CPIA honors industry leaders

Five long-serving, outstanding members of the Canadian plastics industry received awards at the annual CPIA and SPE Gala held May 8 in Toronto. Jean-Marie Mongeon, founder of Jet Moulding Compounds Inc. (Ajax, ON) is the CPIA Leader of the Year. Terrence Browitt, Fred Edgecombe and Omer Esen each received Canplast Awards, and Pierre G. Dubois, former president and CEO of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA), received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
"I would do it all over again," said Dubois. "This industry has been fantastic." He noted gleefully that he’s the youngest person to receive the CPIA Lifetime award. Dubois was a strong champion for the adoption of PET soft drink bottles in Canada and was instrumental in establishing recycling systems for that product. He led the restructuring process of CPIA in 1997, and officially retired from the association in March 2003.
Jean-Marie Mongeon is president and CEO of Jet Molding Compounds. The business he founded in 1979 is a true family business, with Mongeon’s son, daughter and wife all involved at various points in the company’s history. In his speech, Mongeon said the employees at Jet Moulding are really his second family, and that he accepts this award in their honor. (See Canadian Plastics’ May issue for a more detailed story about Mongeon.)
Terry Browitt is president and founder of Terinex International, a distributor of resins, compounds, concentrates and additives in Montreal. Browitt has been a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) since 1966, and served as its president for the 2001-2002 term.
Dr. Fred Edgecombe, who recently retired from the CPIA, has 40 years of varied experience in the plastics and chemical industries. Throughout his career, he has represented the industry on many professional committees and boards. He also holds a number of patents and has published numerous research papers.
Omer Esen is a strong contributor to the CPIA West organization. He has a varied background in corporate management in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. He maintains close links with academia and industry by serving on advisory councils and boards.
The Canplast Awards recognize long and distinguished service to the association.
The CPIA awards are presented during the CPIA/SPE Blue Ribbon Ball, which is a fund-raising event for the Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Foundation. This year’s event was attended by 275 people and is thought to have raised about $40,000 for the Foundation.