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WAI Midwest Chapter announces 3 scholarship winners for 2022

8/2/2022 -  

Earlier this year, WAI Midwest Chapter Scholarship Committee considered nine applicants for its scholarship program, and chose three, each of whom will receive $1,500. The winners are listed below.

Chloe Ruelle, the daughter of Stéphane Ruelle, operations manager, Condat Corp., is a junior at Michigan State University. She is majoring in special education.

Sarah Skolozynski, the daughter of Stephen Master, general manager, Spring & Wire Form Co., is a freshman at the University of Notre Dame. She is majoring in environmental sciences.

Fiona Wehrle, the daughter of Jay Wehrle, engineering manager, Fort Wayne Metals, plans to attend Purdue University (West Lafayette). She will major in chemical engineering.

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Last modified on August 1, 2022

After 2-year hiatus, Midwest Chapter saw golfing success

7/2/2022 - The Midwest Chapter reports that its annual golf tournament was a day to remember for the field of 68 golfers competing for bragging rights on Wednesday, June 1, at the St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, Illinois.

Kevin Sopczak of Liberty Steel, who heads the logistics for the golf tournament, said that the annual golf tournament had been sorely missed as the last two events were not able to be held, “courtesy” of Covid-19, the ultimate scourge and spoilsport. “It was a great day, and everything went off without issue. The day was cloudy, with a high of about 70 degrees, with no rain. It was a picture perfect day for golf.”

The return to the links was warmly greeted. “This was my first WAI Midwest Chapter outing and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” said John Hauerwas, heating and heat treating product manager, Radyne Corporation. “My playing companions were pleasant and interesting to be with, some good networking took place and the course, food and hospitality were also good.”

Claiming bragging rights with a winning low score of 64 was the Lake Cable team of Jack Rosenthal, Justin Albright, Dan Pelzel and Fabian Arias. Other challenge winners included: Closest to the Pin, Hole #7, Jack Rosenthal (Lake Cable), Hole #12 Justin Albright (Lake Cable) and Hole #15, Jim DeGrado (Worth Steel); Longest Drive, Hole #2, Jon Singer (Transend Logistics), Hole #14, Dan Pelzel (Lake Cable) and Hole #17, Mike Krueger (Traxit); and Accurate Drive, Hole #11, Rick Fisher.

Sopzak also thanked the sponsors for the event, which included the following. Longest Drive: Chemetall, Worth Steel & Machinery, Suzuki-Garphyttan, Micro Wire & Bar; Closest to the Pin: Chemetall (2 holes) and Leggett & Platt; Accurate Drive: Central Wire; and Corporate Hole Sponsors: Ivaco Rolling Mills, Omni Source, Precision Die Technologies, Charter Steel, Redline Metals, Suzuki-Garphyttan, D & S Wire, Fort Wayne Wire Die and Lake Michigan Metals.

The Midwest Chapter event continues to be a key fundraiser for the body’s scholarship program.

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Last modified on July 2, 2022

Ohio Valley sets date for tourney; total of 3 set for September

7/2/2022 - The Ohio Valley Chapter (OVC) has set Sept. 22 as the date for its annual golf tournament, which will also include an educational program, all to be held on the same day.

OVC 2022 will again be held at The Kennsington Club in Canfield, Ohio, which the chapter has used multiple times. Tentative guest speakers include: Ed Harrington of Strecker USA, who will discuss butt welding complexities and solutions; Jeff Danaher of Abbott Furnace, who will discuss annealing problems and practices; Jim Miller of Scientific Forming Technology, who will discuss applications of the DEFORM system in drawing process simulation; Brian Rajotte of OEE Data-Watch, who will discuss automation controls with data acquisition systems; B.J. Austin of Ebner Furnaces, who will discuss furnace issues and solutions; and Tim Moury of Verichek, who will discuss material testing equipment and technology.

