James Alongi James A. Alongi

MAAC Machinery • 590 Tower Boulevard, Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel: 630-665-1700 • Fax: 630-665-7799
Email: jalongi@maacmachinery.com • Web: www.maacmachinery.com

James Alongi is the CFO of MAAC Machinery Co., including responsibility for its manufacturing operations. He has been an active member with the SPE Thermoforming Division since 1997. He has served on the Finance, Machinery, and Student Activities committees, and is currently the Assistant Treasurer of the Division, as well as an active member of the Machinery committee. James has been instrumental in obtaining affordable Thermoforming machinery for universities utilizing the equipment grant program and has consistently participated in fund raising events to provide donations for the SPE Thermoforming Division Scholarship fund. He has also regularly assisted with the parts competition at the annual Thermoforming conference.

Jim Arnet

Hagans Plastic Co. • 121 W. Rock Island Rd., Grand Prairie, TX 75050
Tel: 972-974-3516
Email: jarnet@hagansus.com • Web: www.hagans.biz

Jim Arnet is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Hagans Plastics Company. Hagans Plastics is a AS9100-based custom thermoformer and injection molder dedicated to first class service.
 
Jim has been involved in the plastics industry for the past 27 years, dealing with both thermoforming and extrusion in both thin and thick gauge materials. Jim has extensive experience in both plastics and sales. Prior to joining Hagans in 2013, Jim was with KYDEX LLC. as the Central Region Sales Manager for five and a half years. Jim was the Western Regional Sales Manager with Primex Plastics for three years and before that he was with Reynolds Packaging (previously known as Ivex Packaging Corporation) for 15 years in many different roles, including sales management, export, and national accounts.
 
Jim is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BS degree in Industrial Distribution. A retired U.S. Army Officer, Jim, his wife Sherry of 32 years, and his family reside in Flower Mound, Texas.


Patrick Castro, Jr.

Electro – General Plastics Corp • 6200 Enterprise Pkwy, Grove City, OH 43123
Tel: 614-871-2915 ext #1001
Email: patrick@electro-generalplastics.com • https://electro-generalplastics.com

Patrick A. Castro Jr. is an exceptional leader and innovative entrepreneur with an outstanding portfolio that spans academia, military service, and business expertise. His journey commenced at Columbus State, where he pursued a business administration degree, laying the groundwork for his future endeavors.

While balancing studies, Patrick’s commitment to service led him to enlist in the Army Reserves where he imbibed invaluable lessons in discipline, teamwork, and leadership. Simultaneously, he embarked on a career at Electro-General Plastics, initially working part-time while attending college.

In 1997, Patrick’s dedication and exceptional performance propelled him from a production worker to a salesperson, playing a pivotal role in new product development. His passion for innovation and strategic vision fueled the company’s growth and success.

In 2006, Patrick spearheaded the acquisition of Mid Tenn Plastics in Cookeville, TN, expanding Electro-General Plastics’ footprint and exemplifying his entrepreneurial spirit.

As CEO of Electro-General Plastics, Corp since 2010, Patrick steers the third-generation family business into the future while preserving its heritage and values. Under his leadership, the company thrives, positioning itself for sustained success and future growth. His recent appointment to the SPE Thermoforming Division Board signifies his dedication to contributing his expertise and experience to the broader industry landscape. He looks forward to leveraging his decades of experience to drive innovation, collaboration, and growth within the organization and beyond.


Robert L. Browning

McConnell Co. • P.O. Box 450633, Atlanta, GA 31145
Tel: 770-939-4497 • Fax: 770-938-0393
Email: robert@thermoformingmc.com

Robert Browning, of Atlanta, Georgia, has over 35 years experience in the design and engineering of single sheet, twin-sheet, and pressure thermoformed products, tooling and processes. During this time he has had the opportunity to develop, refine and patent new processes in thermoforming, and in the design of thermoforming tooling. For fifteen years, he was with one of the largest twin-sheet thermoforming companies in the U.S., as Director of Research, Development and Engineering.
 
