SPE announces new president, president-elect

Industry association The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has installed James S. Griffing as its new president, and Jon Ratzlaff as president-elect.

A resident of Washington State, Griffing joined the Newtown, Conn.-based SPE in 1989, and succeeds outgoing president Russell Broome. Griffing is a Technical Fellow at The Boeing Company.

At ANTEC 2013, Griffing will be succeeded by the new president-elect, Jon Ratzlaff, who is a technical services manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP.

“SPE has adopted many of today’s exciting new methods of communicating technical information, enabling broader networking opportunities, and running organizations,” said Griffing. “I will focus on integrating these tools into day-to-day operations to further our mission and continue our growth throughout the world. SPE will continue its quest to integrate the information and services we offer into the daily lives of our members.”

Griffing has worked for The Boeing Company since 1987, where he specializes in polymer and composite processing. He has been awarded two Boeing Special Invention Awards. He recently received the “Revolutionizing Flight” award from Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes Group. 

Ratzlaff holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State. Following a few years in the stretch film industry, Ratzlaff joined Chevron Phillips in 1989 and is a recipient of the company’s Innovation Excellence award and Master of Engineering Technology certification.