ACMA announces inaugural Pioneer Award winners

In honor of its 40th anniversary as an organization, the American Composite Manufacturers Association (ACMA, Arlington, Va., U.S.) is honoring pioneers in the composites manufacturing industry with a new award presented at this year’s ACMA Membership Awards Ceremony and Reception on Monday, Sept. 23 at CAMX in Anaheim, Calif., U.S.

The Pioneer Award, sponsored by Creative Composites Group, seeks to recognize individuals who have either developed, enhanced or created processes and/or materials that have advanced the composites industry and have not previously been recognized with another ACMA Award. The nomination process, open from April 1-July 15, 2019, produced a wide array of exceptional nominees.

The list of winners includes (* indicates that the honor is awarded posthumously):

• Franklin B. Axel
• Ernest Bader *
• Jim Balogh
• Rodney P. Burwell *
• Scott Crump
• Douglas L. Dennis *
• Robert A. DeRoma
• Paul Erskine *
• Kurt Feichtinger, Ph.D.
• Sol M. Fingerhut *
• Conrad Fingerson
• Don Gordon *
• George Gordon *
• Dave Gordon, Sr. *
• Probir Guha
• Bill Healey
• James Hedger, Sr. *
• Thomas Johannsen
• Dave Johnson
• Larry Len *
• Keith Liskey
• Richard J. Marshall
• Alfred B. Menzer *
• Patrick Mouligne
• John Neate
• Brice M. Nelson *
• Peter Pfaff *
• Ronnal P. Reichard
• Zsolt Rumy
• Terry G. Smith *
• Michael H. Thaman
• James O. Wible​​​​​​

This year's ACMA Membership Awards Ceremony and Reception is sponsored by Gordon Plastics (Fenton, Mo., U.S.), Nippon Electric Glass (Schaumburg, Ill., U.S.), PRC Composites (Ontario, Calif., U.S.) and the R.J. Marshall Co. (Southfield, Mich., U.S.), and will also serve to celebrate ACMA's 40th anniversary, allowing members to take a look back on ACMA's history while also looking ahead to the future of the industry.