The return to Mohegan Sun Casino for the WAI should be a good one. A total of 102 floor spaces (units)— representing more than 60% of the available booth space—was sold at the Points Meeting for Wire Expo 2024, to be held June 10-12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino Resort. A total of 91 companies took part in the Points Meeting, held Oct. 11 at WAI’s headquarters.

The fees for registration are presented below, with the schedule shown on the next page. A key date is May 31, as that is when advance rate discounts expire, making now a very good time to act. The cost for an all-access registration is $720, and $620 for WAI members. A non-member who signs up for $720 gets a one-year membership. After May 31, the cost increases to $695 for non-members and $595 for members.

Registration for the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Course on Monday, June 10, costs $495, and $395 for WAI members. A non-member who signs up for $495 gets a one-year membership.

Other event options include access to exhibits and Product Solutions demonstrations. That cost is $125, increasing to $140 after May 31. A ticket for the Welcome Reception, always the best way to meet up with the industry, is $140.

The schedule, presented at www.wireexpo24.com, provides an overview of what attendees can expect. The March issue will include a “prequel” of the event that provides a close look at what will be offered, but a few notables will be the awarding of WAI’s 2024 Champions Award to Keynote Speaker H. Woltz, president/CEO of Insteel Industries; the Mordica Lecture by W.T. Bigbee, vice president operations of Encore Wire; and Keynote Speaker Paul Furtado, COO, Prysmian.

WAI previously staged Wire Expo in 2016 at the same site, where some 240 companies were represented on the show floor.

Golfers participating in the New England Chapter’s annual golf tournament largely shrugged off what was an ugly morning, described by one player as “a white-knuckle” drive to the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut. The weather gods, however, were in a giving mood, and the skies cleared, not reverting to a hard rain till almost all of the 135 golfers had finished their rounds, joined by another 15 non-golfers.

It was an especially good day for the Fluorogistx-sponsored team of Jim Elliott and Rick Larson from New England Wire Technologies, and Jim Bliss, Marmon IEI, who won with a score of 60, 12 under par. Three teams followed at seven under. For all those who played, however, it was a memorable day, perhaps even that much better because of how uncertain it had been.

“The New England Chapter produced another great event with the full support of their Board of Directors and WAI’s staff,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “This is a special event that brings the industry together for fun networking, and I credit that to Chapter Chairperson Jess Foss and Golf Chairman Jim Evans, who are both roll-up-your-sleeves leaders who made sure the event delivers.”

“Despite a rainy morning leading up to registration, it turned out to be a beautiful day for golf,” said Foss, market development manager, Electric Cable Compounds Inc. She noted that the tournament continues to serve multiple goals. “As always, it was an excellent opportunity to network with industry colleagues, with the added benefit of being able to do so and enjoy the outdoors. We are fortunate to have many generous sponsors and attendees who make the event possible and support the NEC scholarship fund through our raffle and charity holes. I am already looking forward to what’s in store for next year, which will be our 30th anniversary!”

Foss and Evans both thanked all the companies that sponsored the event, which is also a significant contributor to the chapter’s scholarship program. Skills and special sponsors included: Amacoil Inc., Carris Reels Inc. (3), Chase Wire & Cable Materials, Commission Brokers Inc., Electric Cable Compounds Inc., Electronic Drives & Controls, Fenn LLC, Fluorogistx, Gem Gravure Co. Inc. (3), James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp. (2), Joe Tools, Lloyd & Bouvier Inc. (4), M. Holland, Mathiasen Machinery Inc., The MGS Group, Multi/Cable Corp. (2), Rainbow Rubber, RichardsApex Inc., Summit Plating, Teknikor, Teknor Apex Co., W Gillies Technologies LLC, Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. (2), Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. and Zumbach Electronics Corp.

