You've been waiting an entire year to do this, so get on with it. “It” is nominating someone for Rubber Industry Executive of the Year, the annual award given out by Rubber & Plastics News.
You really should nominate someone, and I'll tell you why.
Your nomination counts.
Candidates for the award that goes to someone in the rubber product manufacturing industry can come from anyone—although be advised the honor is not for suppliers to the rubber product makers, only the core readership of this publication, North American rubber goods makers. The winner is selected by the RPN editorial staff.
The editors always come up with deserving candidates, people who have been instrumental to the success of their company, or helped further the industry. But besides those candidates, nominations for several winners throughout the years originated from our readers. People just like you.
A good candidate could be your boss. That's fine, since you might be in a good position to see that executive excel.
Or maybe it's a deserving competitor you'd like to nominate. Yes, we've had those, and when we have sifted through the evidence to choose a winner, it gave weight to a candidate when a rival acknowledged their performance.
Your candidate works for a tiny rubber company? Excellent—the editor's love that kind of nominee and have chosen several in the past. Or perhaps he or she is a captain of industry, the top manager at a major tire or rubber product company. Fine again, and the list of past winners include several of this ilk.
I invented this award 25 years ago, and for the first time I won't be voting on the nominees. The full-time staff members, the people who live and breathe rubber news each day, pick the winner.
That's as it should be. I'm semi-retired, and while I still know the lay of the land in the rubber business, I always believed people who are immersed in the day-to-day happenings in the industry are in a better position to make the call.
It's easy to nominate someone for the honor. Just email, text or snail mail RPN Managing Editor Don Detore with information about the candidate. It doesn't have to be formal, just the person's name, position, company and why he or she deserves the award. Any extra information is welcome, of course. Rest assured, the editors do their own homework on the nominees, too.
Contact Detore at [email protected]; phone 330-865-6126; or by mail at 1725 Merriman Road, Suite 300, Akron OH 44313. Do it before Oct. 31.
Noga is a contributing editor to RPN and its former editor. He can be reached at [email protected].