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RDACS Report - Division Accomplishments in 2009

The 2009 theme for the Division set by the chair was "Reflections, Challenges, and Expectations."  Along with this theme, he set the following goals that influenced staff direction:  Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Rubber Division; Review Officer/Chair rotation via an appointed Task force; Continue potential partnership review with the organizations; Review current needs and estimate future needs of office size and location; Support new Expo Meeting Site of the I-X Center in Cleveland; and Maintain momentum that has been driving the Rubber Division over the last 100 years and continue to demonstrate value as an organization to our members and their employers.

The staff worked to implement these goals and others set with the Executive Director while facing two of the most difficult circumstances ever encountered within the Division.  First, was the loss of a friend and colleague, this being the Expo and Future Sites Manager.  In addition to the anguish, the staff had to band together and learn all the functions needed to keep the expo going, which was only 4 months away.  Second, we had to determine ways to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Rubber Division, while saving costs and bringing in new revenues during the worse economic downturn in the rubber industry.  The impact on the industry was reflected in the Rubber Division's overall revenues in 2009, based upon significant declines at the spring and fall meetings in registered attendees, exhibitor booth overall square footage and education course registrations.  However, due to the efforts of the staff throughout the year to negotiate and continuously cut expenses, work to keep exhibitors for the show, bringing in new sponsorships and creatively look at new ideas, the Division will end the 2009 year with positive revenue over expense.  However, even with the expense savings during the year of $332,000, the economic impact caused the overall revenue over expense to be about $400,000 less than budgeted, which meant transferring significant funds from the reserves.

To counter this as much as feasible, the staff came up with a number of significant expense reductions in the proposed 2010 budget as well as new revenue ideas, all of which will give the Division the lowest Mini Year budgeted expense over revenue loss ever, e.g. ($153,360 for 2010 vs. $648,901 in 2008).  With this and also based upon the low meeting registrations and expo booth square footage used in the estimates, this allows an opportunity to potentially bring the final 2009-2010 Two-Year Budget Cycle very close to in the black if the economy turns around in 2010.

The rest of this annual report of Division Accomplishments offers details on some of the key staff accomplishments during 2009.  These are highlights of significant activities that took place in addition to the normal activities done by staff each year.  They are laid out as follows:

·         Finance - 2009 Expense Reductions and Revenues

·         Recommendations to Further Reduce Expenses for 2010 and Other Actions

·         Personnel and HR

·         Communications, Recognition and Marketing

·         Webinars

·         Headquarters Move

·         Centennial Celebration

·         Electronic Transitions

·         Tire Society

·         Rubber Band Contest

Leonard Thomas, CRG Rubber Division Area Director

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 14, 2009

100th

 

Rubber Division, ACS Makes 2010 Announcements

AKRON, OH - The Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has several exciting announcements for the upcoming year.

The 2010 scheduled Rubber Division events include the 177th Technical Meeting, April 26-28, 2010, in Akron, Ohio at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn Hotel and the Rubber Expo and 178th Technical Meeting, October 12-14, 2010, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Midwest Airlines Center.

New for 2010, the Rubber Division has archived its first five webinars: Introduction to Design of Experiments, Introduction to Rubber Technology for Non- Technologists and Managing an Effective Job Search (Planning, Interviewing and Resume). They are currently available at www.rubber.org/store for purchase. The Rubber Division additionally offers three online courses: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Rubber Technology. These online courses are currently being made into smaller module webinars for more direct training areas. For more detailed information on the Division educational programs visit http://www.rubberdivision.org/education.

In 2010, Rubber Division memberships will transition from a calendar-based membership to an anniversary-based membership.  Previously, membership periods only ran throughout the current calendar year regardless of what date a membership was paid.  Now memberships will run a full 12 months from the date the membership was paid.

Timothy S. Dickerson, Technical Sales Rep for the R.T. Vanderbilt Company, will serve as the Rubber Division's 2010 Chair.  His theme for 2010 is "Your Vehicle to New Opportunities."  "For the upcoming year, my goal is to transform the Rubber Division into the premier resource for help expanding and exploring their new opportunities, markets, products, applications and more," explained Dickerson, who takes over for 2009 Chair Gary Horning.

