PIMA's top honors awarded at 2005 leadership conference, Nashville.

SIEGEL NAMED EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

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PIMA has named Penn Siegel, chairman and CEO of Potlatch Corporation, the associations 2005 Executive of the Year. The award is the highest recognition PIMA bestows in its annual program, and is traditionally presented to senior-level executives in the pulp, paper or converting industries for excellence in management and outstanding contributions to the industry as a whole.

Siegel has been at the helm of Potlatch for the last six years, where he has overseen major changes in both the company and in the industry. As a result of his leadership, Potlatch has had a major turnaround in its earnings.

A Richmond native and Dartmouth graduate, Siegel started his career with Citibank as an analyst specializing in the forest and paper industries. In 1979, Siegel left Wall Street for Potlatch, joining the corporate staff. He was elected chairman and CEO of Potlatch in 1999, after serving as president and chief operating officer starting in May 1994.

Siegel has been generous with his time in support of the forest products industry, serving currently as the chairman of both the American Forest Foundation and the National Council for Air & Steam Improvement. He also is on the board of the American Forest & Paper Association.

SAM COBB NAMED 2005 BROOKSHIRE MOORE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR

Robert Samuel "Sam" Cobb Jr., paper machines operations manager of MeadWestvaco Coated Board's facility in Phenix City, Ala., has been named the 2005 Brookshire C. Moore Superintendent of the Year. Honoring PIMA's roots as the former American Pulp and Paper Mill Superintendents Association, the award recognizes a papermaker who has shown the high personal standards and professional management qualities that contribute to the betterment of those under his or her management and in the industry.

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Said one nomination letter sent on Cobb's behalf, "It was recognized early that Sam had the interest and potential to make good as a papermaker ... he was one of the exceptional young people who was willing to work hard and make every effort to learn from both supervisors and operators and he gained the respect of both."

A 1986 graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in pulp and paper, Cobb worked summers at Union Camp Corporation to help pay his way through school. A second-generation papermaker, he joined Dravo Engineering in Atlanta after graduation and a short time later went to work at what is now MeadWestvaco Coated Board in Mahrt, Ala., as a process engineer. He was promoted to his current position, where he has overseen record-breaking production runs for two years.

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OTHER AWARDS HONOR INDUSTRY'S BEST

Retired pulp and paper industry sales representative Phil Baker was presented with the Delano L. "Del" Boutin Division Service Award. The award is presented to pulp and paper or affiliate members for devoted service to a PIMA Division. The award recognizes long-term dedication of PIMA members at the local division level.

Baker has served for 11 years as the volunteer secretary of PIMA's Northeast Division, a position he took on after retiring from Engelhard Corporation as a clay sales representative. An active PIMA member, he was honored with the Thomas F. Sheerin Sr. Service Award in 1995.

Earlier this year, he and his wife, Ginny, were honored with a named scholarship to the University of Maine Pulp & Paper Foundation by the Northeast Division of PIMA.

Jeffrey M. Thorne of Buckman Laboratories Inc. received the Thomas F. Sheerin Sr. Service Award. The award is presented to a supplier for outstanding contributions to the pulp and paper industry and/or the community.

Thorne, technical director for Papermaking Technologies at Buckman in Memphis, Tenn., joined PIMA's Northeast Division in 1983. He served on the Publicity and Program committees and was affiliate chair of the Division from 1994-95. He became active at the national level in 1995 by serving on the Facilities, Program and Youth Program committees; he also served as national convention chair for PIMA's 2003 annual meeting in New York.

David Almond of Ciba Specialty Chemical was awarded the Ray H. Cross Community Service Award. The award pays tribute to pulp and paper industry professionals who have rendered outstanding service to their communities by involvement in the activities of local business, educational, civic and philanthropic organizations.

Almond, global corporate accounts manager at Ciba's facility in Suffolk, Va., has worked over the past 10 years to raise thousands of dollars to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.

Joe Konkel of Georgia-Pacific Corporation and John Yolton of SKF Reliability have been named co-winners of the 2005 Kenneth H. Phillips Award, honoring their outstanding contributions to PIMA's Manufacturing Reliability Specialist Group. Konkel and Yolton are being recognized for their role as leaders who have dedicated their time and effort to maintaining a vital and contributing specialist group.