Archive for category: Frontpage Article

Phenix City, AL – Vectorply Corporation CEO & President Trevor Humphrey was recently tabbed to serve on the American Composites Manufacturer Association’s (ACMA) Board of Directors. As an ACMA Board member, Humphrey will join a team who supervise and direct the affairs of the association as well as determine its policies.

The ACMA is the world’s largest composites industry trade group, and their purpose is to help composites manufacturers prosper by supporting the industry in delivering composite technologies that make structures more durable, transportation more efficient, consumer & industrial goods higher performing while minimizing their environmental footprint and supporting the workforce that delivers them. Through educational initiatives, events, market intelligence, and legislative involvement, the ACMA provides a wealth of resources to member companies to enable growth throughout the entire composites industry.

Humphrey has been with Vectorply for 26 years, beginning in sales and transitioning to leadership of all manufacturing operations in 2000. His wealth of knowledge in the composites industry as well as Vectorply’s operations led to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in 2020. Humphrey has an engineering background with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Widener University, and he also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Auburn University. Prior to joining Vectorply, Humphrey served as an officer in the United States Army where he also represented the country as a member of the Army World Class Athlete Program in wrestling.

Throughout his career Humphrey has been an integral driver of Vectorply’s success in the composites industry. He helped develop many long-term customer partnerships and complex product solutions in a variety of markets that include aerospace, defense, industrial, and sports and recreation. In addition, he has also spent much of his career working closely with Vectorply’s raw material suppliers to ensure continued supply and provide valuable feedback regarding processability and material performance.

As a member of ACMA’s Board of Directors, Humphrey will have the opportunity to help increase recognition of composite materials as a sustainable replacement for traditional materials, an exciting challenge that he has already enjoyed being a part of.

“First, I was very honored to be considered for a position on ACMA’s Board of Directors,” he said. Although my tenure on the board is just beginning, I have already found great value in the discussions regarding the best interests of ACMA and their members. I enjoy working with such an experienced group of composite industry professionals who all have the common goal of driving industry growth and prosperity.”

ACMA Board Chairman Fred Sanford echoed Humphrey’s excitement.

“On behalf of ACMA’s Board of Directors, I’m happy to welcome Trevor and look forward to working with him to advance the ACMA’s mission and realize our vision of composites as the sustainable material of preference.” said Sanford.

Phenix City, AL – Vectorply Corporation recently announced the hire of automotive industry expert Toby Jacobson as the company’s Advanced Composite Business Development Manager. In his new position, Jacobson will focus on carbon and other advanced material business development across a multitude of markets including automotive, aerospace, industrial, and others.

Jacobson is a long-time proponent of Vectorply who played an integral role in the development of the automotive industry’s first curved, pultruded composite component; the rear bumper beam of the revolutionary mid-engine Chevrolet C8 Corvette produced with Vectorply carbon fiber by his previous employer Shape Corp. (Grand Haven, MI). The first-of-its-kind bumper beam spent more than five years in research and development and made headlines across the composites and automotive industries for its breakthrough utilizing the curved pultrusion process.

Jacobson’s career began with Johnson Controls in 1996 where he held multiple engineering and leadership positions during his 10-year tenure. He provided technical leadership for a team of more than 50 employees and his project management for injection molding operation consolidation led to a Global Merit Award.

In 2007 he made the move to Shape Corp., a tier-one automotive supplier who supports several automobile producers with key components and structures. As an R&D product manager and product engineering manager with Shape, Jacobson lead teams of product engineers, tooling engineers, process engineers, and product designers. His passion for innovation and a relentless approach to technical innovations led to his selection as Shape’s first ever “Innovator of the Year” recipient in 2017. Jacobson has built a strong foundation in thermoplastic and thermoset materials with a deep knowledge of mechanical performance and testing, recycled materials, laminate design, and characterization of materials for CAE/FEA.

Vectorply CEO and President Trevor Humphrey is excited about the addition of Jacobson and his deep knowledge of composite materials.

“Toby has been a friend to Vectorply for many years and we have seen first-hand his extensive knowledge of composite materials, specifically in the automotive industry,” Humphrey said. “We are excited that he is joining our team of technical solution providers who are focused on helping our customers achieve their goals.”

 

Since 1995, the Chill Foundation has helped more than 25,000 young people overcome challenges through many types of board-sports. Started by Burton Snowboard founders Jake and Donna Carpenter, the Chill Foundation works with social service agencies, mental health agencies, foster care programs, juvenile justice programs, and schools in local communities to select youth participants who can learn the art of boarding regardless of their location, according to Chill board member Bo Twiggs.

