Busy season of industry meetings
Welcome to the latest issue of ASC’s quarterly e-newsletter!
Since the last edition, many of you will likely have joined us at one of our many events taking place these past few months.
Your commitment and contribution to ASC is always much appreciated
and key to making our association the success that it is.
You can read more about our recent Sustainability Summit later in this issue, along with a recap of October’s Executive Leadership Conference. ASC also travelled over to Asia to represent our membership at an event
that united all the adhesive and sealant trade associations for the first time since the pandemic. We were able to discuss the pressing issues that are affecting our industry and emerged with a real sense of optimism and confidence about what lies ahead in 2025!
There has been plenty happening in the past few months... including ASC’s participation in the International Association Heads Meeting that took place in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
ELC24 was a huge success
About 100 senior executives and leaders came together in October for ASC’s annual Executive Leadership Conference and two-anda-half days of high-level discussions about the latest trends and issues affecting the sector. This was the first time the meeting had been held at the Wild Dunes Resort, Sweetgrass Inn on
didn’t disappoint The 1,600-acre beachside property, just a short distance from historic downtown Charleston, provided the perfect backdrop for enlightening presentations, networking, and the chance to catch up with colleagues eager to share ideas and insight about the sector.
“Our Executive
leaders in the adhesive and sealant industry to network and learn from one another,” says Bill Allmond, ASC President.
“It's the perfect forum to discuss important topics that are on their radar.”
Among the many highlights was a keynote titled Courageous Leadership: Building Partnerships for a more
Attendees enjoyed some downtime at this year’s Executive Leadership Conference from October 21-23
Henkel North America. Explaining how sustainability and profitability go hand in hand, she provided tangible examples of how her business has embraced diversity, offered benefits to its employees, and promoted forward thinking in the workplace.
Leading economist, Dr. Kevin Swift, was also on hand to provide a comprehensive outlook for the U.S. and global economy and the likely effects on the building & construction, automotive, consumer markets, and more Another memorable speech was delivered by Diane Thielfoldt, CoFounder of The Learning Café, who addressed how to handle the generation gap in the workplace, manage everyone’s very varied perspectives and ambitions, and get teams seamlessly working towards the same objectives and goals.
During the event, Attendees also celebrated three new inductees to ASC’s hallowed Hall of Fame during the Chairman’s dinner, with ASC Chairman Forest Driggs presenting Traci Jensen and Bill Arendt with a commemorative plaque, as well as honoring the memory of the late Rusty Thompson. “Every year, the moment of induction is very special,” says Bill Allmond, ASC President. “We first have remarks from those who have made the nominations to introduce the latest recipients, who then come up on stage and give their response to being included among such a special group of individuals in ASC’s Hall of Fame. This year was particularly emotional given Rusty’s induction, with his wife and daughter accepting his award. It was very special moment for us to remember someone that was revered by many in the room.” The meeting again
proved a huge success, and feedback has been extremely positive with many enjoying the varied content, many social events, and networking.
“In my 33 years of being in the plastics business, I have never felt more welcomed by an organization and a new group of people than this week,” said one attendee “It was a pleasure to be a part of this year’s event and looking forward to building more industry contacts as a direct result of ASC. As for the agenda this week, this was a first-class conference and you ‘hit it out of the park’ with the location, guest speakers, meals, and fun activities.”
Another commented that the meeting had exceeded their expectations: “The ASC Executive Leadership Conference was probably one of the best organized conferences/meetings I have seen in my long career.”
All guests were invited to the Opening Reception and Dinner
It was another excellent turnout with ASC members enjoying a rich and diverse program of speakers
the
Some much needed time out...
Recognizing
greats of the industry: ASC’s Hall of Fame Awards The new Hall of Fame inductees
Tuesday’s Cornhole Tournament In full swing: Some friendly competition after a busy morning
Economist Kevin Swift provides analysis and insight into the economy and provided his expectations for what the future holds, both in the U.S. and beyond
Lisa Anderson, President of LMA Consulting Group, talked about supply chain megatrends
ASC heads to Taiwan for global Association Heads Meeting
ASC was honored to represent the North American adhesive and sealant industry during a recent trip to Taiwan for an international gathering of global trade association heads from October 28-30, 2024.
ASC President, Bill Allmond, travelled to Kaohsiung City, Taiwan and delivered a special plaque of recognition, thanking the Taiwan Association for its longstanding friendship and cooperation
Hosted once every two years, the event provides an opportunity for international bodies like ASC to get together to discuss the pressing issues facing the sector, market developments, and key regulatory changes and challenges.
The event was notable as it was the first time the associations had reconvened since the COVID-19 pandemic. During the visit, it was also decided which country in Asia would hold the 2030 World Adhesive and Sealant Conference. Although the exact location is to be confirmed, Taiwan will be hosting.
Summit dives deeper into the latest sustainability trends
This year's Sustainability Summit was unlike any other. As the narrative about the importance of sustainability has continued to change and mature, ASC felt it made sense to pivot its program slightly to instead focus specifically on how sustainability is i ti th k t i
therefore looked to highlight the myriad issues, opportunities, achievements, and milestones in adhesives and sealants – and the pivotal role that industry stakeholders play. It was a welcome change among attendees and one that really encouraged a l t f di i t th
September 23-25, 2024, according to Bill Allmond, ASC President.
“Not only were our presentations organized according to specific adhesive markets, but there was an even greater diversity of speakers this year too,” he says. “We had some f t ti k t
This year’s program was targeted towards the impact of sustainability on the marketplace
construction, packaging, and transportation – featuring academia, government, NGOs, and industry representatives.”
Among the many sessions were presentations on Safe and Sustainable Chemicals; Opportunities to Increase Sustainable Materials Development in the Building and Construction Industry; Sustainable Raw Material Selection;
Sustainability Targets and the Importance of Strategic Partnerships; and Grants to Support Environmental Sustainability.
“The networking among attendees was even richer because of the diversity and specificity that we had in the program this year,” continues Allmond. “In fact, the engagement with presenters and speakers was probably the highest I've seen in
the three years we've run the event.”
ASC’s Sustainability Summit came close to matching its highestever attendance and has become one of the association’s most popular meetings, cementing itself as an important date in the adhesive and sealant industry’s calendar. Plans are already underway for the 2025 event, which will take place next September in Cleveland, Ohio.
The popular Sustainability Summit had another fantastic attendance
