PMMI Honors 2024 On the Rise Award Winners

Next generation of leaders honored for accomplishments and commitment to the packaging and processing industry.

PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, is pleased to announce its seventh annual On the Rise Award winners. Developed by PMMI’s Emerging Leaders Committee, the awards program recognizes 10 young professionals who have demonstrated leadership potential in packaging and processing.

2024 On the Rise Award Recipients

• Alex Vargo, vice president, manufacturing, Lako Tool & Manufacturing, Inc.
• Alfonso Gil, sales engineer, METTLER TOLEDO – Product Inspection
• Carolyn Chase, senior engineer – segment product management, FANUC America Corporation
• Cody Halminiak, mechanical design engineer, Morrison Container Handling Solutions
• Cole Anderson, assembly manager, PDC International Company
• Dinesh Vasabakthula, controls software lead engineer, Applied Manufacturing Technologies
• John Diamond, sales executive, BW Flexible Systems
• Mike Scritchfield, regional sales manager, Viking Masek Packaging Technologies
• Santos Maltez, key account manager, Sneed Coding Solutions, Inc.
• Victoria Sithy, senior marketing communication specialist, Felins, Inc.

Award recipients were honored on Sept. 23 at the Chairperson’s Dinner at PMMI’s Annual Meeting in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and received free airfare, event registration, and hotel stay.

“These young professionals have positively impacted their companies and are committed to outstanding job performance, collaborative problem solving, mentoring colleagues, and continuing education and career advancement,” says Jackie Sessler, North America marketing director of BEUMER Group and chair of the PMMI Emerging Leaders Committee. “PMMI and the Emerging Leaders Committee recognize their talent, skills, hard work, and initiative and hope that the On the Rise Award expands their network and furthers their professional development in packaging and processing.”

This year’s PMMI On the Rise winners met the following nomination criteria: young professional 35 years old or younger on July 15, 2024; employed by a PMMI member company for at least one year; displays leadership potential and has positively impacted the business; and demonstrates a desire to advance his/her career in packaging and processing.

Read more about this year’s winners and the On the Rise Awards  here.