Happy Halloween everyone!

I was approached by a business magazine earlier this month that wanted to write an article on the ICPA. They asked me about the history of the association, so I asked them to give me a few days to collect some information. I reached out to several of our members that have been in the association for many many years. What I learned from them was that our association has a long- over 50 years, and rich history! I learned that it all started back in the early 1960s when a small group of manufacturers and a supplier met in a local “watering hole” outside of Chicago to discuss coming together as a group to discuss common concerns and challenges facing them in the marble industry. In the 1970s the Cultured Marble Institute (known as CMI) was formally organized. During this period many tests were preformed and technical bulletins were written to address problems and greatly improve the product and manufacturing techniques. The association continued to grow over the next 20 years and in 1993 the association incorporated as the International Cast Polymer Association.

There is so much to the wonderful history of the ICPA. Such great stories of people and the impact that they have had on each other’s businesses, our industry, and the association. The ICPA has been Moving Forward with Forward Thinking for a long time!

We will be featuring the history of the ICPA in much more detail at POLYCON 2019 and in an upcoming issue of the Cast Polymer Connection. As Thanksgiving approaches, I am certainly thankful to be just a small part of the great tradition of the ICPA!

Best Regards,

Jennifer Towner