AEC Recognizes Three Volunteers for Contributions

Each year, the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC; Wauconda, IL) recognizes one or more individuals for their excellent service and achievements as a volunteer. This year, they presented awards to three individuals, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the Council during the Volunteer Recognition Banquet at the recent AEC Annual Meeting held in Bonita Springs, FL:

Olivier Gabis, the area manager for Wagstaff Inc. (Spokane Valley, WA), was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award, one of two such awards presented during the evening. He is a member of the AEC Industry Standards Team and is the Council’s liaison for various standards committees, including the ASTM Subcommittee B07.03 on Aluminum Alloy Wrought Products and ANSI Accredited Standards Committee H35. He is also a longtime volunteer on the ET Seminar Committee that directs the program for the International Aluminum Extrusion Technology Seminars. “Olivier has served as the chair for the Billet Process Track for at least three iterations of ET. His technical expertise in this capacity is exemplary,” said AEC chairman Matt McMahon, the president of Pries Enterprises (Independence, IA).

The second Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Craig Werner, the vice president of extrusion technology for Kaiser Aluminum (Foothills Ranch, CA). He previously was awarded the AEC Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor from the Council, and the Maurice H. Roberts Award of Excellence, the highest honor awarded at ET. He personally visits local universities helping to raise awareness of our process and products, has developed industry curriculum and is helping to develop the AEC Academy continuing education program. Werner also has prepared and presented numerous technical and business-related presentations for the Aluminum Extruders Council and ET. “He is a teacher, a mentor, an award-winning ET author, and so much more,” noted McMahon.

The Distinguished Service Award, which is presented only to an AEC leader who has shown exceptional dedication and service, was awarded to Rick Merluzzi, the president of Metal Exchange Corporation (St. Louis, MO). He made a meteoric rise to leadership within the Council and has been a mainstay of the industry’s voice for Fair Trade in Washington. His leadership within the Council spanned precisely the period of the most serious challenge and most important victories in both the Council’s and the industry’s history. “He battled for fair trade and won, he battled cancer and won. I am honored to be able to present the Distinguished Service Award to my friend and mentor, Rick Merluzzi,” said McMahon at the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony in March. “His continued dedication and guidance is invaluable.”

“What an incredible honor, especially when I think of those that have received [this award] in the past for which I have such tremendous respect: people like Tom Schabel of Alexandria Industries, Duncan Crowdis, retired from Bonnell Aluminum, Rand Baldwin, past AEC President, and many more,” commented Merluzzi, after receiving the award. “Having come into the industry a little over a decade ago, I am still a newbie given that many people have been in the industry all of their career or for multiple generations. Consequently, I can’t offer much extrusion knowledge but from my perspective our industry is special. Our products go into many innovative applications that impact our quality of life one way or another. There is a tremendous commitment, not just to the company’s success but truly to the success of the industry. AEC is a great organization that is indispensable to that success. There is a special passion for the industry that I have not seen in other industries and there is a level of camaraderie in the Council that is very unique. I feel blessed that my career journey brought me here.”

AEC, established in 1950, is an international association dedicated to advancing the effective use of aluminum extrusion in North America. It is committed to bringing comprehensive information about extrusion’s characteristics, applications, environmental benefits, design and technology to users, product designers, engineers and the academic community. It is also focused on enhancing the ability of its members to meet the emerging demands of the market through sharing knowledge and best practices. Advocacy programs ensure that aluminum extruders, suppliers and their products remain relevant and viable in an ever-changing legislative and regulatory climate. More than 120 member companies represent primary aluminum producers and other industry suppliers, in addition to aluminum extruders operating hundreds of extrusion presses in hundreds of plants worldwide.

www.aec.org