Currently, a Partner with the McConnell Co. Inc., one of the premier thermoforming consulting firms, Robert has also had his own design consulting firm, Isosceles, Inc., since 1984. With degrees in Business Management and Industrial Design, he has successfully worked with companies such as John Deere, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, NASA, Disney, NCR, American Standard, Yamaha, and BMW, to define problems, develop alternatives, and implement solutions. At the present, he is an active member of the Industrial Design Society of America and is a Senior Member of the Society of Plastic Engineers.


steve_clarkSteve Clark

Monark Equipment • 4533 Garfield Road, P.O. Box 335, Auburn, MI 48611
Tel: 989-662-7250
Email: sclark@monark-equip.com • Web: www.monark-equip.com

After graduating with a B.S. in business science from Ferris State University, I began working in the Thermoforming Industry at Brown Machine in 1985. I departed Brown Machine in January 1990 to start a new business endeavor as president of Thermoformer Parts Supplier, which started first-of-its-kind operations in 1990.

T.P.S. initially launched in support of the after-market replacement parts needs for the thermoforming industry. Business rapidly grew to more advanced thermoforming equipment needs such as retro-kit systems and complete thermoforming equipment rebuilding services. The company eventually expanded to include newly designed and constructed thermoforming equipment.

I am currently the president/owner of Monark Equipment Technologies, which was started in 1996 as an extension of the work that began at T.P.S. The company focuses primarily on the custom equipment needs of the thermoforming industry. Monark is one of only a few equipment manufacturers that offers both cut sheet/heavy gauge and roll fed/thin gauge thermoforming equipment.

My work history at Brown Machine, T.P.S., and Monark has given me a diversity of exposure within the industry and allowed me to personally meet many of the great individuals that make our industry work on a variety of levels. I am diversely experienced on a variety of levels of thermoforming, and as an equipment-manufacturer, my expertise is grounded with my passion for the variety of older and newer thermoforming-equipment designs available in the industry today. I have also been involved with local educational institutions to help promote manufacturing and the thermoforming industry.

I reside in Sanford, Michigan, and I have been an SPE Thermoforming Division Board Member since 2015. I’ve enjoyed the work ethic and dedication of the volunteer board who promote the thermoforming industry here in the States and abroad. The experience has been eye-opening, and I would encourage others to reach out and get involved as well. Our ship sails best when we all paddle together! I would be honored to continue to participate with my fellow board members in support of the SPE Thermoforming Division Executive Committee, and the vision for growth of both SPE and the Industry.


Evan Gilham

Productive Plastics
Tel: 856-778-4300
Email: egilham@productivecompanies.com • Web: www.productiveplastics.com

Evan Gilham is a graduate of Lehigh University majoring in finance. During his 15+ years with Productive Plastics, Evan has developed strong skills in process improvement, contract negotiations, and sales training as demonstrated with customers in electronics, bus and rail transportation, aerospace, kiosks, and other OEM markets. He has led projects including process conversion for metal and fiberglass, design support with customers new to thermoforming, and overall selection of materials, tooling, and costs/benefit analysis.

Evan began attending and participating in board meetings in 2016. Before becoming a board member in 2018, he delivered a conference presentation on the principles of lean manufacturing and how it helped his company, Productive Plastics.

During his prior tenure as a board member, Evan served on the Division’s Executive Committee as communications chair and also chaired the promotions committee. After a brief absence from the board, Evan returned as a guest in June 2020. He actively participated in education committee meetings and co-presented the Division’s successful webinar, Replacing Steel with Thermoformed Plastics, in January 2021.

Additionally, Evan regularly attended monthly planning meetings for the 2021 SPE Thermoforming Conference Executive Forum. There, he moderated a round table discussion on thermoforming conversion opportunities during the Forum.


Juliet GoffJuliet Goff

President/CEO, Kal Plastics • 2050 East 48th Street, Vernon, CA 90058
Tel: 323-581-6194, ext. 223
Email: juliet@kal-plastics.com • Web: www.kal-plastics.com

Juliet Goff is the President and owner of Kal Plastics; a custom heavy gauge cut sheet thermoformer, located in Vernon, California. She has been with Kal Plastics since 1990, learning the business from the ground up after graduating from UCLA. After many years of increasing responsibilities, Juliet honed her skills in finance, risk management, strategic planning, HR, marketing and sales. She became President in 2002 and the sole shareholder in 2004.

