Urethane Blog
PFA Names Gollnitz and Khalil to Hall of Fame
October 3, 2023
| Mon, Oct 2, 4:40 PM (17 hours ago) |
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| A Special Event At PFA’s Fall Meeting New FPF Hall Of Fame Honorees |
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| PFA is pleased to announce that the its Executive Committee has voted to induct two longtime industry professionals into the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place during PFA’s General Business Meeting on the morning of Thursday, November 2. Our honorees are Bill Gollnitz of Plastomer Corporation and Dr. Hamdy Khalil of The Woodbridge Group. Most of you know these two individuals, and many of you have worked with them (or have been mentored by them) in their decades of service. Gollnitz has spent the past 20 years of his career as technical director at Plastomer Corporation, a family owned and operated business founded in 1954 by Walter Baughman, one of PFA’s founders and also a member of the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame. Prior to Plastomer, Gollnitz spent seven years in business group management positions with ARCO Chemical and seven years with Olin Corporation. He began his career in the foam industry with Firestone Foam. He holds a B.A. in chemistry from Lipscomb University in Tennessee, and an MBA from Bryant University in Rhode Island. He is a Past President of PFA and subsequently served on the Executive Committee. Dr. Khalil is the Senior Global Director for Advanced Technologies Research and Product Development and Innovation for the Woodbridge Foam Corporation, a major manufacturer of flexible molded polyurethane foam for the global automotive industry. Dr. Khalil pioneered the introduction and commercialization of renewable materials into the polyurethane chemistry used in interior automotive parts manufacturing. Under his guidance, Woodbridge became one of the early adopters of green technologies using biobased polyols. Khalil also played a leading role in ongoing efforts to harmonize OEM specifications for VOC emissions from plastics in auto interiors. Dr. Khalil served on the Board of Directors of Ontario Bio Auto Council, and the Center for Research and Innovation in the Bio Economy ( CRiBE). He acted as an advisor to the National Research Council of Canada on renewable and sustainable materials technology. Dr. Khalil received the Outstanding Leadership From the Center For the Polyurethane Industry (CPI), and the Technical Leadership Award from The Nano Division of the Technical Association for the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI). He was selected to the Advisory Panel For Arbora Nano for the Advancement of Lignocellulosic Products. Dr. Khalil received the “Le Sueur Memorial Award” from the Society of Chemical Industry for Outstanding Industrial Contribution. His passion is to mentor the new generation of scientists and engineers. Prior to Woodbridge, Dr. Khalil held positions at Labatt’s in the pharmaceutical Division, for PolySar Corporation as analytical laboratory supervisor and as Senior Technical Manager for BFGoodrich. He holds a BSc with majors in chemistry and physics from the University of Alexandria in Egypt, an MSc in Nutritional Biochemistry from Cairo University in Egypt and a PhD from Windsor University. He has long served on PFA’s Executive Committee and taken on other roles in the association. Please join us on Thursday morning to honor these two legends of our industry. RSVP for Events And Register for Fall Meeting Here |
| Deadline To Make Hotel Reservations At PFA Preferred Rate: October 6 IMPORTANT: If you haven’t made your room reservations yet, please do so before October 6, when PFA’s room bloc (and special rate) expires. (Note: on the Omni website, room rates are in Canadian dollars.) Meeting and Room Registration: https://www.pfa.org/2023-fall-meeting |
| PFA Fall Meeting Social/Networking Events |
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| Be sure to RSVP for our networking events (free to meeting participants). Note: the Distillery Tour is limited to 30 people, so sign up soon. RSVP for Events And Register for Fall Meeting Here |
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