May 2021 Volume 3

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

President's Note

Trying to put my finger on it… and I’ve found it! The two words that describe the feeling of visiting members in-person at your plants – that doesn’t translate the same over Zoom calls: respect and pride. When in the plant: seeing and feeling it in your bones -- the awesome feeling of respect and pride for what a forger or supplier has to do to get a product out the door; the supply chain ‘symphony’

Following the Annual Meeting, our next chance to get together comes in late August at FIA’s Marketing Workshop (registration will open soon). Stay another day (Sept 1) and participate in the Forging Foundation’s first EVER golf outing. The outing will take place at Quail Hollow Country Club, a great course just east of Cleveland. We’ll be downtown in The Flats area for the workshop. Watch Cleveland come alive in the summer and enjoy Lake Erie, the Metroparks and some great golf. And then themightiest of FIA’s events returns October 26-28: Forge Fair comes to the Motor City. Booth sales are now outpacing 2019 and we expect a barnburner of an event. If you’ve never attended Forge Fair, make this one your first! Let’s Hear FromYou! FIA and FIERF Boards will collaborate on our second effort to strategically plan just before our Annual Meeting. With the boards’ support, we’ve motored thru plans that were established in late 2018. Soon you will have a survey from FIA staff asking your opinion on what should be in this new plan…your opinion on our collective direction. Please do your part and complete it as best you can. As always, thank you for your membership in FIA and we look forward to seeing you soon! ■

that has to come together on cue for it all to work, and finally – the absolute skill, determination and ‘grit’ of every person in that plant or front office to bring it all together. In some ways I’m envious of those who get to be in the plant on a daily basis; truly a special part of my job is to get there occasionally. As FIA staff, we’re on the sideline trying to do what we can to help, and we’ve done that throughout the pandemic. It’s just not the same over Zoom and we are so looking forward to meeting, gathering and visiting your plants…the real ‘greatest shows on earth’…once again as we emerge from this dangerous pandemic that has cost so many their lives and some their livelihoods. Let’s Meet! I’m so proud of the FIA staff! We’ve got a great Annual Meeting coming at the end of June with 72 members already registered – and another 3 3 spouses signed up too. Plus we have a fun first for us – a silent auction benefitting our beloved Forging Foundation (FIERF). A great location, great golf and great speakers are lined up – including Paul Ryan, former Speaker of the House (thank you Scot Forge and Walker Forge for making this happen!). Sidebar: my family lived in the Rockford, IL area for 11 years – not too far from Lake Geneva – and all fell love with the lake and surrounding area navigating our small boat amongst the 30 footers. Attend the Annual Meeting and you’ll see why. There is still plenty of time to sign-up.

Sincerely, James R. Warren

President and CEO Forging Industry Association

PUBLISHER James R. Warren jwarren@forging.org EDITOR Angela Gibian angela@forging.org Editorial Staff

Board of Directors

Peter Campbell Jim Romeo JimKravec Perry Bennett Mark Candy

John Coward Robert Dimitrieff Marcelo T. Garza Chelsea Lantto Greg Timmons

DESIGN Lorean Crowder lorean@forging.org

CHAIRMAN Douglas McIntyre VICE CHAIRMAN Dan Ulven

FIA MAGAZINE | MAY 2021 1