Her active involvement with the SPE Thermoforming Division started in 2008 at the Minneapolis Thermoforming Conference. There Kal Plastics was honored as a Gold Medal winner in the annual parts competition. Since then she has regularly attended the Thermoforming Division Board meetings and in 2010 she became a Director. Her Board assignment is recognition and the annual Thermoformer of the Year award.

She brings with her the collective experiences of having served on several Boards and non-profits throughout her career, in various leadership roles, including the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Vernon Chamber of Commerce, The City of Vernon Community Fund, The City of Vernon Housing Commission and the Parent Association at her daughter’s high school in Pasadena, CA. Currently she serves on the Executive Board for the Vernon Chamber of Commerce, is the Chair of the Vernon Housing Commission and is the Parent Association President at her daughter’s high school.


BrianGoldenBrian Golden

GN Thermoforming Equipment • 400 Kidds Hill Road, Hyannis, MA 02601
Tel: 989-424-9477
Email: bgolden@gncanada.com • Web: www.gnplastics.com

Brian Golden is Sales Director Americas, GN Thermoforming Equipment, located in Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Since 1983, Brian has earned a reputation for his breadth of knowledge and his hands-on approach to solving technical problems. He understands customer needs through his long career serving as both an equipment operator on the factory floor, as a service engineer and sales executive supporting many different customers on behalf of machine manufacturers.

Brian has served as Director of Innovation and Customer Satisfaction at SencorpWhite, where he was responsible for the research and development of product-line enhancements and new-machine developments for the thermoforming business unit. Before that, Golden served as the Vice President of Sales for the Sencorp division of the company, during which he was directly responsible for overseeing the sales activity for the Thermoforming product line.

GN Thermoforming Equipment is a subsidiary of BMG (Brown Machine Group), a world leader of forming, tooling, and automation solutions for the global packing industry.

During his tenure as a board member, Brian has actively participated in the machinery and promotions committees. He also served as conference co-chair of the 2021 SPE Thermoforming Conference in Grand Rapids.


Roger Jean

Simona PMC • Toledo, OH 45840
Tel: 567-208-9758
Email: roger.jean@simona-group.com • Web: www.simona-pmc.com

Roger Jean is Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Simona PMC, a division of Simona AG. Roger has been actively involved with the thermoforming industry since 1987.

Prior to joining the PMC team in 2009, he held positions including Marketing Manager and National Sales Manager at Wilbert Plastic Services, and Market Development Manager at Solvay Engineered Polymers. Roger and his family reside in West Bloomfield, Michigan.


Travis Kieffer

Plastics Unlimited, Inc. • 303 1st St. N.W., Preston, Iowa 52069
Tel: 563-689-4752
Email: TravisK@plasticsunlimited.com

Travis learned the many facets of the plastics industry because he was involved since a very young age. Travis’s knowledge and involvement in the plastic industry has been greatly influenced by his father, Terry Kieffer, who started the family-owned thermoforming factory located in Preston, Iowa, which was started on the family farm. Plastics Unlimited, Inc. has grown considerably since then and Travis freely acknowledges his father’s influence and impact it has had on his career choice. Travis now plays a key role in the company’s steady growth beside his father and other family members. Travis has been learning the business from the ground up.
 
Travis attended Iowa State College and is grateful for the scholarship he received from the SPE Thermoforming Division in 2008 and strongly believes it is a program that should continue to help other students reach their potential and continue the path forward in the plastics industry. After graduating from Iowa State University in 2012 with an Industrial Engineering Degree, Travis started working in the R & D Department and helped improve the production system. During this time, Plastics Unlimited was invited to speak at the 2012 SPE Thermoforming Conference on their patented Toolless Engineered Composite process. Travis represented the company as one of the speakers for this presentation. Since then, he has been promoted to the COO position and manages the day-to-day operations of the company as well as being involved with the R & D department. He continues to use his training from Iowa State to help improve production speed and capabilities within Plastics Unlimited.