Effective December 1, 2009, Dr. Krishna C. Baranwal retired as Editor of Rubber Chemistry & Technology (RC&T) journal after eight years of dedicated service.  Dr. William V. Mars, Lead Engineer at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has volunteered to serve as new Editor of the journal.

"Dr. Baranwal has done a tremendous job as the Editor of RC&T," said Edward Miller, Rubber Division Executive Director.  "He certainly deserves all of our praise and recognition for his service as Editor, as well as his outstanding support of the Division throughout the years by chairing committees and serving in other positions."

Beginning January 1, 2010, Beth Berkheimer will transition to the role of Exposition & Meetings Manager responsible for all aspects of the Expo, meetings and future sites.  Melanie Avdeyev will assist her in the part-time role of Meetings & Executive Assistant.

The governance of the Rubber Division is the responsibility of the Executive Committee.  The committee is made up of the Steering Committee and the Area Directors of the Rubber Groups.  The following comprise the new Executive Committee for the Rubber Division in 2010.

Steering Committee

Chair - Timothy S. Dickerson,R.T. Vanderbilt Company

Chair-Elect - Walter H. Waddell, ExxonMobil Chemical

Secretary - Doug Ruch, ChemRep Inc.

Treasurer - Joseph Walker, Freudenberg NOK General Partnership

Assistant Treasurer - Leonard Thomas, Caterpillar, Inc.

Director of Bylaws and Procedures - Charles P. Rader, Retired

Directors' Representative - Leo C. Goss, Jr., Rhein Chemie Corporation

Directors' Representative-Elect - William M. Stahl, Consultant

Councilor - John M. Long, Lion Copolymer

Councilor - Charles P. Rader, Retired

Alt. Councilor - Walter H. Waddell, ExxonMobil Chemical

Alt. Councilor - Mark Petras, ChemRep Inc.

Executive Director - Edward L. Miller, Rubber Division

Area Directors

Blue Ridge - Paul Glasgow, Stemaco USA

Brazil* - Luis A. Tormento, Lt Comercio E Repres. De Borracha Ltd

Canadian Society for Chemistry* - Richard Pazur, Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership

Chicago - Leonard Thomas, Caterpillar, Inc.

Connecticut - Russell A. Mazzeo, Mazzeo Enterprises

Detroit - Greg Lytle, Solvay Solexis, Inc.

Energy - William M. Stahl, DuPont Performance Elastomers

Fort Wayne - Paul Glasgow, Stemaco USA

India* - Zachariah George, Indian Rubber Institute

Los Angeles - Andrew Keil, Aurora Rubber & Dist. Inc.

Mexico - Jose A. Gazano, Gonzalez Cano Y Cia, S.a. De C.v.

MidAtlantic - Wayne Anderson, The VMC Group

Midwestern - Brian Barkes, Solvay Solexis, Inc.

New England - Eduardo G. Pereira, Draka Cableteq USA

Ohio - Tom Nunley, Continental Carbon Company

Ontario - Ron Williams, Win Adhesive Sales Inc.

Quebec - Jacques Arseneault, PPD Rubtech

St. Louis - Jack Kuykendall, Alpha Technologies US LP

Southern - John Dick, Alpha Technologies US LP

Twin Cities - Paul Kadue, Precision Associates Inc.

West Michigan - Michael R. Morrow, MBG Associates LLC

Western New York - Nicholas Fasolino, Alternative Rubber & Plastics

* Indicates an Affiliated Technical Organization

 

The Rubber Division has moved into its new headquarters at 411 Wolf Ledges, Suite 201, Akron, OH 44311.  The new offices are across campus from the old location and owned by The University of Akron Research Foundation.  The Rubber Division's mailing address and phone numbers have remained the same.  Only the shipping address has changed (see below).

The Rubber Division, ACS is a professional non-profit association dedicated to enhancing science, technology, and business across the evolving elastomeric community. The Rubber Division's mission is to expand the elastomeric profession and individual development through educational, technical, and interactive activities. For more information about the Rubber Division and its activities, visit www.rubber.org.

New Shipping Address:

Rubber Division, ACS

411 Wolf Ledges, Ste 201

Akron, OH 44311

Contact: Karen May, Marketing Manager, kmay@rubber.org, 330-972-7815
Rubber Division, ACS, PO Box 499, Akron OH 44309-0499