JAMES BONKOWSKI, PRESIDENT
Thermetrics, Inc.
1102 Greenwood
Denton, TX 76209
Telephone: (940) 382-2176
Email: bonkowski5@aol.com

James Bonkowski pursued a BS degree in electronics engineering from Cal Poly (California State Polytechnic University) and completed the curriculum in nuclear engineering from the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Program. Jim has 31 years of experience in the field of non-contact, infrared thermometry and thermal imaging, mainly in the area of applications engineering and field service. Jim's career includes 15 years with Raytek, 10 years working for Land Infrared and 6 years representing Land Infrared. He is currently president of Thermetrics, Inc., a representative firm specializing in thermal systems and measurement.

ROBERT BROWNING, ASSOCIATE
McConnell Co., Inc.
PO Box 450633
Atlanta, GA 31145
Telephone: (770) 939-4497
Email: robert@thermoforming.com

Robert Browning, of Atlanta, Georgia, has over 25 years’, experience in the design and engineering of single-sheet, twin-sheet, and pressure thermoformed products, tooling and processes. During this time he has had the opportunity to develop, refine and patent new processes in thermoforming and in the design of thermoforming tooling. For fifteen years, he was with one of the largest twin-sheet thermoforming companies in the U.S., as Director of Research, Development and Engineering. Currently an associate consultant with McConnell Co, Inc., Robert has had his own consulting firm, Isosceles, Inc., since 1984. With degrees in Industrial Design and Business Management, he has successfully worked with companies to define problems, develop alternatives and implement solutions. He is an active member of the Industrial Design Society of America and is a Senior Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

ARTHUR BUCKEL, ASSOCIATE
McConnell Co., Inc.
3452 Bayonne Drive
San Diego, CA 92109
Telephone: (858) 273-9620
Email: artbuckel@Thermoforming.com

Arthur Buckel spent over thirty-five years in the plastics job-shop world, twenty-eight years managing and operating his own companies. Art founded Specialty Manufacturing Inc. in San Diego, CA, in 1972. By the mid-1980s, SMI had become one of the nation's most sophisticated thermoforming and fabrication companies. He had a hands-on management style, supporting sales and directing tooling and manufacturing operations. He has organized, written, promoted and presented numerous seminars to acquaint customers, engineers and designers with the advantages of thermoforming. Art has lectured at numerous universities and seminars internationally. He is currently an associate with the McConnell Co., Inc. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Thermoforming Division of SPE. At the 1996 SPE Thermoforming Conference in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, the Society of Plastics Engineers honored Art with the "Outstanding Achievement" award. Art received the 1999 "Thermoformer of the Year" award at the Thermoforming Conference in Chicago.

MICHELLE CURENTON, SALES PRODUCT ENGINEER
Facts, Inc.
2737 Front Street
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
Telephone: (330) 928-2332
Email: mcurrenton@fact-inc.com

Michelle currently serves as a Sales/Product Engineer with Facts, Inc., a supplier of closed-loop control systems for extruders, mixers, calenders and thermoformers. She has spent 10 years with the company, exclusively serving the plastics and rubber industries. During this time she has worked as a project and process engineer, managed many startup projects in custom installations, and routinely helps clients with troubleshooting or diagnostic issues. She is often called upon to support the company with technical presentations and presented several papers at industry conferences and SPE meetings. Michelle holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of Akron.

KENNETH GRIEP, VP
Portage Casting and Mold, Inc.
2901 Portage Road
Portage, WI 53901
Telephone: (800) 356-5337
Email: ken@pcmwi.com

Ken Griep is a vice president at Portage Casting & Mold, Inc. An expert mold designer and builder, Ken is responsible for daily activities within the plant, managing and coordinating projects, CAD-CAM operations and customer sales. He has a bachelor's degree in Industrial Technology from Illinois State University. Ken is an active member in the Thermoforming Division of SPE and serves on the Board of Directors.