Contact John Markowski, 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Dave Rascati, 260-750-5736, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The other two chapter golf tournaments will also be held in September. Up first is the New England Chapter, which will stage its 28th Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Southeast Chapter will hold its annual golf tournament & dinner at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The August issue will have more details on all the tournaments. Registration for all of these golf tournaments is now open at the Association’s online registration system at www.wai.configio.com.

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Last modified on July 2, 2022

WAI chapter golf tournament updates

6/2/2022 -

The WAI’s Midwest Chapter just held its 19th Annual Midwest Chapter Golf Tournament & Dinner at the St. Andrews Golf and Country Club, but there are two more scheduled, and plans are being set for a fourth one.

At press time, the Ohio Valley Chapter (OVC) was trying to finalize a 2022 date to hold its annual golf tournament. The goal was to follow up on the successful return to links in 2021, following the cancellation of the official event in 2020 because of Covid. The 2021 event included an educational program. More details will follow as soon as they are set.

What is known are the dates for the New England and Southeast Chapters’ events. Up first is the New England Chapter, which will stage its 28th Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Southeast Chapter will hold its Annual Golf tournament & Dinner at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Last modified on June 2, 2022

WAI welcomes new sales manager

6/2/2022 -

Gina Guzowski has joined Wire Association International as sales manager. She most recently worked at Sargent Manufacturing, where she was a customer support specialist.

Prior to that, Guzowski worked for four years as a customer account representative for RFS, where she handled all the cable, wire and antenna deployments for cell tower build ups. She collaborated with engineering, applications engineers, technical services, teams, project managers, product managers, supply chain, vendors, shipping and logistics until the products were delivered to the site. She holds a degree in international business from Marymount College.

She will report to Shannon Timme, who was promoted to director of sales at the beginning of the year. The two-person sales team will serve the marketing interests of the wire and cable industry by connecting suppliers and customers through the Association’s Interwire and Wire Expo events as well as the Association’s official publication, the Wire Journal International.

“We are excited to have Gina join the team,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “She has a great background, including her wire and cable experience at RFS. She joined the organization at an ideal point as she will be supporting the organization at Wire Expo and at the Association’s booth in wire Düsseldorf.”

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Last modified on June 2, 2022

WAI Platinum Member program shows very good results over last 12 months

6/2/2022 -

From last May to this May, the WAI has added a total of 26 new companies to the Association’s Platinum portfolio. The gain is impressive as in 2021 WAI was not able to stage Interwire, which is a strong event for adding members as well as Platinum Members.

Per the Association’s bylaws, WAI membership operates on an individual basis, so the Platinum membership works a bit differently. The Platinum option is a good incentive for companies to register a group of up to five individuals with a slight savings and some additional perks (such as their logo on the homepage of the Association’s website). There is no limit as to how many Platinum groups a company could have. However, the memberships still work as individual ones.

WAI’s total member base now tops 2,000, and is expected to see further growth thanks to the return of in-person events. That number now includes 271 individuals who fall into the Platinum Member category.

One of the new Platinum Member companies—Kimber Kable, a specialist in high-end audio cables owned by WAI Life Member Ray Kimber—described the Association as a dependable resource in professional development and networking. “With the ongoing workforce challenges coupled with the disruptive Covid environment, companies recognize that membership provides high value educational services and a connection to the broader profession. Seeing more companies sign up for Platinum Memberships confirms that we are following a direction that the industry needs and appreciates.”

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Last modified on June 2, 2022

Reminder: Interwire 2023 points meeting to be held June 15 at WAI headquarters

6/2/2022 -

In just a few days, Wire Expo 2022 will be held in Dallas, but coming up quickly is an important meeting that is essential to Interwire 2023.

The WAI will hold the points meeting for Interwire 2023 on Wednesday, June 15, at its headquarters in Madison, Connecticut. The process determines how booths are assigned based on the WAI’s established priority point program. For more details, contact the WAI sales team of Shannon Timme and Gina Guzowski.

