A message from the 2026-2027 President:

As we begin another season of the Akron Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers, I find myself thinking about what makes this organization special. It isn't simply the technology. It isn't just the meetings, the tours, the scholarships or the networking. It is the people who bring all of those things together. 

For more than six decades, Akron SPE has been part of the fabric of the Polymer Valley, connecting professionals, educators, students, researchers, manufacturers and industry leaders throughout Northeast Ohio. Our section has always had a simple purpose: to promote knowledge, strengthen the plastics profession and help build the next generation of people who will carry this industry forward.

That mission remains as important as ever.

Connecting Education to Industry

One of the things I am most proud of is the work Akron SPE does with educators and students.

Our relationship with The University of Akron and its polymer programs provides an important connection between the classroom, research and the plastics industry. Through our Educational Foundation, we also provide scholarships to students pursuing polymer science, engineering, materials science, STEM and related fields. Since the scholarship program began, Akron SPE has awarded nearly half a million dollars to area students.

But supporting students isn't only about writing a scholarship check.

It is about giving students the opportunity to meet the people working in our industry. It is about showing them what happens inside a manufacturing plant, laboratory, compounding operation, design center or testing facility. It is about helping a student see a career they may not have known existed.

That is why our outreach to educators is equally important. Programs such as our Wonders of Plastics essay contest give middle and high school students an opportunity to explore how polymers affect their everyday lives and to think about where plastics technology is going next.

Our goal is to make plastics real for students—not just something they read about in a textbook.

Bringing Professionals Together

Akron SPE also provides something that can be difficult to find anywhere else: a place where people from different parts of the plastics industry can sit down together. Material suppliers can meet processors. Engineers can talk with educators. Researchers can connect with manufacturers. Experienced professionals can share knowledge with people just beginning their careers.

Our monthly programs, technical presentations, networking opportunities and partnerships with other professional organizations throughout Northeast Ohio are designed to create those connections.

And this year, we want to take that idea even further.

Manufacturers Tour Program

One of the most exciting opportunities ahead is our growing Manufacturers Tour Program.

Northeast Ohio is home to an incredible concentration of plastics, polymers, manufacturing, testing, research and technology companies. Many of us work in this industry every day without ever seeing what another company is doing just a few miles away.

Our tours are an opportunity to change that.

During the upcoming season, we will be working to bring our members into manufacturing facilities, laboratories, R&D centers and other organizations throughout the region. These visits will provide an inside look at the processes, technologies, people and innovations that make our industry work.

Recent Akron SPE programs have included tours of organizations such as Simplay3, Americhem, McCann Plastics, Nottingham Spirk, and other manufacturing and technology facilities.

We want to build on that momentum.

Whether you are a student trying to understand what a career in plastics actually looks like, a young professional looking to expand your network or a 30-year industry veteran who wants to see what is happening in another part of the supply chain, these tours are for you.

A New Chapter for SPE

This season also begins during an important moment for our national organization.

In 2026, the Society of Plastics Engineers became a division of the Plastics Industry Association as part of the organization’s formal integration. The goal is to combine SPE's long-standing strengths in technical education, professional development, research and networking with the broader reach, resources, advocacy and industry representation of PLASTICS. SPE continues to retain its name, identity, technical mission and professional community within the new organization.

I see this as an opportunity.

The plastics industry is changing rapidly. We are facing new challenges in sustainability, workforce development, technology, manufacturing, materials and public perception. Meeting those challenges will require more collaboration, not less.

And that starts locally.

Our Future Is Built Here

Akron has always been a place where polymers and people come together. Our section has a tremendous history, but our responsibility is not simply to preserve that history. It is to build on it.

This year, I hope you will join us.

Come to a meeting. Bring a coworker. Bring a student. Volunteer at an education event. Host a plant tour. Sponsor a scholarship. Introduce yourself to someone you don't know.

Most importantly, share your knowledge.

The future of plastics will be shaped by the people who are willing to teach, learn, collaborate and challenge one another to do better. That is what Akron SPE has always been about. And that is where we are headed next.

I look forward to seeing you throughout the 2026–2027 season.

Thank you for supporting Akron SPE; and thank you for helping us build the future of our industry.

Michelle Martin President 2025-2026 Akron Section of SPE

michelle.martin@radicigroup.com