Harold Gilham named Thermoformer of the Year
SPE’s Thermoforming Division will honor Harold (Hal) Gilham as its Thermoformer of the Year at its annual awards dinner. The event will be held on the second night of the 28th SPE Thermoforming Conference, which will be held Sept. 20-22 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Gilham began working for his father’s wood pattern shop, and saw an opportunity in thermoforming tooling that led to the Mount Laurel, N.J., company becoming Productive Plastics. He continued to grow the business over the years, expanding into the electrical device market in the New York metropolitan area and later adding medical devices. He also spearheaded efficient growth that saw Productive Plastics cut the number of its thermoforming and CNC machines in half while more than doubling output. Gilham has retired but remains engaged in the industry, and his son, Evan Gilham, is now COO of the company.
“Hal Gilham’s career is an inspiration to us all. From the next generation of plastics professionals to those who carry the entrepreneurial torch — in spirit or in practice — Hal’s accomplishments motivate us all to think big,” said Steve Zamprelli, SPE Thermoforming Division chair.
A former SPE Thermoforming Division board member, Gilham joined SPE in 1991 and is now an emeritus member of SPE.