Avery

Jack Avery has worked at GE Plastics for 33 years in a variety of areas, including research and development, quality control, manufacturing, marketing and technology. He has been active in conversion process technology, including structural foam, blow molding, extrusion, multi-process technology and gas-assist injection molding. In his current position, Avery is responsible for new technology assessment and delivery, which includes working with conversion process equipment manufacturers on advanced development programs in GE Plastics’ Polymer Processing Development Center in Pittsfield, Mass.

Avery is a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. In 2000-01, he served as chairman of SME’s Plastics Molders & Manufacturers Association. He also has been active in the Society of Plastics Industry’s Structural Plastics Division, where he has held a number of positions, including division chairman from 1994-96. In that post, he led the outreach effort to develop a strategic partnership with the Industrial Designers Society of America. He received the SPI Structural Plastics Division’s 1996 Industry Recognition Award, presented in recognition of significant contributions to the development and growth of the industry.

Avery has written “Injection Molding Alternatives,” a guide for designers and product engineers, published in 1998 by Hanser. He is editor of “Gas-Assist Injection Molding, Principles and Practice,” published May 2001 by Hanser. He has made more than 50 presentations at conferences on process technology and has organized and chaired technical sessions at conferences worldwide. He also has made several presentations on the future of injection molding.

Avery earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Bloomsburg State College in Bloomsburg, Pa., and a master’s degree in organic chemistry at John Carroll University in Cleveland.




Joseph C. Barto, III
President & CEO
Training Modernization Group Inc.

	Barto

Joe Barto heads Training Modernization Group Inc., a total learning solution provider focused on improving the business performance of its clients. Barto leads the effort to modernize the training program at nuclear aircraft carrier and submarine maker Northrop Grumman Newport News, located in Newport News, Va. Previously, he was director of government programs for GlobalLearningSystems in Bethesda, Md., and operations manager for the Learning Technologies Team of Huntsville, Ala.-based Camber Corp.

Barto is the primary author of the Armed Forces Joint Training Manual. He holds a bachelor’s of science in engineering degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and a master of public administration degree in organizational theory and leadership from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

He is a retired U.S. Army Cavalry officer and a combat veteran. Barto is a recognized expert in human performance improvement, complex program management and return on investment analysis. He is a frequent presenter at professional conferences in the performance improvement, human capital management, and e-learning areas.




Jamey Bennett
CEO
LightWedge LLC

	Bennett

At age 36, Jamey Bennett is a successful entrepreneur who loves the challenge of starting new, innovative businesses. In the past nine years he has founded three such companies: BookWire Inc., LendingTree Inc. and LightWedge LLC.

In 1994, Bennett conceived of and launched BookWire, one of the first "vertical B2B" Web sites. Designed to enable publishers and book printers to do business efficiently via the Internet, BookWire soon became a clearinghouse of information for the book publishing industry. Bennett ultimately sold the company to Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, and joined Reed's management team. Reed charged Bennett with helping the company take advantage of the burgeoning. In this role, he launched several successful Web sites, including variety.com, broadcastingandcable.com and publishersweekly.com.

In 1996, Bennett co-founded LendingTree Inc. Recognizing consumers' frustration in obtaining personal finance information, he conceived of the online loan marketplace where lenders compete for business and customers choose the loan that's right for them. LendingTree became a significant player in the consumer lending marketplace. By the time he left in July 2000, the Nasdaq-traded company employed more than 225 people. LendingTree now closes more than $10 billion in loans each quarter and recently sold for over $700 million.

In 2001 Bennett focused on an idea that he had been tinkering with - a sleek reading light unlike any other on the market. He introduced the LightWedge in June 2002 at BookExpo America, where it won the Publishers Weekly "Best of Show" award. LightWedge, which since has grown to include a full line of new products, is distributed via various national retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Levenger, QVC and Amazon.com.

