PMMI: The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies will take a select group of packaging students and professors on a  6-day tour of packaging industry end users and manufacturers in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas in the “How It’s Packaged Summer Tour,” June 23-28, 2013.
 
“The summer tour was developed to give a select group of students greater access to the workplace and innovative designs they’ll see when they enter the workforce,” said Maria Ferrante, vice president of education & workforce development, PMMI. “These students are really going to get some great insight into what their future holds.”
 
The tour will take six college juniors and two professors from select PMMI partner schools through several PMMI member and end user plants. They’ll meet the people and products that make the industry thrive. 
 
The students and professors have also been selected to receive PMMI’s Future Leader and Outstanding Educator rewards, respectively. PMMI’s Future Leaders Award seeks to recognize an outstanding pre-professional undergraduate student attending one of PMMI’s partner schools who has excelled academically and exhibits interest in advancing the packaging and processing industries.
 
PMMI’s Outstanding Educator Award honors those professors who demonstrate a dedication to the spirit of learning and teaching in the field of packaging and processing, and whose efforts continue to advance the packaging and processing industries as well as serve as an inspiration to others.
 
“These kids really are the next generation of leaders in our industry and this is a great example of the things that PMMI does to get the them excited about what packaging and processing have to offer,” said Timm Johnson, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Inc., and chairman of PMMI’s education & workforce development committee. “These kids are getting a first-hand look at the wonderful opportunities they’ll have with their education, and building bonds with the industry as well.”
 
Participation in the 2014 Summer Tour will be open to students at all 4-year PMMI Partner Schools. Students will be selected in a contest that will kick off at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013 (Sept. 23-25, 2013; Las Vegas Convention Center).
 
PMMI would like to congratulate the students and professors participating in this year’s summer tour and thank the companies who have opened their doors to these eager young minds:
 
 
Future Leaders Award Winners:
  • Derek Pincus, CalPoly
  • Michael Grandinetti, University of Florida
  • Alan Belcher, Clemson University
  • Timothy Dehm, Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Anthony Disanto, University of Wisconsin – STOUT
 
Outstanding Educator Award Winners:
  • Felix Barron, Clemson University
  • Robert Meisner, University of Wisconsin – STOUT
 
Participating Companies:
  • ARPAC
  • Nation Pizza and Foods
  • Z Automation
  • Power Packaging
  • General Mills
  • Herrmann Ultrasonics
  • Triangle Package Machinery
  • Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants
  • Morrison Container Handling Solutions
  • Spee-Dee Packaging
  • Lake Front Brewery
  • KHS USA
  • Dorner
  • Palermos Pizza
  • MillerCoors
  • PMI Cartoning
 
About PMMI
PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, is a trade association representing over 600 packaging and processing supply chain companies that provide a full range of packaging and processing machinery, materials, components and containers. PMMI actively brings buyers and sellers together through programs and events such as The PACK EXPO family of trade shows, packexpo.com, PMT Magazine, PACK EXPO Show Daily, networking events and educational programs.
 
PMMI organizes the PACK EXPO trade shows: PACK EXPO International, PACK EXPO Las Vegas, PACK EXPO East, EXPO PACK Mexico and EXPO PACK Guadalajara, connecting participants in the packaging and processing supply chain with their customers around the world. Coming Up: ; PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013 , Sept. 23–25, 2013 (Las Vegas Convention Center); EXPO PACK México 2014 , June 17-20, 2014 (Mexico City, Mexico); PACK EXPO International 2014, Nov. 2-5, 2014 (McCormick Place, Chicago); Pharma EXPO, co-located with PACK EXPO International 2014, presented jointly with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE); PACK EXPO East, debuting Feb. 2–4, 2015 (Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia); EXPO PACK Guadalajara 2015, March 18-20, 2015 (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico).
 
Learn more about PMMI and the PACK EXPO trade shows at PMMI.org and Packexpo.com.