Press Release
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American
Composites Manufacturers Association 1010 North Glebe Road, Suite 450 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: 703-525-0511 Fax: 703-525-0743 Email: info@acmanet.org Website: www.acmanet.org |
NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| Contact: | Missy Henriksen, CAE, CCTA |
ACMA to Induct Dohn and Garasi to Composites Hall of Fame: Cassis to Receive Lifetime Achievement
May 27, 2005 (Arlington Va.) — For life-long commitments to the composites industry, Alcan Baltek’s George Dohn and Gruber Systems’ Louis Garasi will be inducted into the American Composites Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA) Composites Hall of Fame, and corrosion-resistant pioneer Frank Cassis will receive the association’s 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award. Ceremonies marking the careers of Dohn, Garasi, and Cassis will occur in late September at COMPOSITES 2005 in Columbus, Ohio.
For more than 35 years, Dohn who holds a degree in wood products engineering from New York State, worked in various capacities at Baltek and, later, Alcan-Baltek. He developed some of the first sandwich applications using balsa as a core material and was the first to implement laminate evaluation of mechanical properties to augment design of balsa sandwich constructions.
A recognized pioneer in cast polymer technology, Louis Garasi has been actively involved in the industry since 1957. He developed the first standard molds for cultured marble vanities and was instrumental in the creation and continuation of the International Cast Polymer Alliance, formerly the Cast Polymer Institute of which Garasi was a founding member. With more than 200 employees, Gruber Systems, started in 1965 and headquartered in Valencia, Calif., under Garasi’s leadership is today a leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of cast polymer tooling, equipment, and production systems for the manufacture of bathroom vanities, bathtubs, kitchen counter tops and sinks.
Sometimes hailed as the founding father of the underground gasoline storage tank, Frank Cassis has invested more than 45 years to developing corrosion-resistant composites. With his leadership in application development, Dr. Cassis established isophthalic polyesters as “workhorse” material systems that helped launch and grow the corrosion-resistant equipment sector in the composites industry. Cassis started in the composites industry in 1955.
“We are in a unique position in the history of the composites industry in that there are still many of the early pioneers still with us,” says ACMA Executive Director Missy Henriksen. “With these three outstanding resumes, we continue to promote the integrity of the industry and the ACMA. These awards are decided upon by our board and are given serious evaluation. The competition is tough as there are so many out there who truly deserve to be recognized. We can only hope that in the coming years we can honor everyone who has made a significant and lasting contribution to the industry. We also hope that these early pioneering efforts continue to be an inspiration for those hitting their strides in the industry today.”
COMPOSITES 2005 will be held in Columbus,
Ohio Sept. 28-30. For more information, please contact …..
Copyright © 2005 American Composites Manufacturers Association
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With more than 1,000 member companies, The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) is the world’s largest trade group representing the composites industry. ACMA publishes a monthly magazine, Composites Fabrication, offers a universal, comprehensive training program for fabricators, Certified Composites Technician, and provides strong, proactive leadership in technical, government and regulatory affairs and host the largest trade show is the largest in North America, with supplier and fabricator representatives from all market segments. For membership information, call 703-525-0511, email:Info@acmanet.org; or visit ACMA’s Web Site: www.ACMAnet.org
