A Message from PMPA President

 

Steve Sorenson
Sorenson Engineering, Inc.
Yucaipa, CA

 

Fellow PMPA Members,

On October 1st at our Annual Awards Banquet held in Amelia Island, Florida, we had a grand celebration of our 90th year of the PMPA, aka NSMPA.  It was a great time, filled with uplifting memories and the encouraging echoes of those who came before us to make this celebration possible.  At the celebration it was my honor and privilege to be installed as your President for this upcoming year.  I am both grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to serve you, the members of the PMPA.

The PMPA’s 90 years are rich with history, ranging from young entrepreneurs to multi-generational families, from electric motors to servo motors, from CAM machines to CNC machines, from Chapter Meetings and National Technical Conferences to Annual Meetings.  We give our sincere appreciation to all those who dedicated themselves over the years to serving and advancing our industry and the PMPA.  I would like to especially thank John Habe for his firm and steady leadership as President over the past year, and for the opportunity to serve under him.

Emerging technologies are revolutionizing manufacturing.  The challenge is keeping up.  The awareness, learning, understanding, applying, financing, implementing, and managing of these new technologies will be significant in determining our future success.  As members of PMPA, we can all benefit from the generous support and sharing with each other our new-found knowledge, as well as from our past experience.

There have certainly been challenges to our industry, our businesses, and the PMPA over the years.  However, the hard-working values and convictions of commitment, dedication, determination, and the passion of our members have always carried us through even the most difficult of times.  More challenges are certainly yet to come, but I am confident that those same values and strengths of character and purpose that served us well in the past will sustain us now and into the future.  May this year be a year of fulfilled goals and dreams, with promises of more to come.

Over the last eleven years I have had the privilege of serving as Board member, Treasurer, and Vice President.  I have never been more confident in and prouder of our PMPA management team than I am today.  Cate, Miles, Renee, Carli, Joe, and Matt, along with our Board, Executive Committee, and the Gardner Management team, are leading the way, insuring a bright future for the PMPA.

Thank you all for your commitment, support, and participation in the PMPA.  I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at our events throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Steve Sorenson
PMPA President
Director, Sorenson Engineering, Inc.
moc.gnenosneros@nosneross 

 

 

 

Additional Recognition of Members
at Annual Awards Banquet

 

Congratulations to the following PMPA Technical Members who were recognized at the 90th Annual Awards Banquet with the Technical Member Participation Award.

Through their active participation, PMPA’s Technical Members contribute greatly toward keeping the Association thriving and progressive.  Our thanks and congratulations for their service and engagement in PMPA activities during the 2022-2023 year.

Kevin Coffman, Champion Screw Machine Engineering Inc.

 

Johnny Freeze, GWS Tool Group

 

Todd Kriegel, Global Precision Parts

 

 

Billie and Rich Henning,
Henning Industrial Software

.

 

 

 

Jim Preston, Jr., Meier Screw Products & Mfg Co.

 

 

Technical Member Participation Award
Absolute Machine Tools
Champion Screw Machine Engineering, Inc.
GWS Tool Group
Star CNC Machine Tool Corp.
Tsugami America

Membership Milestone Anniversaries
The following member companies were recognized for their milestone membership  anniversaries in 2023.  Congratulations!

25 Years of PMPA Membership
Global Precision Parts Inc.
Henning Industrial Software Inc.
Kalkaska Screw Products, Inc.

50 Years of PMPA Membership
Automatic Turning & Machining, Inc.
Edward Koehn Co., Inc.

75 Years of PMPA Membership
Meier Screw Products & Mfg. Co.

Retiring Board Members
JoAnn Vlach, Efficient Machine Products
Tanya DiSalvo, Criterion Tool
Darlene Miller, Permac Industries
Kevin Coffman (Tech Member Chair), Champion Screw Machine Eng. Co.

   

 

Annual Meeting Summary Page

 

 

Gold Micrometer Award Recipients
Honored at Annual Awards Banquet

 

PMPAs 90th Anniversary was not only a celebration of the growth of our Association, it was also a special celebration of those members who have amassed 40 years in the precision machining industry and the recognition of their dedication and contributions that set them apart as a leader within their organization and PMPA.

Attendees were treated to five Gold Micrometer  Award presentations in Amelia Island.

Brian Adams (R.F. Mau Co.) began working part-time at R.F. Mau in 1980, and has worked his way to being President of the company.  He has been very active in PMPA governance since 1997 and is currently 1st Vice President

 

Glen Donaldson (Donmac Precision Machining) began his industry career in 1978 as a machine operator and eventually purchased his own company.  He is active in the Canada Chapter and is currently serving a 3-year term on the Board.

 

Jim Wrenn (Hudson Precision Products) represents the third generation from Hudson to receive this prestigious recognition, joining his grandfather (Ernest W. Schneider) and father (Peter Wrenn).  Jim has been a strong supporter of PMPA since 1987 – President in 2009, and the Annual Meeting was his 61st national meeting.  Hudson Precision Products is a founding member of PMPA.

 

 

Victor DaCruz‘s introduction to manufacturing began in Portugal as a young boy when his dad decided he should work in the family tannery business.  Victor began his manufacturing career in 1974, eventually purchasing his own company, where he now leads the DACRUZ Manufacturing family business.  Victor has served on the Board and was PMPA President in 2019.

 

Sam Prost (Weber Manufacturing & Supplies Inc.) began working at Weber Manufacturing in 1970,  and never left.  He is currently serving a 3-year term on the Board of Directors.   Unable to attend (his second attempt at receiving this award), Miles Free (PMPA) accepted the award on his behalf.

 

Congratulations to our Gold Micrometer award recipients.  Well done!

 

Annual Meeting Summary Page

 

PMPA Speaking of Precision Podcast:

2023 Annual Meeting Recap

Miles Free and Renee Merker give our listeners a recap into PMPA’s 90th Anniversary celebration that that took place in Amelia Island, Florida at the 2023 Annual Meeting.

 

Published October 30, 2023

 

 

PMPA Speaking of Precision Podcast:

Company Culture

Miles Free, Carli Kistler-Miller and David Wynn dive into how company culture sets our precision machining shops apart from the rest.

 

Published October 23, 2023