Dennis Lemmon

OMG Thermoforming Inc. • 13407 Avenue D, Arlington, TX 76011
Tel: (419) 212-1562
Email: dennis.lemmon@omgusa.net

As OMG’s Sales Manager, Midwest U.S., Dennis works with customers to understand their requirements and directly with OMG Engineering to manufacture high-quality machines. Dennis has been involved with the SPE Thermoforming Division Board since 2017 and was elected to the board in 2020. He is the chairman of AARC and on the R&D Committee.

He previously worked for Cascade Engineering in Research and Development, as well as a tooling engineer.

Dennis grew up around manufacturing as his father owned an injection molding company, Northwest Molded Plastics. Dennis worked there from a young age and eventually started running the company at age 21. He received his associate’s degree from Northwest State Community College in 2012 and attended Penn College for a hands-on workshop in thermoforming.

He has utilized thermoforming in many ways, including thermoforming thin sheet paint film and using them as inserts into an injection mold, in-mold-coating for injection molding, distortion print forming, foil transferring, tooling, and processing injection and thermoforming. Dennis has worked with major material companies in developing and testing new materials for injection and thermoforming. He has also worked with acoustical sound barrier materials and compression molding. Dennis was also hand-selected to learn robotics and computer numerical control systems at Fanuc.


Ian Munnoch

MSA Components, Inc. • N7908 Dahlk Rd., New Glarus, WI 53574
Tel: 812-322-5080
Email: imunnoch@msacomponents.com • Web: www.msacomponents.com

Ian Munnoch is president of MSA Components, Inc., a manufacturer’s representative group selling to thermoformers for 37 years in both the thin and heavy gauge industries. His experience includes outsides sales to sales management. Previous to starting MSA Components, he worked for Fortune 500 companies to small O.E.M. manufacturers. Ian has been working with thermoformers and tooling shops to develop the best plug material and designs available by today’s standards. He became a member of the SPE Thermoforming Division Board in 2016 and serves on the R & D Committee. Ian is an avid outdoorsman and lives in New Glarus, Wisconsin.


gordy_murphyGordy Murphy

LINDAR Corporation
Tel: 218-829-3457
Email: gordy@lindarcorp.com • Web: https://lindarcorp.com

Gordy Murphy has over 32 years of experience in the Thermoforming industry spanning both the Heavy Gauge and Thin Gauge Industries. Gordy’s past positions have included direct involvement with sheet extrusion, tool design and implementation, high-speed labeling, printing, as well as recycling of plastic materials.

In his current role as Director of Operations at LINDAR Corporation, Gordy is directly responsible for overseeing the engineering, capital planning implementation, information systems, and technical aspects to support the ongoing growth of the company.

Gordy’s industry knowledge combined with his can-do attitude has contributed to the success of LINDAR Corporation today.

During the recent Grand Rapids SPE Thermoforming Conference, Gordy served as a round table moderator and shared his expertise on ERP systems during the Executive Forum. He has attended SPE Thermoforming Division Board Meetings and actively participated in committee meetings for the past two years.


Eric Short

Simona PMC • 2040 Industrial Drive, Findlay, OH 45840
Tel: 567-525-4924
Email: eric.short@simona-pmc.com • Web: www.simona-pmc.com

Eric Short is the president of SIMONA PMC, a custom sheet extruder located in Findlay, Ohio, and a part of the SIMONA AMERICA Group.

Eric brings over 30 years of commercial & technical experience in the plastics industry. Prior to joining PMC in 2011, he held a variety of positions in sales, marketing, engineering, and product management at polyolefin compounders Solvay Engineered Polymers, LyondellBasell, and Mytex Polymers.

In addition to his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from GMI (now Kettering University), Short holds an MBA from Oakland University.

Eric is also a board director of the SPE Thermoforming Division.


dan-sprolesDan Sproles

Sproles Business Consulting LLC • 5210 Canton Street, South Bend, IN 46614
Tel: 574-747-7997
Email: dan@sprolesbusinessconsulting.com • Web: www.sprolesbusinessconsulting.com

Dan has 42 years of experience in extrusion with extensive expertise in various materials and equipment. He has also led training sessions and conducted troubleshooting exercises on extrusion equipment. On the thermoforming side of the business, Dan has hands-on experience with single-sheet, twin-sheet, and pressure thermoformed products, as well as tooling and processes.

