiving it.
"I was joking with everybody at the shop that I want to take this [award] back to the shop and cut it up into 40 pieces and give each person a piece of it," LeSage said. "Really, all the people that I've worked with throughout my career, they're responsible for me getting this award, just really pushing me to be better on a daily basis."
Conley, the apprentice, could not attend the ceremony, but executives from Omega accepted on his behalf.
The three nonapprentice awards include a $1,000 honorarium that will be donated to a school or university of the winner's choosing, while the apprentice winner receives $500 in tools and a $500 cash award.
Nominations for the awards came from the United States, Canada and China.