HOUSTON—The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers will honor two of its leaders at its next Annual General Meeting.
James L. McGraw will receive the General Award and Guy Wouters, retired from ExxonMobil, will receive the Technical Award.
Both awards will be presented during IISRP's 57th AGM in New Orleans to be held the week of April 11.
“It will be a great honor for me to present these awards to two outstanding contributors to the synthetic rubber industry and valuable supporters of the IISRP,” Juan Ramon Salinas, managing director of the IISRP, said in a news release.
McGraw has served the IISRP for 40 years both as its chair and active committee member while employed by American Synthetic Rubber Corp. and subsequently as both IISRP deputy director and managing director for more than 17 years.
The IISRP said McGraw provided high energy and effective leadership in protecting the worldwide synthetic rubber industry from regulatory assaults, also leading several scientific studies and symposia for the industry.
“Jim's many achievements in moving the Institute forward and promoting and supporting the industry is unmatched by any other IISRP current or past leader,” the association's release said.
McGraw passed the leadership of the association onto Salinas effective July 1 and currently is serving as an adviser for one year to the Executive Committee.
Wouters spent more than 20 years in the elastomers technology market. The IISRP said he pioneered the development of EPDM silane grafting and then focused on the development of new EPDM rubber grades from bench scale to commercial production.
IISRP said he also contributed significantly to product innovation with tailored molecular weight distribution. He is the inventor or co-inventor of more than 20 patents and has authored or co-authored 16 scientific and technical papers.
He serves as a consultant in elastomers chemistry and technology since retiring from ExxonMobil in 2012.
The Houston-based IISRP has more than 50 corporate members in 23 countries that produce roughly 80 percent of the world's supply of synthetic rubber. It also operates regional offices in Milan, Tokyo and Beijing.