“These are opportunities for growth, exploration, challenge and enjoyment for people that exist all over the place,” he said. “When you talk about snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding and stand up paddle boarding. . . anywhere there is a body of water, a bit of concrete, a mountain, or even a hill with some snow on it there’s an opportunity for a kid who hasn’t had a lot of opportunity to really maximize their growth potential.”

To make such an impact on an international scale, Chill organizes many fundraiser events each year with one of their largest being the Chill Golf Tournament at Vermont National Country Club in Burlington Vermont. In their 20^th Annual Golf Tournament last week, Chill was able to raise an amazing $210,000 for youth development programs that will allow the organization to continue to have a positive impact on youth across the globe.

As a longtime sponsor of the Chill Golf Tournament, Vectorply was on-hand on Monday, August 30th to take part in such a vital fundraiser. According to Twiggs, the support of sponsors will allow Chill to continue to grow domestically and internationally, enabling even more youth to grow innately through board-sports.

“We’re beginning a really significant international expansion. Again, any place there’s a mountain we know, we have a model that works, and we are just scratching the surface in terms of the number of people we can impact,” he said. “The other piece that is on the horizon for us is growing our length of engagement with kiddos and strengthening the impact we can have on their lives beyond just our programing. We’d love to be in a place where we are helping these kids move towards careers and move into leadership in outdoor sports, and we are so grateful for your support.”

Phenix City, AL – On April 13-15, more than 200 industry leaders, customers, OEMS, and suppliers from around the world will take part in the ACMA and European Pultrusion Technology Association’s (EPTA) premier North American Pultrusion Conference via a virtual platform. As a leading reinforcement supplier in the pultrusion industry for more than 20 years, Vectorply Corporation will host one presentation and take part in another.

On the opening day of the conference from 3:35 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST , Vectorply Vice President of Engineering Trevor Gundberg will join Shape Corp’s Paul Roehm and Scott Bader’s Jeffrey Starcher in a dynamic presentation titled Ideal Automotive Applications for Curved Pultruded Sections: Material Selection, Design, Testing, and Production. This presentation explains the opportunities for curved, pultruded profiles in the automotive industry which was pioneered by Shape’s creation of the automotive industry’s first curved, pultruded part in the 2020 Chevrolet Mid-Engine C8 Corvette bumper beam. A wide range of material combinations from Vectorply and Scott Bader, coupled with Shape’s industry expertise and production capabilities, will be highlighted to show automotive manufacturers the benefits of choosing composite materials for curved sections.

The following morning (Wednesday, April 14), Gundberg will dive into choosing the correct pultrusion laminate with a presentation titled Key Considerations When Choosing Pultrusion Reinforcement Fabrics. In this presentation, attendees can learn more about Vectorply’s selection of standard and customer pultrusion reinforcements, as well as the company’s industry-leading technical services. Fabricators will learn about Vectorply’s scope of support to select the correct reinforcement for their specific production goals.

To learn more about the North American Pultrusion Conference or to register, visit this link: North American Pultrusion Conference

 

Phenix City, AL – On Friday, March 5th Vectorply Corporation was presented the esteemed Independent Boatbuilders Incorporated (IBBI) Supplier of the Year Award in a virtual ceremony for the six finalists. The selection represents the second Supplier of the Year honor in the past three years, an accomplishment that was also achieved in 2019 when Vectorply won a Supplier of the Year Award and the John “Walkabout” Sisson Memorial Innovation Award.

The Supplier of the Year Award is presented each year to the supplier who obtains the highest cumulative score on a survey completed by the group’s 18 owners at 24 different locations. Survey categories include product quality, continuity of supply, and technical service. In a challenging 2020 year that saw a global pandemic affecting raw material supply and on-time deliveries across all manufacturing industries, Vectorply’s dedication to keeping the IBBI members’ group supplied was vitally important to continued production according to IBBI President Tom Broy.

“Vectorply’s consistency and reliability were huge factors in their selection as 2021 IBBI Supplier of the Year by our owner group,” Broy said. “Vectorply has been a key supplier to the IBBI for more than 15 years, and we are happy to have them in our corner when times are challenging.”

Vectorply Vice President of Sales Tamir Levy said that the company’s relationship with the IBBI is one that has grown into a close partnership with trust at the core.

“Last year we saw challenges that were unprecedented in our industry. To have a partner like the IBBI, who trusts that we will always take care of our customers means the world to us,” he said. “We are extremely honored to be selected as IBBI Supplier of the Year and look forward to continued growth and innovation together.”