DONALD C. HYLTON, ASSOCIATE
McConnell Co., Inc.
646 Evander Holyfield Hwy
Fairburn, GA 30213
Telephone: (678) 772-5008
Email: don@thermoforming.com

Don Hylton is a veteran in materials science, plastics processing & quality control. Since 1969 he has constantly expanded his knowledge in these fields. He was an analytical chemist for DuPont’s Neoprene plant, developing new analytical test procedures for synthetic rubber. Then he worked at General Electric's Appliance Park Plastic Applications Center, where he was responsible for instrument and test method development. Don then joined Exxon Chemical Company for 17 years. He was instrumental in bringing Exxon’s product testing lab from a one-room facility to a world-class operation specializing in testing sheet & film, physical properties and rheology. Also at Exxon, he helped develop a solid-phase pressure-forming (SPPF) grade of PP & developed laboratory techniques to measure the thermoformability of various materials. In 1995 Don became an Associate Director of the Science Research Center at Clark Atlanta University with responsibilities of conducting research in materials and process development, QA/QC & safety. Don has a BS in chemistry with a 2nd major in biology from Kentucky State University. Don joined McConnell Co. Inc., as an associate in June 2004, and still manages the lab at the Clark Atlanta University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers and a very active member of the Board of Directors of the SPE Thermoforming Division.

JIM IRION, VP ENGINEERING
Texstars Inc.
P.O. Box 534036
Grand Prairie, TX 75053
Telephone: (972) 647-1366
Email: jim.irion@texstars.com

Jim has been an executive at Texstars since 1981 and has supervised many departments within this custom plastics manufacturer since 1973. Currently he is the sr. vice president of Engineering and Quality. Texstars' product lines include thermoplastic and thermoset materials. They specialize in vacuum forming, blow molding, injection molding, along with various other manufacturing support processes. One of Texstars' accomplishments involves the manufacture of windshields and canopies for commercial and military aircraft. Using polycarbonates, acrylics and stretched acrylics, and other clear materials, they are able to form compound curves while maintaining the base material's optical properties. Jim will speak about thermoforming optically clear parts and products with a class “A” finish.

DENNIS NORTHROP, TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER
Avery-Dennison, Performance Films Division
650 W. 67th Place
Schererville, IN 46375
Telephone: (219) 322-9809
Email: dennis.northrop@averydennison.com

Dennis has over 35 years’ experience in decorative processes for the plastics industry, which include hot stamp foil, paint applications, and laminates. He has been involved in thermoform applications with the automotive industry for the last 30 years. Current responsibilities include managing a customer technical support group, which provides equipment, material, tooling, design, and processing recommendations for decorative laminate applications on a worldwide basis.
He is a Senior Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers, having joined SPE in 1974. He currently serves on the Boards of directors for both the Thermoforming Division and the Decorating & Assembly Division. He is also a senior member of the American Society of Quality.
Dennis has presented numerous papers, and has served as moderator at previous SPE events, such as ANTEC, RETECs, TopCons, and the annual Thermoforming Conference. He has been a guest speaker at the SPE Thermoforming Symposium and Workshop in Dallas for the past six years. He served as Technical Program Chair for the 2005 TF Conference in Indianapolis. Current positions include Nominating Committee Chair for the Thermoforming Division, and Councilor for the Decorating &Assembly Division.

ALBERT PETERSEN, PRESIDENT
Advanced Ventures in Technology, Inc.
1120 Shaw Road
Gladwin, MI 48624
Telephone: (517) 246-0445
Email: advanced@ejourney.com

Albert O. Petersen, of Gladwin, Michigan, has 30 years’ experience in the design, engineering and manufacturing of single-sheet, twin-sheet, and pressure-forming machinery. He held executive positions in design and engineering with Central Automated Machinery until 1995. Albert is currently president of Advanced Ventures in Technology, which specializes in designing and engineering technically advanced machinery. He holds several patents on creating infinitely adjustable and articulating clamp frame systems. He has patents pending on automation and quick disconnect for utilities and robotics. Research and development is ongoing at AVT. An ardent proponent of the plastics and thermoforming industries, Al is a senior member of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

JIM ROBBINS, VP MARKETING
Brown Machine, LLC
330 North Ross St.
Beaverton, MI 48612-0434
Telephone: (989) 435-7741x1216
Email: jim.robbins@brown-machine.com

In his current role of Vice President Marketing of Brown Machine, Jim Robbins is responsible for all marketing activities at Brown as well as the sale of new equipment and upgrade systems within the United States. Jim spends considerable time within customers’ facilities understanding their current and future needs leading to equipment configurations and the advancement of technology. He joined Brown in 1981 and has been involved in customer related-roles for over 20 years. He has been a member of Brown’s management staff since 1990 and previously held positions of Director of Tooling, Manager of Spare Parts & Kits, and Vice President of Manufacturing from 1995 -1999. Jim has an MBA from Central Michigan University and a BA in Accounting from Saginaw Valley State University.

