Regional Spring Association Report

By Michael Bandy, CASMI, Co-Executive Director

SpringWorld 2022 took place Oct. 12-14, 2022, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. SpringWorld, which is presented by the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) every other year, provides a unique opportunity for spring manufacturers, wireformers, OEM, and their suppliers to network, including oneon-one discussions with colleagues to share challenges, discuss solutions and provide new insights for business.

SpringWorld was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total registered attendance for SpringWorld 2022 was approximately 1,900. The trade show floor was comprised of 87 exhibiting companies occupying 25,800 net square feet of exhibit space. The ratio of buyers to exhibitor personnel was up 3% for SpringWorld 2022 when compared to the 2018 event.

CASMI is currently conducting an exhibitor survey, and while results aren’t final, exhibitors are reporting solid sales and meaningful contacts with both current and potential customers. Additionally, preliminary results indicate this year’s show was successful in meeting or exceeding exhibitor expectations.

In addition to the trade show itself, the event featured several educational sessions—presented by industry personnel and exhibiting companies—in the education theater on the show floor, a Taste of Chicago Reception, sponsored by MEC Division of Amada Press System, and an Oktoberfest Reception, sponsored by WAFIOS Machinery Corp., both on the trade show floor.

SpringWorld 2024 will take place Oct. 2-4, 2024, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Preliminary information, including the exhibitor floor plan, contract, and rules and regulations, are available on the CASMI web site at www.casmispringworld.org.

CASMI board and staff members gather for the ribbon cutting ceremony to open SpringWorld 2022.

Randy Frederick, managing director of training and derivatives, Schwab Center for Financial Research, will address Market Outlook 2023 when the association meets Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Having timely insights into market performance and the economy can help you make smarter and more informed decisions. This presentation will demonstrate how expert analysis and interpretation of key economic and market indicators can help shed light on their significance and financial implications for the coming year. Frederick will recap 2022 markets and share his outlook heading into the New Year including, thoughts on U.S. and global equity markets, Fed policy and interest rates, and some of the top-of-mind items such as inflation and tax policy. Where applicable, these issues will be addressed as they relate to manufacturing.

Frederick focuses primarily on public relations, client education, and market analysis. He is frequently involved in

matters of business development, product development and risk management.

Frederick has been published in trade magazines such as Active Trader, Futures & Options Trader, ETF Trends and MarketWatch. He is a frequent guest on Bloomberg TV, Yahoo Finance and NasdaqTV, and his comments often appear in the financial news media including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Fortune, the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Reuters, CNBC.com, Forbes.com, TheStreet.com and CNNMoney.com.

He holds a B.S., Marketing, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.

Details are available on the CASMI website, www.casmi-springworld.org, or by calling the office at 630-359-4273.

All CASMI Primary and Associate members, 2022 SpringWorld Exhibitors and others are invited to join CASMI for a special evening at the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. Biennial Spring Fling Dinner Dance and Board Induction. It will take place Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois.

This event features cocktails, extraordinary food, dancing and more! New in 2023, CASMI is bringing in DJ Keith Christopher for musical entertainment and a festive evening to dance and mingle with friends and colleagues. Also new in 2023, a photo booth is available where participants can get their pictures taken. And one more new item for 2023…a new location — the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont — that offers convenient accommodations for those wishing to spend the night.

Plan on bringing spouses or loved ones to help celebrate CASMI and the spring industry, and to welcome the organization’s new officers and board of directors for 2023-2024.

Details are available on the CASMI website, www.casmi-springworld.org. However, registration will not open until early in January 2023.

By Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco, NESMA President

As we wrapped up 2022, NESMA was able to meet several objectives. We hosted a successful golf tournament, organized a group outing to a minor league baseball game, held our annual holiday party and annual meeting, added new members, and increased overall levels committed to our charitable causes. Our website committee recently added an intern connections section for current college students. Our golf tournament was a great success Aug. 29, 2022, due to the leadership of our events chairperson, Ryan Cutter, president of FENN/Torin. Our overall low score was led by some ringers representing accounting services firm Marcum LLP that included employees Ted Lucas and Dan Villeco, along with Mike McGuire, Key Bank and Brian Kelaher, Merrill Lynch. We had a warm dry day, with 118 participants plus additional guests for our post play recap and social hour. The Country Club of Farmington was a new venue for NESMA, but a well-known private course in the area that most of us had never played. We want to thank our

