"Optimizing Chemical Recovery Technology for Today's Marketplace" is the theme of the 2010 International Chemical Recovery Conference, which will be held March 28-April 1, 2010 in Williamsburg, Virginia USA.  Held every three years, the conference is a major event that addresses the needs of industry and academic professionals with interests in chemical recovery technology in the pulp and paper industry. The updated program schedule features more than 65 presentations. The event is designed to provide delegates an update on new technologies from around the globe while also showcasing ways to improve existing technology.

The 2010 International Chemical Recovery Conference will include several key components:
- A comprehensive Plenary Session
- Special colonial Groaning Board Banquet in historic Williamsburg, VA
- Peer-to-peer networking that connects diverse groups of chemical recovery experts
- Sponsorship opportunities designed to fit a range of marketing needs or budgets

Online registration is available for prospective delegates. Those who register before March 1, 2010 receive the best registration rate and save hundreds of dollars (U.S.) versus the full fee that applies after that date. Members of TAPPI (international), PAPTAC (Canada), Japan TAPPI, ABTCP (Brazil), and PI (Finland) receive preferential pricing for all registration options. Group discounts are also available, offering substantial savings for multiple registrants from a single location.

More program content is available at www.icrcmeeting.org. Those interested in sponsorship information can contact Craig McKinney at +1 770 209-7294 or cmckinney@tappi.org. Information is also available through TAPPI's Member Connection Center, 1 800-332-8686 (US), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), +1-770-446-1400 (worldwide), or via email at memberconnection@tappi.org.

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A Call for Presentations/Posters has been issued for the 2010 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry, 27-29 September, 2010, in Espoo, Finland. This annual, internationally recognized event brings together leading researchers, industry experts, government representatives, and other stakeholders to share  advances and perspectives on nanotechnology-based products for the forest products and related industries.

To leverage research advances and offer participants new opportunities for knowledge sharing, the 2010 Technical Program Committee invites contributions from participants working with nano-enabled bio-materials, products, and their processing. Analysis of challenges and trends in emerging markets for forest products that are based on nanotechnology are sought to provide a foundation for new research and industrial activities. The organizers also  encourage submissions on other aspects of nanotech products including law, policy, economics and environmental health and safety. View the Call for Papers.

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The Nominating Committee has recommended a slate of three candidates. Members are encouraged to visit the TAPPI website to review members of the current Board and learn more about the slate of three nominees.

Online voting is fast and easy. Voting began December 1, 2009, and will end on January 15, 2010. Be sure to cast your ballot, which is available online for your convenience -- have your ballot number and TAPPI Member number ready.

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TAPPI has announced initial members of a multi-industry Advisory Board tasked with guiding conference content for its new BioPro Expo™ event, scheduled for August 24-26, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The BioPro Expo Advisory Board will combine TAPPI's knowledge of processing wood and wood waste feedstocks with expertise from government and academic entities, technology suppliers, renewable energy consumers and associations in industries with access to a variety of biomass feedstocks, including agricultural, energy crop, forest, pulp and paper, municipal, and food processing.

The Advisory Board will identify case studies, expert panels and technology sessions that focus on realistic options for rapid deployment of bioenergy technologies, as well as those that complement BioPro Expo's extensive tradeshow.

BioPro Expo's conference program is made up of 24 supply, technology and policy-related sessions spread over three days, including sessions from TAPPI's International Bioenergy & Bioproducts Conference (IBBC), which is co-located with BioPro Expo. The initial Advisory Board includes the following organizations and industry experts:

• Alberta Ingenuity Fund -- Chris Dambrowitz, Director, Ingenuity Accelerators Program
• Bioenergy Technologies Quarterly -- Ken Patrick, Editor
• Forest Landowners Association -- Scott Jones, CEO
• Georgia Power -- Charles Scurry, Forest Products Segment Manager
• Jacobs Engineering -- Steve Dowe, Director of Process Technology
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- Mark Davis, Principal Scientist
• South Carolina Biomass Council -- Erika Myers, Coordinator, and Thomas French, Bioenergy Manager, Savannah River National Laboratory
• Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Resources Alliance (SAFER) -- Charity Pennock, Project Coordinator
• Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) -- Anne Blair, Diesel and Bioenergy Program Manager
• TAPPI -- Colleen Walker, Ph.D., Project Manager for BioPro Expo

For more information on becoming a BioPro Expo partner, exhibitor or attendee, visit www.bioproexpo.org.

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Attendees at PaperCon 2010 will hear first-hand about Starbucks Coffee Company's long-term commitment to environmental stewardship and its goal to develop a comprehensive recyclable cup solution. Jim Hanna, Starbucks Director of Environmental Impact, will kick off the conference on Sunday, May 2 in Atlanta with his keynote address: "It Takes a Village -- Starbucks Quest for the Recyclable Cup." Hanna will provide an overview of Starbucks efforts to significantly reduce its environmental footprint through energy and water conservation, recycling and green construction. He will also discuss Starbucks aim to achieve recyclability or compostability.

TAPPI/PIMA's PaperCon is North America's largest pulp and paper conference, bringing together industry leaders and technical experts to explore market trends and the latest technologies for paper, board and tissue making, coating and printing. For the 2010 event, PaperCon will focus on the talent, technology and transformation needed to ensure long-term competitiveness. The May 2-5 gathering in Atlanta, Georgia, offers a unique opportunity to network with colleagues from all aspects of the industry.

