A message from our President:
Bruce Schimmel, MNYCA President
As I sit at my computer to write this message, I realize that for the first time in the last 15 months, I can finally feel a little more optimistic about what is happening with COVID and we can start planning our “in person” events for the MNYCA. This is very exciting, although I do realize there are still so many things affecting our Industry. By all accounts, we are gaining ground on the Corona Virus as more and more people are being vaccinated. People are starting to go back to their offices, although in person visits may still be months away depending on the companies. Still, it is a step in the right direction. The MNYCA has been offering technical webinars during COVID-19. We are now planning our first in person events; our golf outing will be held on September 22, 2021 at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth NJ. We are speaking to the golf course on a regular basis and will take all safety precautions for the outing. We are also planning to have our annual Holiday Party on December 1, 2021 at Macaluso’s. It will be wonderful to have people at both of these events. The other main issues affecting our industry are the short supply of raw materials. This coupled with long lead times and continuous price increases are making 2021 one of the most challenging years we have ever faced. As I have said previously, we are a very resilient Industry and we will get through these challenging times together. We just need to remain strong and continue to press forward. I want to thank our Board who continues to work hard in trying to put together interesting webinars for our members and continues to stay positive about our organization and its future. We are also in the middle of our membership drive. We are hoping everyone will continue to support our Industry by renewing your membership as soon as possible. We also want to welcome any new companies. I want to wish everyone a healthy and safe summer and we look forward to seeing everyone at our golf outing in September.
Mark your calendar with the NEW DATE. The largest regional coatings show in America. Nov. 17 - 19, 2021, at Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, NJ. Read More . . .
“Surfactants:Chemistry, Theory, Mechanism, Application”
MNYCA held our 3rd virtual webinar on April 20th. The training was led by a coatings celebrity, Mr. Sam Morell. He presented a review of various types of chemical structures of commercially available surfactants. Sam led the audience through a discussion on several key properties of surfactants, including surface tension, pigment and substrate wetting, surface transport and micelle formation. Complete with educational videos and a lively question and answer session. This event was well attended, drawing an audience of 92 people (quite a feat in the remote meeting era!) from across our member companies. The MYNCA is in the process of planning future webinars to help bring knowledge to our members and to keep the lines of communication open across our industry. Be on the lookout for the announcement of our next webinar – we hope to see you there!
Michael A. Granito Memorial & the College Scholarship Winners
The MNYCA is proud to present the following students with the Michael A. Granito Scholarship for 2021:
Brian Landzettel, son of Walter J. Landzettel, III, Landzettel & Son, Inc.
Ryan Penny, son of Thomas Penny, Benjamin Moore & Co.
Skylar Sturniolo, step-daughter of Charles DiComo, III, Univar Solutions.
College Scholarship Winner for 2021: Olivia Anagnostis – daughter of Jason Anagnostis, POR Products (attending Stevens Institute of Technology)
Member Spotlight - Ranger Industries
Ranger Industries was founded in 1929 as Ranger Ink, and the company originally manufactured an exclusive line of waterproof, permanent ink that was packaged in rubber stamp pads for the U.S. banking industry. In 1975, Ranger was purchased by Vince DiLascia, and it continues to be family-owned and operated.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the company expanded into other commercial ink markets with a combination of custom-manufactured inks for specialty printing applications and the resale of inks from other companies. These specialty printing applications included dynamite packaging, glass pipettes, code-dating, film markings, food product packaging, and electronic circuit printing. In addition, Ranger produced private-label OEM inks for several companies. The company often advertised as having the solution for anyone with an “ink problem”. The original production of rubber stamps and stamping inks also continued, and it was at this time that the door opened into a new market- the arts and crafts industry. In 1979, Ranger developed its first set of art stamp pads in unique, vibrant colors. From there, orders came from big-name retailers such as Hallmark, and artists’ stamping inks came into a greater focus for the company.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Ranger began marketing art product lines of its own, without private-labeling. Products such as glitter glues, embossing powders, and permanent inks were starting to gain traction in the art and craft industry. Justin Russo and Alain Avrillon, Vince’s son-in-laws, began working at Ranger in 2001. In 2006, they took over operations completely and are its current owners.
