EOW March 2014

News Corporate

Avise takes over asWAI president

He has also contributed to the American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) since 1994, serving as the organisation’s operations committee chairman from 1999 to 2004. Mr Avise currently holds the position of president of the Wire Group and vice-president of Leggett & Platt. His career in the industry started in August 1970 at Union Wire Rope (Armco) in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. From 1970 to 1975, he worked as a wire drawer while attending college at Central Missouri State University. After graduating with a BS degree in business in 1975, he became a shift supervisor and progressively worked up to the position of operations manager.

William (Bill) Avise took over as president of the Wire Association International on 1 st January. Mr Avise will serve as chairman of the board of directors, and 60 th president of the 84-year-old association, which is headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut, USA. He has been at the forefront of an on-going association-wide initiative to increase WAI membership. “Being a member of the WAI is one of the best ways to support our industry,” said Mr Avise. “With the new website and more webinars having an operations focus, the value of being a WAI member has improved significantly.

“In addition to WAI members having access to thousands of technical/operations papers, the networking opportunities with other wire industry peers are invaluable.” A WAI member since 1993, he has been actively involved in the organisation’s leadership through his participation on the executive committee; as a member, and later co-chair, of the conference programming committee; and as executive committee liaison to both the paper awards and member relations committees.

▲ ▲ NewWAI president Bill Avise

In 1988 he accepted the position of plant manager with Leggett & Platt at the Merit Steel facility in Kouts, Indiana. Following a promotion to vice-president of operations, he relocated to Carthage, Missouri, and became president of the Wire Group in 2009. Wire Association International – USA Website : www.wirenet.org

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March 2014