Editor’sPerspective

rial by fire” and “drinking from a fire hose” are two familiar phrases that have been thrown around in my first few weeks at IAPD. Both ring true to my experience so far, but a more accurate description of my experience came from IAPD CEO Susan Avery when she said that this was “both the best and worst time to start this role.”

I began my time with IAPD just two weeks shy of our 67th IAPD Annual Convention + connecX in San Diego, CA, and I hit the ground running as a whirlwind of information and introductions were thrown my way. I’ve soaked up as much as I could and asked as many annoying questions as I could manage during the opportunities, I’ve had to meet with you. Thankfully, everyone has been gracious and enthusiastic to equip me with the intel I need to begin mapping out my goals as your new director of marketing and content.

The convention provided me an ideal chance to witness committee meetings as both an observer and a participant, giving me an inside look at some of the existing and planned initiatives of IAPD as we move into 2024. The networking dinners and receptions allowed me to get to know some of you, personally and professionally. I’m looking forward to having the pleasure of meeting and working with many more of you in the years to come. As I get to know the members of IAPD, my understanding of the goals and needs of our association will only grow stronger.

For those of you that I did not get the chance to meet in San Diego, I have the opportunity to formally introduce myself, here, to give you a brief understanding of where I come from. I grew up in Lee’s Summit, MO, just east of Kansas City, MO, with two brothers and one sister. I earned my undergraduate degree from Columbia College in Chicago, IL, and stayed in the city for a total of six years working in multimedia and advertising. I later moved back to Kansas City and worked as a multimedia sound designer for Hallmark Cards designing sound and music for everything from cards to singing toys and ornaments. After my departure from Hallmark in 2013, I went back to school to earn my master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from the University of Kansas. Since then, I have worked almost exclusively in business-to-business digital marketing.

My most relevant work to IAPD was during my time at Black & Veatch as part of the digital marketing team for the global engineering company. During that time, I was proud to be a part of the announcement and rollout campaign of Black & Veatch’s departure from coal-based power design and construction. A bold move by the company to become a leader in the shift toward renewable energy. This experience taught me how leading by example can be an effective way to communicate authority as a responsible steward for positive change.

One of the biggest selling points when researching my role with IAPD was the industry’s commitment to sustainable practices and initiatives. This commitment sets the stage for a responsible path to secure performance plastics’ position as a positive contribution to our global economy and environment. I sincerely believe that if more people understood not just the sustainability goals of the industry, but all the vital resources and applications performance plastics already provide, there would be larger acceptance from even the deepest skeptics. Cutting edge technologies in renewable energy, agriculture, health care and more rely heavily on performance plastics to provide safe, durable and reliable materials. I believe it is our job as an organization to help our members tell this story to their commercial audience and, furthermore, to the end users they serve.

From left to right: IAPD Director of Meetings and Events Lauren Fredrickson, IAPD Director of Marketing and Content Randy Skach with Chair of the IAPD Environmental Committee Jim Pro, Piedmont Plastics, at the 67th IAPD Annual Convention + connecX Welcome Party in San Diego, CA.

As someone who is just starting to scratch the surface in understanding the world of performance plastics, I can attest to the value of IAPD’s educational resources. The Education Committee and my staff hope to expand upon the assets of IAPD University with more accessible and shareable versions of our webinars, podcasts and videos. You can expect to see a not only a higher quantity of these, but expanded topics for educational content including sustainability/recycling, DEI+B, workforce development (attracting, recruiting and retaining talent), government relations, Women in Plastics, plastics applications and so much more. This treasure trove of information runs deep, so we hope to increase the value of this commodity by making it easier to navigate and understand for our members and their customers.

Another big selling point I appreciate as a new employee is IAPD’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI+B). These terms get thrown around a lot, but the value of providing a workplace where everyone feels welcome and understood is priceless when you consider that the industry’s workforce is more diverse than ever before, and high-caliber talents come from all walks of life. My team will continue working with the DEI+B Task Force to build and share useful DEI+B resources to help us understand and grow as a community.

My overarching goal as IAPD’s marketing leadership is to provide valuable resources, data and insights that all our members can utilize to better understand and communicate with their own audiences. In the coming years, I hope to work with our Marketing Committee and staff to provide these assets in easily accessible formats on our website, in Performance Plastics magazine issues and on social media in short concise formats that IAPD members can easily share with their own audiences.

Yes, it has been a bit of challenge to start fresh with so many new things in the works at IAPD. However, I find this challenge an exciting opportunity to learn as much I can to better serve the marketing needs of our association and the members. Witnessing the incredible teamwork of IAPD’s staff amid the week of convention only gives me more confidence that we are well suited for the exciting future ahead – a future that I look forward to experiencing with all of you.