The 2013 Polyurethanes Technical Conference, hosted by Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), is fast approaching. The conference will take place Sept. 23 to 25 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel in Phoenix. CPI and the conference leadership team are anticipating a successful event with hundreds of polyurethane professionals coming to Phoenix.

Leading the 2013 conference, Tony Lanchak of Momentive Performance Materials is serving as the 2013 Conference Committee chair. In this role, Lanchak guides the development of the conference program along with the Polyurethanes Conference Planning Committee. He will also welcome attendees to Phoenix at the Opening Session and provide closing remarks at the Closing Session. He follows Amanda Pugh of Chem-Trend LP, who served as Conference Committee chair for the 2012 Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Atlanta.

“There is no better place to meet the industry’s top people and learn more about our opportunities and challenges. In addition to the enormous amount of technical content, CPI’s conference has unique offerings, such as the Polyurethane Professional Development Program, which is in its 10th year,” said Lanchak.

Lanchak is currently the Vice-President/Business Unit Leader for the Global Urethane Additives business at Momentive Performance Materials. His career spans more than 30 years in the specialty chemical industry, having held various roles in commercial, marketing, product management, business development and business management. Over the last 10 years, Lanchak has held executive management roles within Momentive’s Urethane Additives Business Unit.

Paul Duffy of Icynene is serving as the 2013 Conference Committee vice chair. He is set to serve as chair for the 2014 Polyurethanes Technical Conference, planned for September 2014 in Dallas.

“I’m pleased to be part of the conference leadership team,” said Duffy. “We’ve built a diverse program agenda and organized a strong roster of technical presentations and speakers. I’m very much looking forward to meeting attendees and hearing the results of the latest End-Use Market Survey on the polyurethanes industry, in particular.”

Before becoming vice president of engineering at Icynene, Duffy was president of BLP Engineers in Ottawa, Ontario. A member of several standards committees, Duffy is also past president of the Ontario Building Envelope Council (OBEC), the Canadian Residential Energy Services Network (CRESNET), and immediate past Chair of CPI’s Spray Foam Coalition. Duffy studied civil engineering at the University of Toronto.

“CPI is fortunate to have such fantastic volunteer leaders as Tony and Paul,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. “Under their guidance, the 2013 Polyurethanes Technical Conference is expected to be an incredible event, building on our reputation as the premier conference for the polyurethane industry.”

Register to attend the conference today. Space is still available in CPI’s unmatched education and training opportunity, the Polyurethane PDP, which begins on Sunday, Sept. 22, one day ahead of the official conference opening, and runs through Tuesday, Sept. 24. To participate in the PDP, participants must register for the conference as well as for each PDP course of interest to receive the appropriate training materials. Onsite PDP registration is available, though attendees are encouraged to secure their spots early.

Featuring 16 technical sessions and more than 70 technical presentations, this year’s Polyurethanes Technical Conference provides leaders and professionals with an opportunity to learn about the latest innovations, technical developments and issues affecting the global polyurethanes industry. Details about the conference speakers, sessions and events are available in the newly released Advance Program. Several sponsorship opportunities, including table top exhibition space, are also still available. For more information, visit the CPI website.