CPA held its annual Spring Meeting last week in Amelia Island, FL, with hundreds of members in attendance. Presentations are available online, and minutes from the Committee and Board of Directors meetings will be available late next week. A few significant highlights from the meeting are included below.
CPA Honors Award Recipients at Annual Spring Meeting
CPA presented the annual awards for Safety and Industry Innovation to member companies during the Member Luncheon.
Annual Safety Awards
Safety Awards were given to participating manufacturing plants with exemplary safety records, including acknowledgments for long-term, annual, safety improvement, and safety achievement. For each award, plants were categorized by low worker hours (Class I) and high worker hours (Class II).
Arauco North America, Sault Ste. Marie, ON (Class I), and Arauco North America, Albany, OR (Class II), were awarded for the best long-term safety record over the past three years.
The annual safety awards for facilities having the lowest incident rate in their class for 2023 were awarded to Plummer Forest Products, Post Falls, ID, Arauco North America, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, and St. Stephen, NB, for Class I plants, and Arauco North America, Albany, OR, and Bennettsville, SC, for Class II plants.
The two plants recognized for safety improvement were Florida Plywoods, Inc., Greenville, FL (Class I), and Arauco North America, Albany, OR (Class II).
Four plants were recognized for achieving an incident rate of less than 50% of the industry average over the past three years. Class I plants were Roseburg, El Dorado, AR, and Arauco North America St. Stephen, NB. The Class II plants were Arauco North America, Bennettsville, SC, and Grayling, MI.
CPA congratulates these companies and personnel whose commitment to safety has earned them these prestigious awards.
Safety Innovation Award
CPA congratulates the staff at Weyerhaeuser’s Columbia Falls plant for implementing the “Installation of Proximity Alert Warning System (PAWS).” The Innovation Award recognizes a mill that has instituted a new policy, process, or technology, making it a safer workplace. PAWS accomplished this by ensuring individuals and rolling stock operators maintain a safe distance of at least 10 feet from each other. Representatives from Weyerhaeuser have been invited to present further details and results of this innovation at CPA’s Fall Meeting.
See Safety Awards. More Info: Connie Klinkam
Inaugural Industry Innovation Award
The Decorative Surfaces Council (DSC) has developed a new awards program to recognize significant and creative advances in technology, product development, and service solutions in the North American composite panel industry. In its inaugural year, eleven submissions were received from member companies covering a wide range of areas. The winner of the first Innovation Award is Ahlstrom for their sustainable paper-based balancing foil product that provides a moisture vapor barrier incorporating anti-mold and anti-fungi properties. More Info: Allyson O’Sullivan
Eddie McMillian Recognized as the Landry Award Recipient
CPA recognized Eddie McMillan as the 2023 Brock R. Landry Industry Leadership Award recipient during the Spring Meeting Chairman’s Dinner. Eddie’s career in the industry spanned over 30 years with Williamette Industries before retiring in 2002. Former Landry Award recipient Elliott Savage of Seemac Inc. spoke of his many notable accomplishments. Eddie was an instrumental presence in the association, serving as the 1995 Chairman of the CPA, known formerly as the National Particleboard Association. He served on the Board and Executive Committee for several years, advocating for the growth of MDF as a complementary product to particleboard. He was also an active proponent of including the Canadian industry in the association in 1997 and for the creation of an Associate membership category to further promote acceptance of industry products throughout the value chain. Eddie remains active in the industry serving for more than 20 years on the Boards of notable wood product companies.
The Landry Award is given annually by CPA members to an industry leader in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the composite panel industry. The award was created to honor CPA counsel Brock R. Landry upon retirement after more than 40 years of significant contributions to the North American composite panel industry. More Info: Jeannie Ervin
CPA Recognizes Spring Meeting Sponsors
CPA is very grateful for the generous support from the following 2024 Spring Meeting sponsors. Sponsorships enhance the overall program of the annual meetings. Please take a moment to visit each of the sponsors’ websites to help us thank them for the ongoing support of the association and the industry.
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsor
Golf Sponsors
See Annual Meetings. More Info: Allyson O’Sullivan
Spring Meeting Exhibitors Appreciated
CPA thanks all the following exhibitors for participating in the Spring Meeting.
Biomass Engineering & Equipment
Electronic Wood Systems North America
Samuel Packaging Systems Group
Schrader Verfahrenstechnik GmbH
Siempelkamp Limited Partnership
See Annual Meetings. More Info: Anna Linehan