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Last modified on June 2, 2022

Annual Meeting in Dallas to offer a return to sorely missed live gathering

5/4/2022 -

Annual Meeting in Dallas to offer a return to sorely missed live gathering

On-line meetings were certainly better than no event, but it is safe say that the WAI welcomes the return to a live format for the annual meeting on Wednesday, June 8, which will honor the winners of three awards as well as present a timely keynote presentation.

The meeting element itself is brief as it is procedural, but the breakfast session will see the presentations of the Mordica Memorial Award to Anand Bhagwat, manager, quality and technology at Minova USA; the Donnellan Memorial Award to Richard Wagner, the senior vice president and COO of Insteel Industries; and the President’s Award to Joe Downes, a long-time Leggett & Platt executive who retired as senior v.p. in 2015.

The gathering will also include comments from Keynote speaker Ty Garrison, senior vice president of operations, Commercial Metals Co., whose theme feels very appropriate: “Leadership in a Volatile World.” He will discuss how the last few years have strained businesses across the globe as Covid forced companies to deal with events like virtual work, burn out, unprecedented supply chain disruptions and volatile markets. Such challenges test the leadership at every level of an organization, and are essential to master for companies to thrive.

The annual meeting will, as ever, serve as a good place for WAI members to gather.

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Last modified on May 4, 2022

Interwire 2023 points meeting to be held June 15; goal is to follow the 2021 theme

5/4/2022 -

The industry focus now is rightfully on Wire Expo 2022, to be held June 7-8 in Dallas, but a week after the first day there is an important meeting that is essential to Interwire 2023.

The WAI will hold the points meeting for Interwire on Wednesday, June 15, at its headquarters in Madison, Connecticut. The process determines how booths are assigned based on the WAI’s established priority point program. The Points Meeting for Interwire 2021, held March 12, 2020, saw a total of 63,650 sq ft of floor space taken by 140 exhibitors. That represented 59% of the floor space. Those results topped the same result for the 2019 Points Meeting. 

Exhibitor representatives get to pick first in order of their  accumulated points from past participation. The booths will be assigned by WAI staff. After that date, other companies wanting to exhibit can seek a booth by either going to the event website, interwire23.com, or contacting WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme.

“Interwire 2023 is obviously a ways off, but just to see us nearing one of the key organizing steps makes it feel like a step back to normalcy,” Timme said. The industry has had a lot of experience with remote contact, and while  that had to be done to continue business, it also re-affirmed the value of face-to-face discussions. It may be a ways off still, but it is good to once again see Interwire back on the calendar.”

Of note, WAI had planned to have an Industry 4.0 focus at Interwire 2021. That theme was carried over to the Virtual Conference that was later held, but the goal is to make the full in-person presentation on the show floor at Atlanta in 2023.

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Last modified on May 4, 2022

New England and Southeast chapter golf tournaments set for September

5/4/2022 

It’s time for members of the New England and Southeast chapters to pencil in dates for their upcoming golf tournaments, when they are held in September.

Up first is the New England Chapter, which will stage its 28th Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Southeast Chapter will hold its annual golf tournament & dinner at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The June issue will have more details.

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Last modified on May 4, 2022

Midwest Chapter: the long, long over-due tourney return to the fairways is a reality

5/4/2022 

The Midwest Chapter will be the WAI’s first to stage its annual golf tournament, as players will tee off on Wednesday, June 1, at the St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, Illinois. It has been sorely missed as the last two events were not able to be held, “courtesy” of Covid-19, the ultimate scourge and spoilsport.

A look back at who has had de facto extended bragging rights shows that the 2019 winning foursome was Nick Zehr (King Steel), Erik Timpt (King Steel), Mike Shell (King Steel) and Joe Micklin (Jam Industrial), who shot a very respectable 62, 10 under par, to take top honors. It is past time for new winners to emerge.

“Finally, a return to some normalcy is on the horizon!” declared Kevin Sopczak, who once again heads the chapter’s golf planning efforts. “I see it as a triumphant return after two long years due to Covid restrictions. Most players’ skills will be showing rust, and this is the best outing to get back to swinging the sticks. Low pressure, and lots of fun, is what makes this outing enjoyable. Sign up today!”

