Seasoned Industry Veteran Gary Morgan of Borealis Continues at the Helm as Chair The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) has announced its new Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2024. PPI is the major North American association representing the plastics pipe industry. “Our board has always exemplified the depth of experience and knowledge that members Read more
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Seasoned Industry Veteran Gary Morgan of Borealis Continues at the Helm as Chair
The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) has announced its new Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2024. PPI is the major North American association representing the plastics pipe industry.
“Our board has always exemplified the depth of experience and knowledge that members have counted on within our association,” stated David M. Fink, president of PPI. “There are certainly new positive challenges within our industry and association including how to manage the growth in the use of plastic pipe, and how to accommodate new members. We had record attendance at our past three membership meetings. I am confident that this new slate of directors will enable PPI to satisfy those requirements, and I thank them in advance for their service to PPI and the industry.”
The past and current PPI Board of Directors, from top, Doug Keller, LyondellBasell, past chair, Jim Johnston, McElroy, vice chair, Gary Morgan, Borealis, chair, David Fink, president, PPI, Carl Baker, Shell Polymers, Power & Communications Division past chair, Dell Doyle, Dow, advisory council representative, Dustin Langston, WL Plastics, Energy Piping Systems Division past chair, Stefan Lupke Croma, Drainage Division past chair, Kate Olinger, Uponor, treasurer, and Barb Donaldson, Sovereign Pipe, Municipal & Industrial Division past chair. Not pictured, Joe Poniatowski, Asahi-America, PPI Building & Construction Division past chair.
The returning board members are:
- Gary Morgan of Borealis, Chair
- Jim Johnston of McElory Manufacturing, Vice Chair
- Doug Keller of LyondellBasell, Past Chair
- Kate Olinger of Uponor, Treasurer
- Dell Doyle of Dow Chemical Company, Advisory Council Representative
Plus, David M. Fink, PPI staff representative. Members of the board serve for two years, and then move up to the next position.
Additionally, the chairs of each PPI division have a seat on the board. Joining the PPI board in 2024 are:
- Bill Melvin of Legend Valve, Building & Construction Division Chair
- Craig Douglass of Fratco, Drainage Division Chair
- Mike Leathers of Pipeline Plastics, Energy Piping Systems Division Chair
- Heath Casteel of Performance Pipe, Municipal & Industrial Division Chair
- Christian Herrild of Teel Plastics, Power & Communications Division Chair
PPI Chair Morgan. who has actively participated in PPI activities during the past 22 years, has a diverse background in the plastics industry. He began his plastics career designing extrusion equipment for 15 years followed by managing the R&D department for a major PEX tubing manufacturer. Morgan’s experiences also include roles in quality assurance and managing plumbing codes and standards before taking the role of application development engineer for Borealis Compounds Inc., where he works today.
PPI Board Chair Gary Morgan
“I’ve witnessed,” he said, “in the past five to seven years, PPI working more hand-in-hand with other plastics-based trade associations to build synergies between the different organizations to overall promote the plastics pipe industry.
“I think the other big thing that has evolved at PPI during the last decade is that each division has a management committee, which also allows for prompt decision-making. Each division having a very well-established management committee has also helped the overall success of PPI.
“I think that we are faced with challenges not only from competing materials, but also from the anti-plastics faction. Also important to us,” Morgan continued, “is the whole picture of government advocacy that goes hand-in-hand with the sustainability advantages of our products; we don’t stand in the same light as single-use plastics by any means.
“Our products are intended to last 50 years to 100 years or longer in some applications. And certainly, we have a great story to tell, and we’re striving to do a better job of conveying that positive message to the world and certainly to the regulators in Washington, DC. Obviously, we have an aged and failing infrastructure here in the United States, and we believe that our plastic piping products aren’t as susceptible to most of the troubles found in traditional materials such as cast iron, steel, and copper.”
Morgan concluded, “I know the board also wants to make sure our members realize that there’s truly a return on their investment for their membership in PPI, and we want to promote active involvement. That’s where companies get the value. When their members get involved and become active, that the real payback, not only for each member company but also our association, and the plastic piping industry.”
Additional information about PPI can be found at: www.plasticpipe.org.
