Regional Spring Association Report

CASMI Report

By Michael Bandy, CASMI, Co-Executive Director

Upcoming Events

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, scheduled events are subject to change. For the latest information, please visit the CASMI website at www.casmispringworld.org, or call the office at 630-359-4273. Speaker presentations for scheduled dinner meetings may be offered virtually if live attendance is not possible. • Jan. 21, 2021, Membership Dinner

Meeting, Cooper’s Hawk, Orland

Park, Illinois • Feb. 18, 2021, Membership Dinner

Meeting, Lowes Chicago O’Hare,

Rosemont, Illinois • March 18, 2021, Membership

Dinner Meeting, Maggiano’s, Oak

Brook, Illinois • April 8, 2021, Annual Plant Tour,

SGS MSi, Melrose Park, Illinois

CASMI Hosts Successful Golf Tournament in September

CASMI hosted its 2020 Golf Outing Sept. 16 at the Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club, Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The tournament was originally scheduled for June, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Illinois’ guidelines for hosting an event.

Under the guidelines, attendance was limited to 50 individuals, but it was a beautiful day as CASMI members and SpringWorld exhibitors took part in the 18-hole, best-ball tournament and dinner. The event included lunch for golfers, and the tournament was followed by a reception, dinner and the presentation of awards. Awards were presented for the first and second place teams in two divisions (four total), as well as closest to the pin, longest putt and longest drive.

Additionally, two “wine and beer” gift baskets were raffled off as door prizes.

CASMI designated charity support to Chicago Veterans, a nonprofit community of military veterans who share a common passion for helping fellow veterans, whether it is veteran homelessness, PTSD awareness, trauma, benefits or camaraderie building. Nearly $400 was donated by participants to support this worthwhile cause.

CASMI’s 2021 Annual Golf Outing will be held June 16 at Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club.

SpringWorld Will Take Place in 2022

SpringWorld 2022 will take place Oct. 5–7 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. CASMI was forced to cancel SpringWorld 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Call 630-3594273, or email info@casmi-springworld. org. Information will also be posted on the organization’s website, www.casmispringworld.org.

SpringWorld, which is presented by CASMI every-other-year, provides a unique opportunity for spring manufacturers, wireformers, OEMs and their suppliers to network, including one-onone discussions with colleagues to share challenges, discuss solutions, and provide new insights for business.

NESMA News

By Jim Mintun, Gibbs

Golf Outing a Success

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing us to cancel or postpone most events this year, the New England Spring and Metalstamping Association (NESMA) was able to hold our annual Golf Outing on Sept. 14, 2020, at Chippanee Country Club in Bristol, Connecticut. We were treated to a spectacular day filled with sunshine and mild temperatures. The event had 96 golfers, which was great participation during these trying times. Despite the new safety protocol for social distancing, we were able to fit in a lot of networking and a fantastic evening to enjoy the patio and talk amongst friends. NESMA would like to thank all of our sponsors for helping us make our only event for the year one for the ages.

New Members

NESMA would like to welcome our new exclusive member, Markum LLP, an independent public accounting and advisory services firm in West Hartford, Connecticut. Our new industry member is Hygrade Precision Technologies LLC in Plainville, Connecticut. Hygrade provides metal finishing services as well as complete machining capabilities.

Education and Training

The state of Connecticut has invested in the future of small business through a recent development with 180 Skills. The goal of the Connecticut-180 Skills initiative is to help individuals acquire the skills necessary for employment, grow the skills they need to advance in their current job and help companies grow and retain skilled workers. The program is free to all Connecticut residents, employers and colleges, and offers more than 700 online courses focused on all facets of manufacturing and business. The grant remains free through June 2021; please visit: 180skills.ccat.us to enroll your business or for additional information.

The Connecticut Department of Labor has developed the Manufacturing Innovation Fund Apprenticeship Program to provide financial assistance to Connecticut manufacturers that have a registered apprentice program as well as approved apprentice-related Instruction training providers. The on-thejob training program is a paid training program of earning while learning. Please visit nesma-usa.com for more details.

NESMA regrets to advise that our Fall Spring Winding and Fourslide Machine Technologies classes at Bristol Tech were canceled due to social distancing guidelines and requirements for remote learning that would jeopardize the hands-on requirements of the curriculum. We hope to reschedule these classes for the spring semester and will provide an update in the NESMA Press, our new quarterly newsletter.

Job Connections

NESMA member companies now have the ability to post available positions via the Job Connections section on our website. Enrolled member companies can receive manufacturing job applicants’ leads directly to their inbox. Please visit nesma-usa. com for additional detail and information.

Coronavirus Cancellations

The pandemic forced us to cancel any scheduled in-person events for the remainder of 2020. The NESMA annual meeting was held via Zoom on Dec. 4, 2020. Our popular Casino Night has been postponed until March 25, 2021. Sponsors who have paid for the event have been given the choice to be reimbursed in full or to carry the funds that they have paid over to the 2021 event. We hope the uncertainty created by the virus will be abated and we will be able to move forward with the event, as it has been great fun and has helped attendees to network with many member companies.

We hope that all our member companies and their employees and families continue to stay safe and healthy during these uncertain times.

For the latest updates regarding NESMA activities and membership, please sign up to receive our newsletter or consult our expanded website: www.nesma-usa.com. n