President’s Message

Dear SPE Cleveland members and friends,

The SPE Cleveland has had a busy month to date, beginning with the Scholarship Awards Dinner at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Seven SPE Cleveland Board members attended the event, along with Mandy Zheng, President of the CWRU SPE Student Chapter. Coordinated by Ron Raleigh, Chair of the SPE Cleveland Student and Education Committee, award checks were presented to three outstanding students recognized through the Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF). Their award-winning projects addressed a variety of important topics, including the removal of microplastics from water using plants, organic solar cell technology, and the development of compostable and sustainable drinking straws. Mandy Zheng, a graduate student at CWRU, was also on hand to receive the 2026 SPE Cleveland Section Scholarship. The evening’s keynote speaker, Vahab Solouki, a CWRU graduate and now Technical Manager at Lubrizol, shared his personal journey in the plastics industry. Reflecting on his academic experience, he explained how, after just three semesters at CWRU, he realized that “polymers were so cool!” The event concluded with Mandy Zheng leading the attendees on a tour of the university’s polymer laboratories.

Progress continues on our upcoming October 22nd technical conference, the Injection Molding Innovation Summit. In addition to a growing list of sponsors and exhibitors, the technical program is now essentially finalized. We encourage everyone to register early, as more than 200 attendees are expected at Corporate College in Warrensville Hts.

On a sad note, we recognize the loss of two local plastics industry pioneers this month. Nicholas Rajkovich, President and co-founder (with his brother Tom) of Gem City Plastics Machinery, passed away on June 1st at the age of 78. Nick was a past president of SPE Cleveland. Ken Groff, founder and owner of Venture Plastics, headquartered in Newton Falls, passed away on June 9th at the age of 89. Both gentlemen made significant contributions to the plastics industry and will be remembered for their leadership, innovation and lasting impact on our profession.

For more information on activities across local societies, SPE chapters, and SPE divisions, please refer to the QR codes below.

Warm regards,