This past March at their annual National Sales Meeting, Watts honored the three recipients of this year’s Manufacturers’ Rep Lifetime Achievement Award: Roger Withers of Fitzpatrick Sales Inc., Dave Watson of Dave Watson Associates, Inc. Roland Lajoie of Lajoie, Inc. The Manufacturers’ Rep Lifetime Achievement Award is a testament to a career marked by dedication Read more
This past March at their annual National Sales Meeting, Watts honored the three recipients of this year’s Manufacturers’ Rep Lifetime Achievement Award:
- Roger Withers of Fitzpatrick Sales Inc.,
- Dave Watson of Dave Watson Associates, Inc.
- Roland Lajoie of Lajoie, Inc.
The Manufacturers’ Rep Lifetime Achievement Award is a testament to a career marked by dedication, leadership, and innovation. It signifies not only individual accomplishments, but also the profound impact these individuals have had on the plumbing industry and beyond.
In addition to celebrating these individuals and their accomplishments, Watts also honored Hugh M. Cunningham Companies as their Manufacturer’s Representative of the Year. This award highlights outstanding sales performance, excellent customer service, deep product knowledge, successful market expansion, and high professionalism throughout their agency.
The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) announced today that its Building & Construction Division (BCD) has elected Bill Melvin of Legend Valve (Auburn Hills, MI) as Division Chair and Jim Paschal of Aquatherm (Lindon, UT) as Vice Chair. Melvin, who will also represent the division on the PPI Board of Directors for the next two Read more
The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) announced today that its Building & Construction Division (BCD) has elected Bill Melvin of Legend Valve (Auburn Hills, MI) as Division Chair and Jim Paschal of Aquatherm (Lindon, UT) as Vice Chair. Melvin, who will also represent the division on the PPI Board of Directors for the next two years, takes over from Joseph Poniatowski of Asahi/America. The changes took effect June 1, 2024. PPI’s BCD focuses on pressure piping materials for plumbing and mechanical applications.
Jim Paschal (left) of Aquatherm, new Vice Chair and Bill Melvin (right) of Legend Valve new Chair of PPI’s Building & Construction Division with Lance McNevin, the engineering director for the division.
Bill Melvin has served on the Management Committee in several roles, including the Communications Committee Chair and Vice Chair. Jim Paschal also serves as Chair of PPI’s Polypropylene Pressure Pipe Steering Committee and formerly served as R&D Projects Chair. That position will now be filled by Rick Stock of Uponor. Brian Conner of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry joins the committee as Codes & Governments Affairs Committee Liaison.
Rick Stock, Uponor
Adam Grier of iNOEX serves as the Communications Committee Chair, and also as Chair of the PPI Umbrella Marketing Committee. Jason McKinnon of Viega LLC serves as the PPI Education Committee Chair and also as the BCD Education Chair, a position he has held for more than eight years. Forest Hampton III of Lubrizol continues as Advisory Council Liaison & Strategic Planning Chair.
According to Lance MacNevin, P. Eng., director of engineering for PPI’s Building & Construction Division, “PPI’s management committee members provide significant guidance to staff on topics from research, codes and standards to education and advocacy. These new leadership positions solidify their continued commitments to PPI and the piping industry. We are grateful for the volunteer service of these dedicated members.”
Brian Conner, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry
PPI is the major North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry. The Building & Construction Division represents plastic pressure piping materials such as CPVC, HDPE, PEX, PE-RT, PP-R, and PP-RCT.
More information can be found at https://plasticpipe.org/buildingconstruction
The trusted provider of best-in-class field service technology names Paige Collins, Jeff Prince, Kiri Leibold and Jon Jackson to new executive positions supporting the company’s continued commitment to customer support and success XOi, a leading provider of technician-focused technology solutions for commercial and residential field service companies, continues to fortify its leadership team and enhance Read more
The trusted provider of best-in-class field service technology names Paige Collins, Jeff Prince, Kiri Leibold and Jon Jackson to new executive positions supporting the company’s continued commitment to customer support and success
XOi, a leading provider of technician-focused technology solutions for commercial and residential field service companies, continues to fortify its leadership team and enhance its commitment to world-class customer success with the announcement of four new executive promotions.