In May 2018, Dan started his own plastics consulting and business development company. In May 2018, he was appointed to the SPE Thermoforming Division Board of Directors. Since then, Dan has actively contributed to the Division by holding the positions of Student RC Car Race Chair, Education Committee Chair, and Co-Chair of the SPE Thermoforming Conference Parts Competition.


Renee Vinsick

Primex Plastics Corporation • 1235 North F Street, Richmond, IN 47374
Tel: (765) 966-7774

Renee Vinsick is the Business Development Manager for Primex Plastics Corportion, Primex delivers state-of-the-art plastic solutions for any application. Only Primex owns the entire process from compounding materials, color, custom extrusion as well as product fabrication, giving you more flexibility and options.

Renee is currently participating on the Education Committee and has been involved in the plastics industry for over 30 years. She has worked with thermoforming, machining, injection molding and rotational molding. She has demonstrated leadership skills in plastics and sales. Prior to joining Primex Plastics in 2024, Renee was National Sales Manager at Total Plastics for over 4 years building and developing their custom machined parts program. Concentrating on heavy equipment, agriculture, medical and mass transit industries. She was also with Lehigh Valley Plastics as a Territory Manager concentrating on machining, fabrication and injection molded parts for similar industries.

Renee is spearheading growth in several new and existing market spaces for Primex and will be supporting the national sales team with strategic market development initiatives. She hopes her passion for growth and expansion into new industries will promote opportunities in the thermoforming industry. Renee is constantly involved with developing new products for target markets, she can see endless opportunities working with new industries and introducing Primex Plastics innovative product lines. The thermoforming industry has expanded their capabilities servicing all industries and she is looking forward to bringing this support to our thermoforming community.

Renee’s passion within the thermoforming industry is to continually work within the market bringing new opportunities to facilitate growth in all industries our thermoformers serve. She has and will always encourage membership into the SPE organization.


James M. “Jay” Waddell

Plastic Concepts & Innovations, LLC
Tel: (843) 324-7116
Email: jwaddell@plasticoncepts.com

Mr. Waddell is the founding partner and key management principal of Plastic Concepts & Innovations, LLC, bringing the skills from years of consulting and manufacturing in heavy-gauge thermoforming. He held numerous positions from manufacturing manager to executive vice president. In the plastics industry, Mr. Waddell is an expert in materials and manufacturing techniques, including twin-sheet thermoforming, pressure-forming, and CNC operations.
He is a member of the board of directors for the Society of Plastics Engineers and serves as the Treasurer of the Society.

He has been a member of the board of directors for the Thermoforming Division of the SPE for the past 36 years. He was the chairman for several SPE Thermoforming Conferences and has been a speaker and moderator at many others.

Mr. Waddell earned his BA at the Citadel and continued his graduate studies in business there.


Brian Winton

VP/Sales, PTi • 2655 White Oak Circle, Aurora, IL 60502
Tel: 630-585-5800 • Cell: 331-452-7452
Email: bwinton@ptiextruders.com

Brian Winton is the VP of Sales for Processing Technologies International (PTi). Brian has over 38 years of experience in domestic and international capital equipment sales, marketing and project management. He began his career in the thermoforming industry in 1985 and continued into extrusion and plastic recycling. Brian has worked primarily for equipment manufacturers in manager, director and vice president capacities, with past technical sales and marketing teams including John Brown Plastics Machinery, Modern Machinery, Lyle Industries, and The Brown Machine Group.

Brian has extensive process and industry knowledge, and started his career managing turnkey projects for sheet extrusion and thermoforming operations. This included designing and properly sizing ancillary features, downstream equipment and plant utilities, while coordinating comprehensive installation and training services. Brian works closely with his customers to clearly understand their current and future needs. He also collaborates with suppliers and other engineering sources to technically define and promote the latest cutting-edge solutions.

Brian is highly involved in the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming Division and has served as a board member since 2002. He continues to serve on the R&D Committee and has previously served as ANTEC Technical Program Chair and Conference Chair.