The ACS Rubber Division will be returning to Northeast Ohio next spring for its 191st Technical Meeting.
Next year's annual spring meeting originally was slated to be held in Charlotte, N.C., but after sluggish attendance at each of the last two spring meetings, the Steering Committee has decided that Northeast Ohio is a more viable option, especially to control expenses.
“We're looking to get back to the Northeast corridor to cut down on some of our costs and hopefully make it easier for more people to attend,” said William Stahl, the vice chair of the Steering Committee. Stahl will serve as chair at that meeting.
The Akron area is the odds-on favorite to host the meeting. The 2013 spring meeting was held at the Hilton Inn in Fairlawn, before the division visited Greenville, S.C., in 2015 and San Antonio, Texas, this year.
Stahl said the group likely will consider another location in the Midwest in 2018.
This year's fall meeting, the International Elastomers Conference, featuring the International Rubber Expo and the 190th Technical Meeting and Education Symposium, will be held Oct. 10-13 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
Attendance at this year's meeting was 134, hurt in part by severe weather that prevented several attendees from getting to the meeting. In fact, the keynote speaker was unable to attend because of severe flooding in Houston, as was the backup speaker, both executives at ExxonMobil who were stranded in their homes.
According to Jerry McCall, the group's treasurer, $37,000 in revenue was collected at the meeting. Thirty-two technical papers were presented, including six from those recognized at the Science & Technology Awards banquet.
“Overall, we're weathering the storm,” McCall told the group at the business and awards meeting, which concluded the Spring Meeting. “We will remain diligent. We know what we need to do, and we're tightening our belts and watching expenses. We're in good shape.”
The Rubber Division recognized retiring committee chairs and area directors at the business meeting. Chair Leo C. Goss Jr. also presented several awards at the session. Among them:
• Carl N. Caputo was awarded the Arnold Smith Special Service Award;
• John M. Long was awarded the Distinguished Service Award; and
• Terry DeLapa was recognized with the Past Chair Award. DeLapa officially will receive the award in Pittsburgh.
Long thanked fellow Rubber Division members for the honor. “I got to thinking, back in high school and college, what would have been my ideal career,” he said. “Well, it's turned out to be more than I ever imagined. A good part of that is because of my affiliation with the Rubber Division and the wonderful people I've met over the years.”
Long also thanked his wife. “Without her support, I couldn't have done this. She let me live my dream, and it's been great.”