October 27th, 2021

The Aluminum Anodizers Council (AAC) presented the Award of Excellence and newly created Volunteer of the Year Award during the Aluminum Summit in Nashville, TN, in September. The Donald I. Johnson Award of Excellence for best presentation at the 2020 Anodizing Conference was presented to Pinakin Patel, President of Techevon, LLC, Fort Mill, South Carolina, for his presentation, "Environmental and Regulatory Factors in Coloring of Anodizing". In his presentation, Pinakin highlighted the types of colouring methods for anodizing and reviewed metalized dyes, non-metallized dyes, Azo dyes, and non-Azo dyes in terms of how they are impacted by chemical restrictions and compliance rules and regulations. In addition, organic dye manufacturing guidelines and regulations were presented as a colouring alternative.

"I am honoured to receive this award and to be singled out among the many talented presenters at the 2020 Virtual Anodizing Conference," said Mr. Patel. "When I started Techevon in 2008 I always believed it was important to give back to the Anodizing Industry. Therefore, presenting papers at conferences like the AAC Anodizing Conference allows industry veterans an opportunity to provide leadership and mentor the next generation of professionals in the anodizing industry. This is something we all should be thinking about to continue advancing this field and provide better solutions for our customers."

Prior to founding Techevon, Pinakin was Vice President of Technology at Pioneer Metal Finishing Corporation and Industry Line Director of the Metals Business at the Clariant Corporation for North America.

The Award of Excellence for Best Presentation is named for Don Johnson, an original AAC member instrumental in organizing the Council’s first Anodizing Workshop in 1992, serving as AAC Chairman from 1987 through 1994.

During the Aluminum Summit, AAC announced a new award. AAC Chairman R. Todd Hamilton, Supply Chain Manager at Southern Aluminum Finishing (SAF) in Atlanta, GA, said, "The Aluminum Anodizers Council is driven by the hard work of our volunteers. Many in our ranks deserve and have earned special recognition. Therefore, at our Board meeting, we decided to begin recognizing outstanding dedication to the Aluminum Anodizers Council with the new Volunteer of the Year program." The recipient of the AAC Volunteer of the Year Award for 2021 was chosen unanimously by the Council’s Board of Directors and was awarded posthumously to Genny Dwyer, who was Process Engineer for Linetec, Wausau, Wisconsin.

Hamilton noted that the award would be named the Genny Dwyer Volunteer of the Year Award to memorialize her as a dedicated leader and honour her memory.

Genny Dwyer served AAC as a member of the Board of Directors and on the Education Committee. She received the Donald I. Johnson Award of Excellence in 2018 for her presentation, "Managing the Floor Shop".

Robert Laduron, Engineering Manager at Linetec, accepted Ms. Dwyer’s award on her behalf, acknowledging her leadership, advocacy and commitment to the aluminum anodizing industry through volunteering.

For more information, visit: www.anodizing.org