Hole sponsors included: Amaral Automation, Amacoil Inc., Carris Reels Inc., Fenton Group, Fluoropolymer Resources Inc., Gem Gravure Co. Inc., Geon Performance Solutions. James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp. (3), Joe Snee Associates, Inc., Lloyd & Bouvier Inc., M. Holland, Owl Wire and Cable LLC, Quabbin Wire & Cable Co. Inc. (2), REELEX Packaging Solutions Inc., RichardsApex Inc., Sikora, Teknikor, WCMA, Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. and Zumbach Electronics Corp.

The New England Chapter’s Scholarship Committee has reported the names of its six scholarship winners, each of which will get $2,500.

 Kyle Albrinck is the son of Alice Albrinck, vinyl technical services associate, Teknor Apex. He will attend Thomas More University, where he will major in biology.

Amarra Cruz is the daughter of Luis Cruz, cable engineering manager, Times Microwave Systems. She will attend UMass Boston, where she will major in sports journalism and communications.

Katherine Fritz is the daughter of James Fritz, supply chain manager, Marmon Industrial Energy & Infrastructure Group. She will attend Quinnipiac University, where she will major in radiologic sciences.

William Goyette is the son of Richard Goyette, continuous improvement project manager, MassME. He will attend Rochester Institute of Technology, where he will major in environmental science.

Roma Kale is the daughter of Rina Patel, Vice president of operations, RSCC Wire & Cable LLC. She will attend the University of Connecticut, where she will major in biology and public health.

John Stecker is the grandson of WAI Life Member and Past President (1989-90) WAI David Stecker. He will attend Virginia Tech University, where he will major in data analytics.

Success, albeit on the golf course or in a wire and cable plant, depends on planning and execution, and the organizers of Southeast Chapter’s 22nd annual golf tournament did a commendable job to ensure that its 22nd annual tournament (the date had to be changed) was a success.

A total of 83 players took part at the Sept. 12 event, held at the Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, North Carolina. The tournament—called the Vannais Outing in memory of the late Stephen Vannais, who was a founding member and president of the chapter—saw a tie between two teams.

The 2023 Vannais Outing winning team was Travis Card, William Godwin, Andrew Godwin and Paul Godwin, all of Technical Development Corp., who finished 14 under par. Coming in second, with the same score, was the team of CommScope’s Eric Ellwanger, Jimmy Lail and Trev Raymond, and Sikora’s Todd Hudson. The course golf pro determined the winner by comparing the scorecards consistent with PGA rules.

Those same rules were applied in determining the third-place winners of Tim McElhany of Process Controls and CommScope’s Jason Marrow, David Cabe and Ricky Rudisill.

One skills test winner who deserves singling out was the winner of the Most Accurate Drive, sponsored by Sikora on Hole 7 on the Jackson Course. Chapter President John Dognazzi said that Kendal Deep of Sonoco Reels will go down in WAI Chapter lore for achieving what is believed to be the first ever hole-in-one at a Southeast Chapter golf tourney. There was no doubt that Deep’s mighty swing would not soon be forgotten.

“Kendal was low key about his hole-in-one, but his foursome and the field knew it was something special in that it was a par four,” Dognazzi said. “Yes, a par four hole 7 on the Jackson Course, that was playing at 262 yards. It put an exclamation point on the fun day and a new standard for the long-standing Sikora most accurate drive contest.”

Fetteroll praised the Southeast Chapter’s Board of Directors for their commitment to the event. He also thanked Tim McElhany (now retired from Process Controls), who he said has been a guiding force for the Chapter since its formation.

Dognazzi and McElhaney both thanked all the sponsors who helped make the event possible. Those include Carris Reels Inc., Charter Steel, Commission Brokers Inc., Gateway Recovery Inc., Gem Gravure Co. Inc., GEON, Henderson Sales & Service Inc., LS Cable & System, M. Holland, Magnum Mfg. LLC, The MGS Group, Sikora, Sonoco Reels, Sonoco Plastics, Specialty Cable Corp, Teknikor, Traxit North America LLC, Windak Group and Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp.

The sponsorships are a key contributor to the chapter’s scholarship program.