President’s Message

Happy 2026 from the Society of Plastics Engineers Cleveland Section!

The New Year is off to a strong start. On January 20 , the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) SPE Student President, Mandy Zheng, hosted Dwight Morgan—a veteran plastics executive formerly with M.A. Hanna, Accel Color, and M. Holland —for a finance and investment presentation attended by 27 Case engineering students. As SPE Cleveland board members, Ron Raleigh and I were fortunate to participate in this insightful and valuable wealth management discussion.

Looking ahead, on February 23 , SPE Cleveland will support PiNO, a student-organized, one-day polymer conference held on the CWRU campus. PiNO is designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, featuring a range of speakers and exhibits. This promises to be a very rewarding event, and I encourage you to attend if your schedule allows.

March will be a particularly busy and exciting month. First, SPE Cleveland’s Education Chair, Ron Raleigh, will manage the judging and awards for the Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair on March 10 at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland. SPE Cleveland will present three awards ranging from $100 to $300 for outstanding student projects related to plastics and polymers.

Also in March, SPE International’s largest national event—ANTEC® 2026—will take place March 9–12 in Pittsburgh. Attendees can expect the latest developments in plastics technology, advanced polymer research, and next-generation processing solutions, along with excellent opportunities to network with fellow engineers, scientists, and business leaders.

As we move into spring, SPE Cleveland is organizing plant tours at Thogus (and its sister company RP+M), and Gotta Groove Records. Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Looking further ahead, the SPE Cleveland Section and the SPE Injection Molding Division will partner to host the “Injection Molding Innovation Summit” on October 22 at Cleveland’s Corporate College. We are currently soliciting sponsors and exhibitors for this full-day technical conference. Details on technical papers and panel sessions will be highlighted later this year.

Overall, 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting and engaging year. I hope all our members will find opportunities to participate in events that support both professional growth and community engagement.

As always, I welcome your thoughts on how our SPE organizations can continue to improve and remain relevant to your careers and professional needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Warm regards,