Bennett worked with Charlotte-based BOLT Group Inc. to design and develop LightWedge, which features an acrylic lens in a plastic housing that, via battery-powered LED "light pipes," distributes light evenly over a publication's page to facilitate reading. Bennett initially outsourced the molding and production to Shenzhen, China. Production began in April 2002, but after a successful start-up, encountered some growing pains there, prompting Bennett to pull manufacturing back to the United States.

Bob Cerwin
Engineering Fellow
Ethicon Inc.

Bob Cerwin is an engineering fellow in the Advanced Packaging Development and Graphics Technology group at Somerville, N.J.-based Ethicon Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. Ethicon Inc. is a medical device company providing products for wound closure and women's health.

Cerwin has 39 years experience in the medical device industry, primarily developing new packaging process, designs and materials. His recent projects involved the development of injection molded and flexible package designs that allow for automation of manufacturing process while meeting strict surgical requirements. Cerwin holds 70 U.S. patents for medical packaging and devices.

Early in his career he served in the U.S. Army Science and Engineering Corps. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Wagner College, Staten Island, N.Y., and an MBA in pharmaceutical and chemical marketing from Farleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J.

Bob Gibson
President
BOLT Group Inc.

	Gibson

Bob Gibson is a nationally recognized designer and chief executive of Charlotte, N.C.-based BOLT Group Inc. He holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial design from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His years of design experience include brand strategy and product development for some of the world’s top manufacturing corporations, including GE Lighting, Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers, Sears/Craftsman power tools, Char-broil barbecue grills, and Coca-Cola USA vending equipment.

Gibson was the vice president and design director for one of the Southeast’s largest industrial design firms, where he received several patents and design awards.

As director of engineering for Alpharetta, Ga.-based Techsonic Industries/Humminbird USA, a consumer marine electronics maker, he managed a staff of 33 design and engineering specialists as well as offshore development teams in Japan, China and the Philippines. His track record at Techsonic includes development of 40 new products from concept to consumer, a 50 percent reduction in development cycle time, and new-product sales of more than $300 million.

Gibson left Techsonic to become the VP of operations for a privately held, new venture start-up. This move brought him to Charlotte and ultimately to BOLT, which creates brand experiences for clients through product design, brand development and retail environments in the home improvement and fashion retail markets.




Robert Grace
Editor & Associate Publisher
Plastics News

	Grace

Robert Grace has been editor of Plastics News since its launch in March 1989. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio University in 1979 and began his career with Crain Communications Inc. in Akron, Ohio, in 1980 as an associate editor on Rubber & Plastics News.

The following year, Crain posted him to London, where he directed the editorial relaunch of the monthly European Rubber Journal and helped start Urethanes Technology magazine. He returned to Akron in fall 1988 to help launch Plastics News. He was named associate publisher in October 1999 and conference director in July 2000.



Larry Hotaling
Principal & Managing Director
Global Diligence Ltd. (HK) Ltd.

	Hotaling

Larry Hotaling has 32 years of international manufacturing experience, mostly in the food-service and telecommunication infrastructure equipment sectors. Before founding Hong Kong-based consulting firm Global Diligence (HK) Ltd. in October 2002 with Gary Nightingale, Hotaling served as executive vice president of international for Flextronics Enclosures, a unit of Singapore-based contract manufacturer Flextronics International Ltd. From September 2000 he managed telecom infrastructure manufacturing operations in Shenzhen and Changzhou, China, and for desktop computers in Bangkok, Thailand.

Prior to that, Hotaling worked in a similar post for Chatham Technologies, a global custom electronic enclosure systems supplier that Flextronics acquired in 2000. He also was charged with identifying potential acquisitions in Europe, Brazil and China, and his efforts resulted in Flextronics closing more than $300 million in transactions.
Hotaling came to Chatham from Scotsman Industries Inc., where he served as a division president of the maker of commercial refrigeration products for the food-service industry. Prior to that he was executive VP of international operations for Foster Refrigerator, and president of that commercial food-service equipment manufacturer's operations in Canada and Australia.

