CPIA announces 2006 CanPlast, Leader of the Year award winners

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) has selected its four 2006 CanPlast award winners, and also presented its Leader of the Year award.
Walter Conrad, Ontario, formerly of Industry Canada; Louis Gouron, Quebec, of Les Plastiques Balcan; Keith Malvern, Ontario, formerly of Imperial Oil: and Rodney Rourke, Ontario, of PCL Packaging Corporation were presented with CanPlast awards at a luncheon held on May 4, 2006 in Toronto. At the same ceremony, John Emmerson, and sons Stephen and Bryan, of Amherst, N.S.-based flexible packager PolyCello, were awarded the Leader of the Year award.
Conrad worked for Industry Canada, starting from 1974 until his retirement as a Sector Development Officer, promoting Canadian industry. His sectors of responsibilities included Chemical Specialties such as detergent, printing inks, crop protection, chemical and others as well as Plastics Products. During the past five years, he has taken on additional regional responsibilities for the plastics sector in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Gouron, the Saint-Leonard, Que.-based Les Plastiques Balcan’s vice president, sales & marketing, has served on the board of CPIA’s plastics film group (the Plastic Film Manufacturers Advisory Council, or PFMAC); on the Quebec Regional Board, where he was president from 2003 to 2005; and on the CPIA national board since 2003.
Malvern has been involved in the CPIA board since 1993, serving as a director of CPIA and the Environment and Plastics Industry Council from 1993 to 2005. He was also chairman of the CPIA Competitiveness Committee from 1997 to 2002, and served on the board of the PFMAC.
Rourke, Oakville-Ont.-based PCL Packaging’s vice president, raw materials & technology, has been involved with the CPIA, the PFMAC and the Environment and Plastics Industry Council for almost 28 years.
CanPlast Awards have been given out by the CPIA on a continuous basis since 1977.