10 years, 10 influential people in plastics machinery

Nov. 13, 2024
As PMM turns 10, we look at people who made significant contributions to the industry during the past decade.

There are plenty of statistics to help rank the plastics industry’s place in U.S. manufacturing landscape, but it is much more interesting to look at the people who have brought the industry to where it is today and will lead it into the future.  

They are owners, executives of supplier companies and processing companies, association leaders who are comfortable testifying before Congress and inventors who push the technology boundary.  

The Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing editorial staff picked 10 of these people to highlight in our 10th anniversary issue. This is not a hall of fame where inductees are selected for their lifetime achievements, or a Top 10 list.   

Our main criterion was each person must have made a significant contribution to the industry in the past 10 years. All but one is still working in the industry.  

Is there a person you think we should cover? Let us know! Every month, we feature a notable plastics industry figure for a Q&A called In Other Words.  

We hope you enjoy these stories, which will be displayed below as they publish.

Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)
Bill Carteaux, the late Plastics Industry Association president and CEO, was one of the industry's most ardent supporters up until his death in 2018.
Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)
Matt Seaholm, left, appears on stage with Bill Carteaux in 2018 at the Global Plastics Summit. Carteaux, who had served the Plastics Industry Association as its president and CEO since 2005, when it was known as the Society of the Plastics Industry, died a few weeks later. In 2022, Seaholm was promoted to helm the organization.
About the Author

Karen Hanna | Senior Staff Reporter

Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.

About the Author

Ron Shinn | Editor

Editor Ron Shinn is a co-founder of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and has been covering the plastics industry for more than 35 years. He leads the editorial team, directs coverage and sets the editorial calendar. He also writes features, including the Talking Points column and On the Factory Floor, and covers recycling and sustainability for PMM and Plastics Recycling.

About the Author

Bruce Geiselman | Senior Staff Reporter

Senior Staff Reporter Bruce Geiselman covers extrusion, blow molding, additive manufacturing, automation and end markets including automotive and packaging. He also writes features, including In Other Words and Problem Solved, for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. He has extensive experience in daily and magazine journalism.