RIBA holding regional recruitment meeting in Ohio

CHERUBUSCO, Ind. (Dec. 13)—The Rubber Industry Buyers Alliance will hold a regional meeting for top company executives Dec. 17 at the Holiday Inn Dayton North in Dayton, Ohio, for companies interested in obtaining information on the cooperative. Six of 40 companies invited have said they will attend the meeting. The low attendance "indicates one thing—people don't know who we are," said RIBA President Chip Chambers. This year, RIBA's six members each averaged six-digit cost-savings. The one-time membership fee—which RIBA decreased by 40 percent to $15,000—pays for itself, he said. And smaller manufacturers, the true beneficiaries of the cooperative, now can negotiate the fee in quarterly installments using their cost savings to pay it. RIBA will hold its next meeting for Northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania rubber suppliers and parts makers in early February.