Now with Global Diligence, Hotaling lives in Naples, Fla., offering strategic and tactical planning support and task-force execution for U.S. companies wishing to enter the Chinese market. The firm's services range from establishing legal and manufacturing operations to assisting such companies seeking help identifying strategic supply-chain partners and acquisitions candidates in Asia, while also providing support for negotiations and integration, as well as training customers in and implementing essential program management/interface processes.

John Martin
Consulting Engineer - Automation & Technology
Precise Technology Inc.

	Martin

Full-time at Precise Technology Inc. for the past four years, John Martin supports the injection molding company in all aspects of its automation programs. These range from working with the sales department to acquire new programs, to implementing automation systems for those programs, and identifying continuous improvement projects. His responsibilities include developing specifications for automation systems, managing early-stage automation projects, and advancing Precise's in-mold labeling technology.

Prior to joining Precise, the Holden, Mass.-based Martin was a senior project engineer at Gillette Co. in its automated systems and packaging group. While there, he was involved in the packaging programs for both the Mach 3 and Venus razor brands. He oversaw the organizer tray for the Mach 3 and the heat-transfer applications to the handle of the Venus razor. After Precise won the Mach 3 program, Martin began working closely with the molder to help it build a production plant in Holden dedicated to producing the Mach 3 tray.

Martin has 30 years experience in automation, including designing assembly systems and plastic decorating systems (such as hot stamp, heat transfer and pad printing), and managing engineering departments for various companies.

(NOTE: John Martin is a late speaker replacement for the previously announced Ray Veno of Precise Technology.)

Dr. Peter J. Mooney
President
Plastics Custom Research Services

	Mooney

Eleven years ago in Advance, N.C., Dr. Peter Mooney founded Plastics Custom Research Services, which conducts both single- and multi-client plastics industry market research.

Mooney received his bachelor of arts degree in economics from the College of the Holy Cross in 1966 and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970. From 1970-77 he worked as an economist within the Irish Department of Finance in Dublin, Ireland, and he served as an Irish representative on various economic policy committees following Ireland’s entrance into the European Economic Community in 1973. From 1977-80 he worked as a senior research officer within the Dublin-based Economic and Social Research Institute, where he edited the Economic and Social Review.

In 1980 Mooney returned to the United States and joined Business Communications Co. of Stamford, Conn., a materials market research firm. He served as vice president and head of the plastics research division until 1993 when he left BCC to establish PCRS. Overall he has researched and written over 75 multi-client reports on diverse plastics subjects and conducted over 75 custom research projects for domestic and foreign plastics industry participants.

During his undergraduate and graduate economics training, Mooney’s specialized in the twin fields of international trade theory and economic growth and development theory. From 1982 through 1995 he taught evening courses in these subjects at the University of Connecticut, as well as courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics.

This past January, he published a report titled “Globalization: The Implications for the North American Injection Molding Business.”




Gary Nightingale
Managing Partner/Projects Manager
Global Diligence (HK) Ltd.

	Nightingale

Gary Nightingale splits his time mostly between Texas and China, where he keeps an apartment in Shenzhen. The mechanical engineering graduate from Texas A&M University, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and also has a marketing MBA, began his career with several jobs in the Lone Star state. Between 1994 and 2000, he worked for Motorola Inc. in Fort Worth, served as a design engineer for Plano-based design consultant Ignition Inc., was sales and marketing director for thermal-management company Thermotek Inc. in Carrollton, and a strategic account manager for Dallas-based telecom enclosure maker Chatham Technologies Inc.

After Singapore-based contract manufacturer Flextronics International acquired Chatham, Nightingale in September 2000 moved to China. He served Flextronics as a global program manager there, overseeing all telecom infrastructure projects in China for customers such as Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, Lucent and Huawei, while also implementing plant layout based on lean principles.

