PIMA announces 2006 IT award winners.

In addition to the leadership awards that were announced last month, PIMA has two new awards this year for people working in the IT realm of the pulp and paper industry.

The "Technologist of the Year" Award recognizes a member of a technology or IT team for a paper company who has best demonstrated outstanding leadership, management, and organizational skills leading to improved results at the facility for which he or she is responsible. Nominees for this award are judged on four criteria: skill in people development; application of best management practices; effective use of external resources; and change management.

The "Michael P. Johnson PIMA IT Affiliate Award" is presented to an IT affiliate/supplier for outstanding contributions to the pulp and paper industry and/or the community.

This year's inaugural winners are:

Ole Fadum of Fadum Enterprises, who will be presented the IT Affiliate Award, and Roger Grahl of Georgia-Pacific, who will be presented the Technologist of the Year Award.

PIMA THANKS 2006 INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE SPONSORS

The 2006 PIMA International Leadership Conference would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors, and we gratefully acknowledge the following:

Platinum Level

* Buckman Laboratories

* GP Paper Chemicals

* Hercules

* Kemira

* Metso

* RISI 

* SKF 

* TAPPI 

Gold Level

* ABB

* Albany International

* AstenJohnson/Johnson Foils

* BASF 

* CIB 

* DuPont

* IMERYS

* Lanxess

* Liaison

* Oracle

* Nalco

* Siemens

* Voith

Silver Level

* Bercen, Inc.

Bronze Level

* BE & K

* EnteGreat, Inc.

* J.J. Plank Corp./

* Spencer Johnston Co.

* National Starch Papermaking Innovations

* Specialty Minerals Inc.

* Thiele Kaolin Company

* TM GE Automation Systems

* Western Polymer Corp.

* Williams-Gray Company, Inc.

Individual Sponsors

* Tate Bradford (Coldwater Group, Inc.)

Product Sponsor

* Panther Systems

Mill Sponsors

* Georgia-Pacific

* Irving Forest Products