PAUL ROSS, VP OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Solar Products
228 Wanaque Ave
Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
Phone (973) 248-9370
Email: pross@solarproducts.com

Paul Ross is VP of product development at Solar Products, a manufacturer of electric infrared heaters used in the thermoforming industry. He has been a member of SPE since he joined the company in January 2004. Previously, he spent 15 years working for Radiant Energy Systems, an original equipment manufacturer of custom infrared ovens. He continues to be a very active member of the Infrared Equipment Division of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association.

BARRY SHEPHERD, PRESIDENT
Shepherd Thermoforming & Packaging, Inc.
396 Clarence Street
Brampton, Ontario
CANADA L6W 1T5
Telephone: (905) 459-4545
Email: barry@shepherd.ca

Barry Shepherd founded Shepherd Packaging Inc. in 1985. His two sons, Todd and Mark, joined the company after college, and today Shepherd Thermoforming and Packaging Inc. is a thriving design/manufacturing business supp1ying custom thermoformed parts to various markets in North America. Barry received his education in England and Canada and played pro soccer in Toronto. Prior to starting the business, Barry spent his entire professional career in package design and sales management. Thermoforming has become a big part of Barry's life, and he still enjoys getting involved in design projects and process innovations, using the latest technology with a practical approach. Besides keeping an eye on the “boys” and the business, he enjoys working with the Thermoforming Division Board, and when time permits, competing on the golf course.

GREGORY SHTEYNGARTS, PRESIDENT
Amros Industries, Inc.
14701 Industrial Parkway
Cleveland, OH 44135
Telephone: (216) 433-0010
Email: victorycraft @aol.com

Gregory Shteyngarts has a bachelor’s degree in machine design and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He began his career as a project engineer at the Project Bureau of Packaging Machinery in the former Soviet Union, where he was also educated. He went to the United States in 1980 and was a project engineer at the Halex Company in Cleveland, OH. He later became a senior project engineer at Gould in Chicago and at
General Electric.

In 1986 he started his own company, Amros Industries, Inc., specializing at the time in designing and building special packaging machinery. (The company’s name is an abbreviation of AutoMation and Robotic Systems.) After several successful projects in the late 1980s, he decided to join the fast-growing field of packaging and thermoforming and bought the first inline thermoformer in 1992. Today, with 14 thermoforming lines, Amros Industries is Ohio’s leading manufacturer of thermoformed plastic products, specializing in production of clamshell and blister packaging.

Gregory was granted several United States patents on past inventions: in 1988, on the coin mechanism for vending machines, and in 1999, on the three-dimensional transparent plastic replica of an object to be used with the paint-by-texture technique. His most recent invention, a self-locating, long-life steel-rule cutting die for use in cutting thermoformed plastics, is currently patent-pending.

He is a member of Society of Plastic Engineers. His company was recognized as a winner in the 2004 and 2006 Thermoformed Parts Competitions for Industrial Packaging at the Society of Plastic Engineers’ Thermoforming Conferences.

RITA WEBB, SALES ENGINEER
ODC Tooling & Molds
119 Roger St
Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3Z6
Canada
Telephone: (519) 576-8950
Email: rwebb@odctooling.com

Rita Webb is a sales engineer with ODC Tooling and Molds, an industry leader in tool design and manufacture from Waterloo, Ontario. Her career with the company began some 20 years ago, upon completion of her studies in mechanical engineering at a local college. She began as a tool designer, specializing in thermoform trim tooling, and over the years, her responsibilities expanded and shifted to include manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, and sales. Rita has spoken previously at McConnell Seminars and SPE Conferences. She resides with her young family in Waterloo, Ontario.

MARK ZELNICK, PRESIDENT
Zed Industries
P.O Box 458
Vandalia, Oh 45377
Telephone: (937) 667-8407
Email: info@zedindustries.com

Mark Zelnick is the President of Zed Industries Inc., an Ohio-based company. Mark started in the plastics industry at age 6, attending the plastics show in New York City for Atlas Vac Machine Company. Now with 25 years of experience, Mark has a vast knowledge of the machinery, processes and materials utilized in the packaging industry. These processes include thermoforming, medical applications, skin packaging, automation, blister and clamshell sealing. Mark attended the University of Utah, where he received both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Materials Science Engineering. He is involved with various church activites, youth activities, and the Boy Scouts of America.

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