media release
Date: November 6, 2023
Contact: Sara Marquardt, Junior Copywriter and Editor, +913.345.1005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dr. Keith Hechtel of Curbell Plastics, Inc. Receives Prestigious IAPD Paul Davis Award of Merit
Overland Park, Kans. – IAPD - The Performance Plastics Association, is pleased to announce that is pleased to announce Dr. Keith Hechtel of Curbell Plastics, Inc. is the recipient of the 2023 IAPD Paul Davis Award of Merit. This announcement was made October 25, 2023, at the Opening General Session of the 67th IAPD Annual Convention + connecX in San Diego, CA, USA.
Hechtel has been working in the performance plastics industry since 1986, joining Curbell Plastics, Inc. in 2005 where he is now the senior director of business development. Hechtel has become a thought leader in IAPD and the performance plastics industry. During his time at IAPD he has served on the Education and Technical Advisory Committees, authored articles for the Performance Plastics magazine and delivered educational presentations for IAPD’s webinars, annual conventions , as well as for the Women in Plastics and GenerationNext programs. Hechtel currently serves on the DEI+B Task Force.
“We are grateful for Keith’s willingness to share knowledge from his decades of experience in the performance plastics energy to a new generation of diverse talent,” said IAPD CEO Susan Avery, CAE. “His commitment to the education initiatives at IAPD has created a valuable repository of information that will be referenced for years to come.”
Gerry Helbig, President of Curbell Plastics, Inc., shares that Hechtel “Is a true differentiator and a one-of- a-kind person and would like to congratulate Keith on being chosen for the Paul Davis Award of Merit which is a fitting acknowledgement for all that he has done for Curbell, the IAPD and the industry.”
IAPD and the performance plastics congratulates Dr. Keith Hechtel for being awarded the prestigious 2023 IAPD Paul Davis Award of Merit.
About Paul Davis
Paul Davis of Plastics Manufacturing and Supply Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, recognized how difficult it was for a small independent plastics distributor to compete with a much larger distributor, and he longed for the same buying power that a multi-branch distributor enjoyed. In the summer of 1956, he began calling other small distributors to see if the owners were interested in teaming up to become a larger voice in the trade. Davis recruited six individuals, representing four plastics distributors at that first meeting. This small group launched what was initially named the United Plastics Warehouse Corporation and today is known as the IAPD – The Performance Plastics Association. In 1986, IAPD created the Paul Davis Award of Merit to recognize members who have performed exceptional, extraordinary or outstanding service on behalf of the association and the plastics distribution industry and bestowed Paul Davis as the first recipient of this most esteemed award.
About IAPD
IAPD – The Performance Plastics Association (IAPD), established in 1956, brings together performance plastics distributors, fabricators, manufacturers, manufacturers’ representatives, recyclers, resin manufacturers/distributors and service providers in an environment which encourages a free flow of ideas and information that help members build their businesses. Every program and service we provide is designed with the simple goal of helping our members increase profitability. IAPD provides training, connections with customers and suppliers and information about developments that impact the industry.
For more information, visit www.iapd.org.