During the 2000s and 2010s, Ranger continued producing custom commercial ink lines. The bulk of this ink was a fast-dry, flexographic ink in several standard colors that would be used in high-speed packaging lines and with reciprocating printers. There were also markets where printers had “ink problems” to be solved, such as the frozen food industry where inkjet applications would not work. Ranger also branched out into security inks for fingerprinting and ultraviolet applications.
At this point in time, Ranger’s footing in the art and craft industry blossomed. To bolster the Ranger-designed lines of art materials, Ranger added several signature designers to its team to design and market a wide variety of art products. By the end of 2017, the commercial ink production at Ranger came to an end, and the company shifted full-time to production and sale of art materials. These items are used worldwide by card makers, home decor crafters, mixed media and jewelry artists, and many others.
All of Ranger’s inks, embossing powders, paints, mediums, dimensional glitters, glues and stamp cleaners are manufactured in the USA at a facility in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. Ranger continues to take pride in being able to ship products to customers quickly, and also in meeting the demands of the rapidlychanging landscape of artists and crafters by developing exciting new products with a comprehensive program of educational support.
MNYCA Employment Committee
If you have any employees who are in need of new employment, we encourage them to send their resume to MNYCA. In addition to this service, MNYCA is working to make our industry more visible to local colleges and universities and encouraging new graduates to consider the Coatings industry as a career. If your company is interested in any of these employment benefits above, please contact Patty.Paletto@mnyca.org
Bob Whiteley, Employment Committee Chair
Talent Acquisition:
The New York metropolitan area has several quality institutions for finding and developing talent. Many have internship and Co-op programs, options for recruiting new graduates in all fields including science, engineering and business. We encourage MNYCA member companies to get directly involved with the Career Services people in these schools. Some of the local schools that participated in our recent workshop and have programs:
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ The Stevens Career Center 201.216.5166 careercenter@stevens.edu Programs: Internships, Career fairs, Companies get a dedicated Career Services Liaison.
NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Tech), Newark, NJ Gregory Mass, Executive Director 973-596-5745 Gregory.mass@njit.edu Career Center – Employers Section https://www.njit.edu/careerservices/employers Programs: Full time Co-Op programs, Internships, Career Fairs, Recruitment Days
William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ Mary Alice Barrow – Interim Director 973.720.3291 barrowsm@wpunj.edu Programs: Networking events, career fairs, mentoring and internship programs, sales institute co-op programs for sales/marketing careers.
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 973-655-4000 Career Services Employer website https://www.montclair.edu/careerservices/employers/hire-a-red-hawk/ Hiring, Internships, Career Fairs, Recruiting
Industry / Member News:
JNS-SmithChem Acquires Specialty Regional Distributor Specialty chemicals and additives distributor JNS-SmithChem announced the acquisition of CheMarCo Inc., a specialty regional distributor based in Greenville, So Carolina. Read More . . .
Palmer Holland Makes Changes to Business Teams Specialty chemical distributor Palmer Holland announced an expansion in roles and personnel to its commercial teams. John Outcalt will be transitioning into the newly created role of Principal Management Director. Read More . . .
SK Capital Acquires Canlak and Valentus Specialty Chemicals Funds advised by SK Capital Partners LP (SK Capital), a private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors, announced the purchase of the Canadian coatings company Canlak Inc. and U.S.-based Valentus Specialty Chemicals. Read More . . . .
NACD Celebrates Anniversary With NYSE Bell Ringing National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President and CEO Eric R. Byer and Board of Directors (BOD) Chairman Kurt Hettinga, along with other NACD BOD members and senior leadership representatives from NACD member company Univar Solutions, commemorated the association’s 50th anniversary by ringing the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Friday, May 28. Read More . . .
Calendar of Events
Annual Golf Outing: Wednesday, September 22, 2021 (1PM) Galloping Hill Golf Course, Kenilworth, NJ
Holiday Party: Wednesday, December 1 2021 Macaluso’s, Hawthorne, NJ 6:00 pm – Cocktail hour / 7 pm – Dinner