October 24-26, 2023
Milwaukee, WI
The future is here! In 2023 industry experts are Shaping The Industry Through Innovations Across the Supply Chain.
Specialty Papers US is the premier event in North America dedicated to showcasing innovation in the specialty papers industry. This event provides a unique opportunity for experts to come together and drive conversation around market influencers, hear ideas and insights from different parts of the supply chain, and become knowledgeable about innovations and market insights that will improve their business.
Learn More About This Industry-Leading Event
The 2023 agenda and speaker listing will be announced soon. Take a look at the sessions!
The 2022 event featured speakers from Starbucks, Nestle, American Forest & Paper Association, Pixelle, Foodservice Packaging Institute, Sustainable Fiber Technologies, Solenis, LLC, Eastman, Domtar, FiberLean Technologies, Kuraray Co., Ltd., Novolex, and more!
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Archroma is a global, diversified provider of specialty chemicals serving the branded and performance textiles, packaging and paper, and coatings, adhesives and sealants markets.
Headquartered in Pratteln, Switzerland, the company operates a highly integrated, customer-focused platform that delivers specialized performance and color solutions in over 100 countries.
Archroma works with 2,800 employees in 31 countries and with 25 production sites.
About BASF’s Dispersions & Resins Division
The Dispersions & Resins division of BASF develops, produces and markets a range of high-quality polymer dispersions, resins, additives and electronic materials worldwide. These raw materials are used in formulations for a number of industries, including coatings, construction, adhesives, printing and packaging, electronics and paper. With its comprehensive product portfolio and its extensive knowledge of the industry, the Dispersions & Resins division offers its customers innovative and sustainable solutions and helps them advance their formulations. For further information about the Dispersions & Resins division, please visit www.dispersions-resins.basf.com.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,700 employees in North America and had sales of $25.9 billion in 2021. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us.
@BASF_DR_NA
Domtar makes products that people around the world rely on every day. We design, manufacture, market and distribute a wide variety of communication, specialty and packaging papers, market pulp and airlaid nonwovens.
We are the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America, and one of the largest manufacturers of pulp in the world.
Our network of 12 pulp and paper mills and 9 manufacturing and converting facilities gives us approximately 2.7 million tons of papermaking capacity and 1.5 million air-dried metric tons (ADMT) of market pulp capacity annually to help us to serve our customers, support our employees and strengthen our communities.That’s how pulp and paper make life better every day.
Learn more by visiting https://www.domtar.com/en.
Thanks to our long experience in the paper and board industry, we have developed a large range of products that answers very specific needs with a constant focus for optimized production, improved performance and quality, low operational and installation costs and high energy efficiency.
Our product line includes all reliable and state-of-the-art infrared drying and air drying systems, and with our experienced teams, we will provide you with the required resources and expertise to analyze and resolve your specific drying requirements.
We supply complete drying solutions for new machines and coaters as well as complete upgrades of existing dryers for:
Today, more than 2,000 systems have already been installed in manufacturing plants of most major paper groups anywhere on every continent. Many of these systems are repeat orders. We include services for installation, maintenance and spare parts supply accross the globe.
We have references for virtually all coated paper & board grades and specialty paper & board grades.
Our sales & service teams together with an extended network of agents makes sure that we are always close to you.
Contact us: paper@ircon-solaronics.com
Steve Ottone is the holder of a BS and MS in Wood Science from the Pennsylvania State University. His career started in the paper industry with work for Container Corporation of America, St. Regis Paper, and Champion International. He then moved to the supplier side, working in latex supply to the paper industry for Reichhold, Inc., Dow Reichhold Specialty Latex, and Mallard Creek Polymers. His current job is with Omya, Inc., a supplier of specialty coatings and rheology modifiers for a broad range of applications. His area of emphasis is polymer and rheology modifier solutions to barrier coatings needs.
Paige Goff is Vice-President of Sustainability and Communications at Domtar, the largest integrated marketer and manufacturer of business and office copy paper in North America. In this role, she is responsible for communicating Domtar’s pulp and paper initiatives, identifying and leveraging the latest sustainability trends and strategies for the business, as well as developing and managing partnerships with environmental non-governmental organizations (NGO) and customers.
Goff has 17 years of experience in the forest products industry and joined Domtar in 2004. In her previous Domtar roles, she was also the Senior Manager, Brand and Advertising Operations as well as a Product Packaging Manager. Prior to joining Domtar, Goff was a marketing analyst and planner at Resolute, a North American paper industry supplier. She has a Master of Business Administration degree.
Graham Moore has over thirty years’ experience of the global paper and board industry that has focused on process and product knowledge, recycling, wet end chemistry and product performance research. His recent focus has been directed towards the specialty paper sector where he has assisted a number of paper companies to successfully develop and exploit new specialty products and markets. He has been a regular presenter, chairman and advisory board member for Smithers US Specialty Paper conference held annually in conjunction with TAPPI. In addition to specialty paper, he has undertaken strategic futures based research that has examined the issues and technology trends that affect the papermaking supply chain and co-authored the TAPPI Futurist’s report ‘Postcards of the Future’. He is a member and Fellow of TAPPI, member, non-executive director and Deputy Chairman of PITA (UK), and member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK).
Scott McNutt has over 40 years of experience in the paper industry, with a focus on process and product knowledge in the disciplines of papermaking, quality, engineering, operations management, Lean/Six Sigma, product development and innovation. He is well-versed in the downstream converting processes and end use requirements for cut sheet, QSR, flexible packaging, and technical specialty grades.