PaperCon will feature a comprehensive program of peer selected and peer-reviewed presentations organized by TAPPI and PIMA. New in 2010, PaperCon also includes a Sustainability Forum and Showcase exploring "the science behind sustainability." This one-day forum on Tuesday May 4th is designed for paper and board product managers, technical marketers, merchants and others interested in learning the basics.

The latest information is available at www.papercon.org. PaperCon Sponsorship and Exhibit Opportunities are available by visiting the website or contacting Shane Holt, Exhibit Sales Manager at +1.352.333.3345 or PaperCon@naylor.com.

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TAPPI has received accreditation as a developer of American national standards through the Executive Standards Council of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Accreditation by ANSI means that the procedures used by a standards body (TAPPI) in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute's essential requirements.

TAPPI President and CEO Larry N. Montague provided context for the significance of the certification. "As part of TAPPI's turnaround efforts, TAPPI sought outside validation of its long standing Standards Program. This prestigious honor indicates that TAPPI's standards program meets all of the criteria established by ANSI as a developer of industry standards. The certification will allow TAPPI to submit selected standards to ANSI to become American national standards. As the administrator of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to Technical Committee 6 of the International Standards Organization (ISO), TAPPI can now take better advantage of its certified standards program in its participation in developing international standards. This new certification will also help TAPPI as it continues to expand its standards development program to new markets and in areas beyond TAPPI's core of testing methods based on the needs of TAPPI's membership."

TAPPI has long been involved with the development and creation of standards relative to the pulp and paper industry. TAPPI also has TAPPI Technical Information Papers (TIPs), which are documents containing specialized information like data, software, calculations. They are used in the manufacture, evaluation and description of pulp, paper, and related products, written in a standardized format which is readily useable by the industry. Visit this link for more information on TAPPI Standards & TIPs.

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Nominations are open for the following awards:

• PIMA'S Executive of the Year: PIMA's highest honor, traditionally presented to senior-level executives in the pulp, paper or converting industries for excellence in management and outstanding contributions to the industry as a whole.
• Mill Manager of the Year: Recognizes the mill manager who has best demonstrated outstanding leadership, management, and organizational skills leading to improved results at the facility for which he or she is responsible.
• The Brookshire Moore Superintendent of the Year: Recognizes the mill superintendent who has shown high personal standards and professional management qualities that contribute to the betterment of those under their management and in their company.
• Technologist of the Year
• Ray H. Cross Community Service Award
• Delano L. "Del" Boutin Local Section Service Award
• Thomas F. Sheerin, Sr. Service Award
• IT Service Award
• Kenneth H. Phillips Specialist Group Award
• Student of the Year Award

The one-page Nomination Forms are available online, in both a printable PDF format or as an interactive online form. Complete award descriptions are also available online. Honor your peers, coworkers, and managers, and help promote management excellence in our industry, by making your nominations for PIMA Awards.

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Attend the 2010 TAPPI/PIMA Student Summit and find out what's really happening in the pulp and paper and packaging industries directly from professionals challenged with the day-to-day operations. The Student Summit will give you direct interaction with industry leaders for valuable info on employment and career development within the industry.  Program highlights include:

• State-of-the-Industry Address on "Sustainability and Eco-Confusion"
• Effective networking
• The Annual Engineering Challenge
• Job recruitment interviews with hiring companies
• Sessions on job transition and getting the right job
• Area mill tour

Mark your calendar and act now while there's still time!

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Share YOUR favorite advice -- about life, business, work or leadership -- by sending in a quote to share with other Over the Wire readers. Email your quote suggestions, along with your name and company information, to mshaw@tappi.org. We value the input of our OTW readers.

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TAPPI's NET (Nonwovens Engineers & Technologists) Division is pleased to announce that it is planning a 2010 Nonwovens Technical Conference for this fall. The conference will provide updates on current challenges and cutting-edge solutions for the nonwovens industry. Last year, leading experts from the nonwovens field addressed hot topics such as sustainability and "green" concerns, advanced binders and additives, and new technologies affecting the industry. Additional details on this year's program will be announced later this spring. 

"TAPPI and the members of NET are excited to expand our commitment to the nonwovens industry by organizing this conference," said TAPPI's President and CEO Larry N. Montague said. "By providing attendees with access to important technical knowledge and a network of people who can leverage that knowledge, TAPPI's 2010 Nonwovens Technical Conference will advance the science and its application within this dynamic field. This event is a critical gathering for those dedicated to broadening their knowledge of nonwovens technology."

Operating as a division of TAPPI, NET is the only professional society in the nonwovens industry and is the international association home for nonwovens experts from diverse markets and disciplines. Members work collaboratively in volunteer groups to share knowledge with peers throughout the world in all segments of the nonwovens industry -- from hygiene and fabrics to filtration, insulation and more.

NET is led by Division Chair Behnam Pourdeyhimi, who is Associate Dean for Industry Research & Extension, William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of The Nonwovens Institute for North Carolina State University. "Technical societies such as TAPPI's NET Division provide a great service to the industry and return in spades actionable ideas to the individuals who volunteer, " said Pourdeyhimi. "TAPPI's 2010 Nonwovens Technical  Conference provides an exciting opportunity for NET to further nonwovens science and manufacturing applications through peer-reviewed papers and collaborative activities among organizers and attendees."

To learn more about participating in the development of the 2010 Nonwovens Technical Conference, please contact  Craig McKinney, Program Manager, at +1-770-209-7294 or cmckinney@tappi.org.

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