Dear All,
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this summer. It has been one for the ages, a hot one at that, but yet a great time for family fun.
As we approach the fall meeting it will be a bittersweet one for myself. I have enjoyed being part of the executive team for the last 8 years. It has been a lot of work at times, nail biters trying to get papers for each meeting, filling in positions as some of our members make career changes, and coordinating the events for the best experience for our members. It has also been a lot of fun working with the executive team members, making some of our ideas come to life and enjoying time with you all. We have added entertainment when we can, created a memorabilia coin for each meeting, added a new Micro Mill Committee, and we are planning on some more surprises and improvements in the near future.
As we approach the fall meeting in Richmond, Virginia, we are planning on a busy meeting. We will be honoring one of our founding members, George L. Yager, whom we lost and was an essential part of creating some of the committees and traditions that we carry on to this day. We will be honoring a long-time member, Brad Ratkiewicz, that has been a cornerstone of our meetings, always eager to help teaching our member his knowledge of the roll industry, supporting the IRD in many ways. We will award scholarships to those who have properly applied for them. To add to all of this it is time to have the changing of the guard installing a new executive team. We will be swearing in Will Drohan as president, Cady Goodbrandson as vice president, Steven Thomas as treasurer, and Mike Venesky as secretary. Thanks to all for their eagerness to step into these roles and continue the traditions of the Institute of Roll Design and striving to adapt to the changing industry.
Speaking of improvements, take notice and please take part in our discussions during the committee meetings. We are changing them up and getting back to everyone’s involvement in these meetings by choosing topics that we can discuss and learn from. These meetings will sometimes have a presentation that we will discuss or the chairperson will choose a topic that people are interested in, present some information, and a discussion. We can all learn from each other’s experiences.
Closing out this year, Michael Chociej Jr. and I will be stepping away from the forefront and be stepping back and letting the new team take over. We have full confidence in this team to carry IRD into the future. We will be helping in other ways behind the scenes. We have enjoyed every minute of this journey creating many awesome memories and working besides you all.
See you all in October, enjoying each other’s company and making another memorable conference.
Chet Knell
IRD Association, Inc.
President