He started his career in specialty paper at Dunn Paper, serving in roles process engineering, quality management, and product dev. He transitioned to Fine Paper with Willamette and was part of the effort to infuse state-of-the-art papermaking technology into the fine paper industry in the US. He then managed the production operations for Wausau Papers, returning to his specialty paper roots. To bring his career full circle, he returned to Dunn Paper in Port Huron to drive operations success and innovation.
He has toured a vast number of pulp and paper mills in the US and abroad, exploring new technology. Scott has been a member of TAPPI since 1985, attending numerous events at the local Chapters as well as annual Conferences. In addition, he has been active in the Smithers Specialty Papers Conferences in Europe and North America. He is currently active in the TAPPI Mentor program and recently joined the Tappi Nanotechnology subcommittee.
His primary focus now with Nextep Partners LLC Consulting is on paper innovations for sustainable packaging applications.
Dr. Sandeep Kulkarni is the founder and President of KoolEarth Solutions Inc., a technical consulting and business development company focused on helping companies develop and commercialize new sustainable packaging solutions as well as to improve the sustainability footprint of existing packaging and to reduce/eliminate packaging waste. He is also VP, Plastics and Packaging at Ubuntoo (www.ubuntoo.com), a unique environmental solutions platform to address plastic waste, plastic litter, food waste, sustainable fashion and so on.
Sandeep has over 20 years of industry experience working for several large packaging companies, such as International Paper, Neenah Paper and Georgia Pacific. Most recently he worked for PepsiCo, in the area of sustainable beverage packaging. His diverse expertise includes recycling, bioplastics, paper based as well as molded fiber packaging. Sandeep has 7 granted patents as well as several publications in industry journals. He has also served on conference advisory boards and has delivered several invited presentations, at international conferences, on the topics of sustainability and sustainable packaging. Sandeep serves as an Adjunct Professor at The Packaging School (a spinoff from Clemson University) as well as the North Carolina State University. Recently he was elected to serve as member of the Executive Committee of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) for 3 year term (2021-2024)
Kelly L. Helein brings 29 years of executive leadership in the capacity of sales, marketing and business development having worked for specialty paper companies, converters and manufacturers. A self-described highly motivated connector and collaborator, she has extensive experience in driving innovation and growth while working with leading consumer products companies. Passionate about sustainability and the impact of packaging on the global network, Kelly has championed change as the past Board President for the Paper Discovery Center and the Paper International Hall of Fame. She also serves on the advisory committee for Smithers Pira Sustain Pack Europe and US. Kelly previously worked as Vice President, Industrial for Coveris, now TC Transcontinental and now serves as Vice President, Strategic Accounts for Footprint.
Dean Benjamin received a B.S. degree in Paper Science and Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. While at Minnesota, he studied computational and experimental fluid mechanics of the roll coating process under Professor L.E. Scriven.
Upon graduation, Dean joined Avery Dennison as a Research Engineer at the Avery Research Center in Pasadena, CA where he led projects to develop coating processes for the production of pressure sensitive labels and tapes.
Dean then joined Consolidated Papers, Inc. as a Senior Research Engineer at their R&D facility in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. His research focused on developing new coating and finishing equipment and he eventually became the manager of the Coater Research & Engineering Department. He also worked in the areas of coating color preparation, paper finishing technology, high-speed coaters, fountain applications, corrosion engineering, kraft chemical recovery systems and product development. Dean then became the manager of the Product Development - Publication Papers where he worked on a variety of product developments including high bulk paper, alternative finish paper and high brightness, carbonate based paper coatings, and later was appointed as Director of Research for NewPage.
Mr. Keithline assists companies in establishing the suitable regulatory status of their products under the requirements of various federal agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Mr. Keithline also assists clients with compliance issues under state and local requirements relating to the manufacture, labeling and disposal of products and packaging, including toxics in packaging, legislation and various state right-to-know acts. In addition, Mr. Keithline advises clients regarding the requirements for these products throughout the world, especially in Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Central and South America, and the Pacific Rim.
Prior to law school, Mr. Keithline served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy aboard the USS West Virginia (SSBN 736), a nuclear submarine.Mr. Keithline earned his law degree from Washington and Lee University where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Washington and Lee Law Review.
Steve Ottone is the holder of a BS and MS in Wood Science from the Pennsylvania State University. His career started in the paper industry with work for Container Corporation of America, St. Regis Paper, and Champion International. He then moved to the supplier side, working in latex supply to the paper industry for Reichhold, Inc., Dow Reichhold Specialty Latex, and Mallard Creek Polymers. His current job is with Omya, Inc., a supplier of specialty coatings and rheology modifiers for a broad range of applications. His area of emphasis is polymer and rheology modifier solutions to barrier coatings needs.
Paper procurement and distribution consultant. Environmental impact expertise, product development focus. Strong knowledge of book publishing and book manufacturing. Loyal. Caring. Collaborative. Enthusiastic. Hardworking. Meticulous. Imaginative. Meyers Briggs "Defender" - a universal helper.
Gobris will lead Michelman’s efforts to continue to expand and broaden solutions in the sustainable packaging market space in both fiber based and film-based solutions. She brings with her nearly 30 years of paper and flexible packaging experience, most recently as a Senior Marketing Manager at Amcor, leading segments across multiple flexible packaging market applications. Before that, she held various technical and marketing roles at Coating Excellence and International Paper.
20+ years of banking and corporate finance, ECM/DCM, M&A. investment research & valuation;
former Director of Euronext, Paris, and of Commerzbank, Frankfurt
