Our industry is full of great leaders; those who help their organizations thrive despite the many challenges we face today. Have you seen one in action? TAPPI‘s PIMA Management Division would like to help you to recognize them. PIMA has several awards that provide public recognition for star performers who have made significant contributions to their organization or the industry.

Roger Smith, of Domtar and PIMA Executive Council Chair is one of those leaders. "In 2008 I received the Brookshire Moore Superintendent of the Year award, one of the greatest honors of my career," says Roger. "I was nominated by a mill team that worked through some of the most challenging years in the development of a paper machine. Being nominated by those I led and worked with was the greatest honor but the industry recognition was fulfilling also."

Awards are available for community service, technology, superintendant of the year, mill manager of the year and students. For an overview and nomination form, follow this link. Deadline is November 30. PIMA awards will be presented at PaperCon 2012 in New Orleans next April.

In addition, TAPPI offers a myriad of other awards for stars in the industry, including division level awards for technical and leadership achievements, TAPPI Fellow for longstanding accomplishment and dedication and TAPPI Association level awards for the highest achievement or service to the industry.

Follow this link and nominate your star performer!

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The October 2011 Edition of the Gulf Coast Stock Exchange has been released! Click here to view all the latest information from the Gulf Coast!

Included in this edition:

• All the information you need to plan your trip to the Gulf Coast TAPPI Fall 2011 Meeting being held at the Staybridge Suites Hotel in Montgomery EastChase
• Details on the Information Management and Process Control Seminars & Technical Sessions
• Registration Form

Please note that the training seminar on Wednesday is no cost, but registration is needed in order to plan accommodations for the meeting room. Please register early.

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Upcoming Courses That Make Training Maintenance Teams as Easy as 1-2-3!

Three upcoming courses in December will help to train your Maintenance Teams on processes that help to sustain equipment, minimize production downtime, and increase safety procedures.

In partnership with TAPPI, IDCON will be holding these courses in Raleigh, NC. The three courses include:

• Planning & Scheduling
  December 5-7, 2011
• Reliability-Based Spare Parts & Materials Management Training
  December 8, 2011
• Practical Root Cause Problem Elimination
  December 13-14, 2011

Learn more about these courses at the TAPPI website.

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TAPPI Sustaining Company Membership offers companies in the pulp, paper, packaging and converting industries cutting-edge technical information, educational opportunities, and industry recognition. With TAPPI's prestigious Sustaining Membership program, your company will increase visibility and show support for the industry through your support of TAPPI. We would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" to the Sustaining Members Companies.

View the Sustaining Member Companies

Interested in becoming a Sustaining Member Company? Click here to download an application.

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Eleven-year TAPPI member Rory Wolf has been actively engaged in the Polymers, Laminates, Adhesive, Coating and Extrusion (PLACE) Division ever since joining in 2000, focusing much of his energy into leadership roles. For Rory, being an active member has meant getting back a lot more than you give.

"I have had the personal pleasure of meeting and collaborating with industry leaders who make ground-breaking contributions to society," says Rory. "Membership has allowed me to form not only the strongest possible technical network, but also lifelong friendships with truly amazing people." Find out how by reading this month's Member Spotlight.

Spotlight participants are recommended by fellow members and staff. If you would like to nominate a member just send their name (or names) to MemberSpotlight@tappi.org. We will forward a Spotlight Questionnaire to fill out and return.

We look forward to seeing you in the Spotlight!

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Lake States TAPPI/North Central PIMA have put together an Energy Optimization Program entitled "Case Studies in Energy Reduction in the Paper Mill" to be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2011. This Technical Program will be held at the Miron Corporate Office, 1471 McMahon Drive, Neenah, WI.

Topics include:

• Sub Metering
• Flambeau River Papers – Update on energy saving projects in the mill
• Spiral Heat Exchangers/Steam Turbine Upgrades
• Vacuum System Study
• EnergyStar – How the EnergyStar program has helped save energy within the mill
• Benchmarking Energy Usage
• FOA Update
• Yankee Dryer Efficiency
• Pinch Projects
• Screening Systems
• Steam, Condensate, and Dryer Management Systems

For additional information, please use the following links:

Program Agenda

Register for This Event

Additional Program Information

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Successful NETInc Conference Held in Atlanta

The second year of the NETInc Conference was held in Atlanta, September 13-15, 2011. Created as an industry gathering place by the NET Division of TAPPI and started in 2010, the event has continued to be a catalyst for industry presentations, networking and planning. Over 100 people attended this year's event, including academics, suppliers, manufacturers, and students.

These attendees were able to attend 13 sessions including an excellent technical program. This technical program highlighted amazing advancements in the area of nonwovens for regenerative medicine and other medical needs. The program was capped off by a Keynote talk from Dr. Anthony Attala from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center who created quite a buzz with his discussion of the use of nonwoven materials to create scaffolds for use in the regeneration of human organs.

During this year's conference, new committees were formed in the following 3 areas – Wipes, Geosynthetics, and Medical/Hygiene. Existing committees have been renamed to adapt to the changing nonwovens industry – Committees now are Building Sciences, Binders & Additives, Filtration, Process & Modeling, & Fibers Materials & Characterization.

If people are interested in becoming part of the NET Division and any of its committees, please contact Craig McKinney with TAPPI at cmckinney@tappi.org.

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