The team from Marcum LLP captured first place in the NESMA golf outing.

volunteers, who worked hard all day to make sure our event operated smoothly, including Annelise Mackiewicz of FENN/ Torin, Katie Barry of Marion Manufacturing, Lynette and Allen Nadeau of Southington Tool and Manufacturing, and Dee Babkirk of Central Connecticut Chambers. These volunteers and our events committee worked hard for many months to ensure

The 2022 NESMA golf outing took place at a new venue,The Country Club of Farmington.

a smooth event. Our raffle was one of the best in years, thanks to Ryan Cutter and Craig Watterson’s generosity. Other key sponsors included our gold sponsors, StampTech, Ulbrich Stainless Steel, RDA Energy and our grand sponsor, Thomaston Bank. We look forward to the next tournament, which is tentatively planned for the Farmington Country Club Aug. 28, 2023.

Our minor league baseball game at the Hartford Yard Goats was held Sept. 7, 2022, and bolstered by wonderful weather. We scored a doubleheader in the matchup with the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Luis Severino, from the Yankees major league roster, was down for a rehab assignment with the Patriots and pitched several innings. Severino was overshadowed, at least in the eyes of the NESMA faithful, as Jake Youmans, our board member and the head of our Vanguard committee threw out the first pitch. He was fortunate to be able to include his father down on the field. We were seated in the Yuengling Party Deck with an open bar, barbecue and amazing views of both Hartford’s beautiful downtown skyline and Dunkin’ Donuts Park, thanks to the generosity of our grand slam sponsor, Gibbs Interwire, and our home run sponsors, Ulbrich Stainless Steel and MPI Metallurgical Processing Inc.

Our Vanguard members Annelise Mackiewicz, FENN/Torin, and Brendan Schuch, Acme Monaco, participated in Career Day at Farmington High School. Our technical development committee and Vanguard plan to visit additional high schools in the near future.

Our annual meeting was held Dec. 2, 2022, following our Holiday Party Dec. 1 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bristol. We honored Don Jacobson II, Newcomb Spring, and Sharon Lutkus, Naugatuck Valley Community College for their outstanding commitment to the mission of NESMA and support of the spring industry.

NESMA has been fortunate to add three new members, including Northeast Riggers of Plainville/Farmington that serves the rigging needs for the East Coast; Connecticut Compressors, privately owned and headquartered in Plainville that offers 24/7 service that can be contacted at sales@ctcompressor.com; and Len LaPorta, a principal in The DAK Group, an advisory business for exiting owners that boasts a combination of manufacturing and investment banking knowledge.

NESMA and its charitable contributions have grown, and after board approval we have increased our 2023 scholarship program by $3,000 that is administered by the Main Street Foundation. A $300 donation was also made to the Bristol Police Heroes Fund after the ambush killing in October 2022 of two well-known Bristol police officers, Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy, who were both promoted posthumously. The officers were killed while answering a 911 call.

We are now selling NESMA t-shirts and hats designed by board member Andrea Tarantino of Napcon Communications. If you would like to show your support and purchase apparel, contact Cindy Bombard at c.bombard@centralctchambers.org. For more information about NESMA, visit www.nesma-usa.com.

The view of the Hartford skyline from the Yuengling Party Deck at Dunkin’ Donuts Park.

The West Coast Spring Manufacturers Association (WCSMA) will hold its 2023 Tabletop Expo Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Buena Park, California. The biannual event will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. and will include a technology update, along with door prizes, free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. “Meet exhibitors who cater to your industry,” states a WCSMA flyer about the event. “An eclectic mix of vendors who supply products, materials, equipment, services and technology. Reacquaint yourself with companies from previous shows and get to know the many new vendors that are first time exhibitors to our show!”

There is no cost to attend. For those who would like to exhibit, the cost is $450 for WCSMA members, and $600 for non-members (WCSMA membership is $350 annually). For complete exhibitor information, contact Mark Tiedeman of Tru-Form Industries at 562-924-8896.

For a flyer about the event, additional information or to register, contact Debra Kolodge of FTR Metal Products at 562-945-7504 or email: debra@ foremostspring.com. n