The good news is that registration for the 19th Annual Midwest Chapter Golf Tournament & Dinner is open, available through WAI’s online registration system at wai.configio.com. A player can register a team of two to four golfers, or sign up individually for the best ball-scramble format event. The $175 registration fee covers the full day including greens fees, cart, breakfast sandwich, and the reception and awards dinner. The day begins with check-in at 8 am, play at 9 am and the reception, dinner and awards presentations at 5 pm.

Sponsorships are available, including Long Drive: $200; Closest to the Pin: $200; Accurate Drive: $200; and Corporate Hole Sponsor: $150. Sponsors are recognized at the tournament, in Wire Journal International and on signage at the course. These can be added during registration, and returning sponsors receive right of first refusal to renew their previous sponsorship.

Items for raffle prize drawings are also encouraged. Please remember to attach your business card so that your contribution can be recognized during the drawing. For more details, contact: WAI’s John Markowski, tel. 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Participation in the tournament helps the WAI Midwest Chapter Scholarship Fund provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors and enrolled college students who are children or dependents of WAI Midwest Chapter members in good standing. The program, which is operated in conjunction with The Wire Foundation Inc., was started in 2008.



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Last modified on May 4, 2022

New England Chapter event: live, new officers and a possible future scholarship applicant

3/4/2022  On many levels, the New England Chapter had much to rejoice over at its Feb. 24th annual meeting: it was again able to be held in-person, it was at an even better location in the Mohegan Sun Casino, attendance was very respectable, and there was a lot to look forward to.

The event, held at the Mohegan Sun Cabaret Theater, provided lots of comfortable elbow space for the 97 attendees, a very respectable number that does not include WAI staff. The new officers for the chapter are President Michael Sarni, Insulated Wire; Vice President Jessica Foss, Electric Cable Compounds, Inc.; Treasurer Ryan Carbray, AlphaGary; and Secretary Sean Dezalia, EIS Wire, Inc. Other 2022 board members include Joel Cacopardo, Radio Frequency Systems; Jim Evans, Web Industries, Inc.; Michael Mathiasen, Mathiasen Machinery, Inc.; Harish Panchal, HP Technologies LLC; Lori Parent, Delta Technic; Jason Ponce, Harbour Industries LLC; Jonathan Rufe, Rainbow Rubber and Plastics, Inc.; Michael Roussel, Celanese Corp.; Jason Sterndale, Quabbin Wire & Cable; and Robert Swanson, Jr., United Wire & Cable.

Speaking remotely, Champlain Cable Group President William Reichert welcomed fellow chapter members, and spoke about the challenges of the supply chain, a topic that all could relate to. There was also discussion about two events, the golf tournament on Sept. 12th and an Oct. 25 educational program. Below are thoughts from the officers about the meeting, which featured much camaraderie as well as discussions on activity to come.

“Everyone in attendance was happy to be out ‘beyond the Zoom’,” said Sarni, who made it a point to meet with each attendee. He said that one of the main chapter focuses this year will be coming up with unique ways to increase membership, making it beneficial for companies to allow their employees to join and hopefully be active.

Dezalia observed that a lot of the chapter focus is rightfully on educational events and scholarship programs, but being together again for the annual meeting was special. “Wire and cable is an old and close-knit group, and being able to get everyone together at the annual meeting provided an amazing opportunity for old friends to catch up, discuss industry trends, and impart their love for this field to the next generation.”

The chapter’s annual meeting provides a feel for the pulse of the industry, but more than just that, Carbray said. “Beyond connecting with peers, customers, suppliers and other auxiliary companies, members see the value of networking, collaborating on solutions, and cherish the value in giving back through the scholarship program.”

Despite not being able to be at the meeting, Foss said that she always enjoys the opportunity to hear and talk to cable manufacturers and material suppliers in person, “It’s not often I have the opportunity to network with such a diverse group of industry colleagues at one time.”

More event news will be presented in future issues.



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Last modified on April 1, 2022

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