XOi has named Paige Collins the company’s chief customer officer and Jeff Prince chief technology officer. Kiri Leibold has been named XOi’s new VP of customer success and Jon Jackson has been named the company’s new VP of customer support.
Paige Collins
“At XOi, we’re passionate about our mission to define and own the digital transformation of field service,” said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. “That mission is built on developing authentic relationships that truly empower stakeholders throughout the field service ecosystem, including technicians, owners and manufacturers. Paige, Jeff, Kiri and Jon have proven their commitment to the vision that drives us. We’re looking forward to seeing them help us continue to elevate the industry through unparalleled customer relationships.”
As CCO, Collins leads the strategic vision and execution of XOi’s approach to customer experience. Her responsibilities encompass overseeing all post-sale customer-facing teams, including success, support, operations and shared services such as implementation, training, data analytics, and solutions engineering.
Jeff Prince
In his new CTO role, Prince is focused on aligning technical strategy and planning with the company’s business goals. He provides thought leadership to the executive team and XOI board of directors, identifies strategic technology and product goals that drive revenue and oversees technical relationships with vendors, customers and partners.
As VP of customer success, Leibold is responsible for the strategy, operation, and success of our customer success function for all customer segments, including CS implementation, shared services, operations and professional services/enablement. Leibold’s role includes combating churn, refining customer segmentation, creating success plans, and increasing retention and expansion of our customer base through successful proactive customer management.
Kiri Leibold
As VP of customer support, Jackson is responsible for the operation and success of XOi’s customer-facing client support teams, including front line, L1 support and our Virtual Mentor Center.
Jon Jackson
XOi provides field service contractors and their teams with the premier tool for managing and leveraging data from current jobs as well as historical projects, including powerful data collection, virtual support and mentoring, and real, actionable insights. XOi users report, on average, a 20% reduction in the amount of time it takes to complete tasks, an additional $1.4 million in new replacement and preventive maintenance contract revenue, and a 40% reduction in second truck rolls. For more information about XOi, visit https://xoi.io.
Jim Clor, a veteran edtech leader, joins the innovative skilled trades training provider as the company continues to expand learning opportunities for K-12 Education, Higher Ed and Workforce Development organizations. Interplay Learning, the leading provider of immersive skilled trades training, has named Edtech sales executive Jim Clor, Vice President of Education and Workforce Development. In Read more
Jim Clor, a veteran edtech leader, joins the innovative skilled trades training provider as the company continues to expand learning opportunities for K-12 Education, Higher Ed and Workforce Development organizations.
Interplay Learning, the leading provider of immersive skilled trades training, has named Edtech sales executive Jim Clor, Vice President of Education and Workforce Development.
In his new role, Jim spearheads Interplay Learning’s sales and strategic efforts for the company’s education and workforce development business. His industry expertise and vision will be key to Interplay Learning’s efforts to support more scalable, engaging skilled trades training in school districts, colleges, technical schools, and workforce programs. Using immersive technology solutions such as 3D simulations, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, Interplay can deliver hands-on trades training and credentials even when traditional resources may not be available.
“Jim brings an extensive background leading edtech sales orgs and partnering with schools to launch innovative solutions,” said Doug Donovan, CEO and founder of Interplay Learning. “Education is evolving rapidly. We’ll be relying on his expertise and leadership as Interplay continues to grow, with the goal of supporting innovation and scale for our academic and workforce development partners.”
Jim has over two decades of experience in strategic edtech sales, marketing, and executive management for some of the industry’s most respected companies. During his career, he has served in senior positions at both large and startup organizations, leading multiple companies from concept to acquisition.
“Supporting innovation in education through technology has been a central part of my career path. I’m excited to join a fast growth company that is reimagining skilled trades instruction in a way that better serves today’s learners and educators,” Clor said. “Interplay Learning has a proven commitment to partnering with schools and workforce organizations to ensure students graduate with job-ready skills in high demand and often overlooked trades occupations.”
To learn more about Interplay Learning’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the transformation of skilled trades education, visit Interplay Learning.