After Flextronics downsized in China, Nightingale and his former supervisor, Larry Hotaling, in October 2002 formed Global Diligence Ltd. (HK) in Hong Kong. The firm acts as a bridge between small to medium-sized U.S. manufacturers and the supply base in Asia, offering such services as program management, manufacturing outsourcing, corporate due diligence and strategic consulting.

Nightingale concurrently serves as manager of global sourcing and international business development for Ignition, As such, he manages outsourcing projects to help Ignition find qualified Asian tooling and manufacturing partners to make its U.S.-designed products. He also is helping the design firm to open an office this year in Asia.



Joseph M. Portelli
Program Manager – Plastics & Electronics Industries
Fanuc Robotics America Inc.

	Portelli

As a program manager for Fanuc Robotics America Inc., a leading global provider of industrial robotic automation, Joe Portelli’s key activities include product planning, business development, marketing and identifying new corporate partnerships. He also serves as director-at-large on the Michigan board of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.

Portelli, a 15-year veteran of Fanuc, has filled a variety of positions within the Rochester Hills, Mich.-based subsidiary of Japan’s Fanuc Ltd. Before assuming his current role, he served as product manager responsible for several of the firm’s highest-volume product lines. Prior to joining Fanuc Robotics, he was senior automation engineer for Technicolor Corp., the world’s largest independent manufacturer of pre-recorded media. Before that he served as manufacturing manager and test engineer for Video Interface Products Inc., a supplier of studio editing equipment.

Portelli received a bachelor of science degree from Southfield, Mich.-based Lawrence Technological University in electrical engineering technology and robotics. He also earned an MBA from the University of Michigan.




Dr. Bryan Seyfarth
Solution Marketing Director
Sopheon Corp.

	Seyfarth

Bryan Seyfarth is a solution marketing director for software maker Sopheon Corp. in Minneapolis. He serves as product leader for Sopheon Accolade, a software and services offering that focuses on improving the business impact of innovation and product development. His responsibilities include defining product strategy, leading voice of the customer research, product positioning and market validation for the entire Accolade suite of applications.

Seyfarth has more than 10 years of experience and consulting in the areas of knowledge management and organizational communication, and his primary area of interest is in applying these principles to product lifecycle management processes. Specifically, this includes product development process design, portfolio management, collaboration technologies, expertise location and knowledge management strategies. He has advised clients in the specialty chemical, pulp and paper, consumer packaged goods, life sciences and financial industries.

Seyfarth holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in organizational communication from the University of Minnesota.





Curt Watkins
President
Unimark Plastics & Alltrista Plastics Corp.

	Watkins

Curt Watkins is the president of both Unimark Plastics and Alltrista Plastics Corp., a full-service global supplier of contract services to the medical device, consumer products, closure and appliance markets. Alltrista’s services cover the full spectrum of injection molding and assembly (under the Unimark Plastics umbrella), industrial thermoforming, and product innovation and design (via a unit known as Innovative Solutions).

Watkins has more than 27 years of broad-based plastics industry experience. He comes from the engineering ranks and has participated in the development of electric molding machine technology with the Ferromatik Milacron organization, and has contributed to the development of various patents related to injection mold tooling.

He began his career in Arden, N.C., in 1977 working in tooling construction and design – first for TDM Corp. and then for Security Plastics Inc. In 1985-86 he worked on medical devices and filtration for Filtertek Corp. in Pattillas, Puerto Rico, before joining injection molder Nypro Corp. for the next decade. He got involved with the closures business in 1995-97, working in operations and divisional management for Contico International in the border area of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.

For the next five years, Watkins served as VP of engineering and chief technologies officer for Cincinnati-based automotive and telecom molder Plastic Moldings Co., before joining Unimark in Greenville, S.C., as its president in 2002. Last year, he added the title of president of Alltrista Plastics Corp., itself a unit Rye, N.Y.-based Jarden Corp., and recently Watkins accepted Plastics News' 2003 Processor of the Year Award on behalf of Unimark.