PIMA 2020 Award Winners

PIMA Management Division

Brookshire Moore Superintendent of the Year  
Ron Sherman - Brookshire Moore Superintendent of Year

Ron Sherman

Graphic Packaging International

 

Sherman has been a superintendent with GPI for more than five years, most recently as the superintendent on K1 in the Kalamazoo, MI mill. In that role, he has overseen improvements in safety, quality, production, and cost—his cost reduction projects in coating and fiber have delivered more than US $2,500,000 in savings over the past three years. With almost 30 years in the industry, Sherman has dedicated significant time to coaching and mentoring young engineers on the fundamentals of papermaking and process troubleshooting.

Technologist of the Year  
David Zerr - Technologist of Year

David Zerr

Georgia-Pacific

 

Since joining the IT Committee in 2017, Zerr, a director of manufacturing services for GP, has been adding value through his suggestions, ideas, and participation in special groups. He has made a solid contribution towards the group’s development strategy of forming Common Interest Groups to explore issues in Digitization and Infrastructure. Zerr has been instrumental in helping to solidify the direction of the PIMA IT Committee through his leadership, perseverance, and dedication to knowledge-sharing.

 

Mill Manager of the Year  
Michael Glowdowski - Mill Manager of the Year

Michael Glowdowski

Verso Paper

 

Glowdowski is responsible for all aspects of operation at the company’s Quinnesec, MI, mill, which has 430 employees and produces 700,000 tons of coated paper and market pulp annually. He has been with Verso for 30 years, first joining the company in 1990 at the Sartell, MN, mill as pulp mill manager. He holds a degree in Pulp and Paper Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

PIMA Student of the Year  
Lexi Ivan - PIMA Student of the Year
 

Lexi Ivan

Auburn University

 

A senior in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Auburn University with specialization in Pulp, Paper and Bioresource Engineering, Ivan completed three“Co-Op” terms at International Paper’s Riverdale, AL, mill; did an internship at PCA’s Valdosta, GA, mill; and has accepted a job as an engineer with Yates Engineering. As president of Auburn’s TAPPI Student Chapter, she demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and a drive for excellence. Ivan has received the Auburn Pulp and Paper Foundation Scholarship for three years and was awarded the Neal McDevitt Scholarship in 2019, in recognition of strong academic performance.

 

Outgoing Executive Council Chair
Pamela Cowan

Pamela Cowan

FiberWorx, Inc.

 

Since 2017 Cowan has been the chief strategy officer at FiberWorx, Inc. and is responsible for the development and implementation of commercialization strategy of new invention in spin off of Pulmac Systems. Prior to FiberWorx, she was the chief marketing and financial officer at Pulmac Systems International Inc.  Prior to that Cowan was also a principal at Telequity and also a co-founder and CFO at C3Gateways Services, Inc.

Cowan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and marketing from the University of Vermont School of Business Administration.

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