Editor Teresa McPherson's Monthly Roundup

Spring has finally made its appearance in the Midwest, which can only mean one thing - it's traveling season again. Springtime is a time of new beginnings, and for many of us in the adhesives and sealants industry, it means that the Adhesive and Sealant Council, Inc. (ASC) Spring Conference has once again appeared on our calendars.

I enjoy traveling, both for business and pleasure, and find that the ASC conferences are among the best industry events for meeting our readers, who almost always can share a story idea. In fact, several of the new columns and features that we have published in the last year have been suggested - or in some cases even written - by readers I have met at various conferences.

The Dow Chemical Co. article, "A Clear Choice," is one example. One of the authors, Ron Grieb, introduced himself to me at the fall 2003 ASC meeting in Chicago, and told me about the idea he had for a technical story on the new high-solids, clear sealant that UCAR Emulsion Systems recently introduced.

Additionally, one of the luncheon speakers at April's ASC meeting in Cleveland provided some food for thought on the state of the manufacturing industry. Phyllis Eisen, vice president of The Manufacturing Institute, spoke on the importance of manufacturing and its workforce to our economic success. The Baby Boomers are retiring, and the misconceptions that our youth have about a career in manufacturing being dead-end, dark, and low-paying could cause a serious labor crisis, Eisen said. The "Dream It: Do It" campaign, recently launched by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM's educational and research affiliate, was put into place to make manufacturing careers a preferred career choice by the year 2010. This is such a worthwhile effort and something that I hope you all will support. For more information on this campaign, visit http://www.nam.org/workforce and watch future issues of ASI.

I'm always happy to meet with readers and to hear your feedback and suggestions. If you have a story idea, or suggestions to make our magazine better, please feel free to call me at (810) 664-0030 or e-mail to mcphersont@bnpmedia.com .

Teresa McPherson is Editor of Adhesives & Sealants Industry magazine. If you wish to send a letter to the editor, please address it to the editor, ASI Magazine, PO Box 936, Lapeer, MI 48446, or e-mail mcphersont@bnpmedia.com . Letters must include the sender's address, phone number and e-mail address, when possible. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.