It's time to decide who will be this year's William Stockwell. The president of Stockwell Elastomerics Inc. was named 2018 Rubber & Plastics News Rubber Industry Executive of the Year, in large part for guiding the century-old company through a transformation that allowed the Philadelphia-area firm to thrive in the competitive world of custom manufacturing.
Stockwell's story is not dissimilar to those of many family owned firms in the rubber business that have survived through generations, beating the odds and forging a successful path where others had failed. In his case, Stockwell and his company "doubled down on a lean business initiative," seeing lean not as a cost-cutting measure, but as a way to be faster.
And now as 2019 enters its final quarter, we need your help in determining who will be crowned as this year's Rubber Industry Executive of the Year. It's an honor our publication has bestowed at the end of each year since 1989.
As we do each year, we are asking for nominations from those in the rubber industry. If there is a top executive who inspires you, someone that you admire and have seen make a difference in leading his or her company to the top of its market, then consider nominating them for the award.
Candidates can come from companies of any size. While many recent winners have come from smaller rubber shops, there have been a fair share of honorees over the years from tire companies or large non-tire rubber product makers. While members of our editorial staff can nominate someone, most winners come from those submitted by our readers.
It's an easy process to nominate a candidate, and here's all you need to know:
The award goes to an executive in the North American rubber product industry who has been instrumental in the success of his or her company or helped further the industry. Nominees, though, must be from a manufacturer of finished rubber goods (including urethantes and TPEs). Suppliers to the industry aren't eligible, but can nominate a manufacturer who is.
Just email RPN News Editor Chris Sweeney ([email protected]) the candidate's name, where he or she works, job title and why you believe the person deserves the honor. You also can mail it to Chris at 2291 Riverfront Parkway, Suite 1000, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. Please send enough documentation for us to get a good read on the nominee's qualifications.
Deadline for nominations is Nov. 4. The RPN editorial staff determines the winner, who will be announced in our Dec. 16 issue.
Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News. He can be reached at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.