PMMI, owner and producer of the PACK EXPO family of trade shows, announced the formation of the Packaging Hall of Fame Commission. The commission, comprising 17 packaging industry experts, will select the 2011 class of Packaging Hall of Fame inductees from nominees submitted to PMMI.

“The group is made up of industry veterans from a range of manufacturers, industry media and packaging machinery end users who have a thorough understanding of the packaging industry,” says Maria Ferrante, vice president of education and workforce development.

The 2011 Packaging Hall of Fame Commission is:

•    Joe Angel, vice president/publisher, Packaging World
•    Jeff Bigger, president/owner, MASSMANN Automation Designs, LLC
•    Robert Dennen, chairman of the board, Institute of Packaging Professionals
•    Jim DeCosta, global DEO technology and innovation manager, Unilever HPCNA
•    Tom Egan, vice president, industry services, PMMI
•    Maria Ferrante, vice president, education & workforce development, PMMI
•    Mark Jacobson, vice president, Econocorp Inc.
•    Timm Johnson, vice president, sales & marketing, Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery Inc.
•    John Kalkowski, editorial director, Packaging Digest
•    Robert Kimmel, chair, department of packaging science, Clemson University
•    Bob Larkin, director of packaging and graphics development, ACH Food Companies, Inc
•    Rick Lingle, editor-in-chief, Food & Beverage Packaging
•    Ben Miyares, managing director, The Packaging Management Institute
•    Sean Riley, editor, PMT magazine
•    Jay Singh, Ph.D, professor industrial tech. dept., Pkg. Program, California Polytechnic State University
•    Nick Wilson, PMMI chairman, President, Morrison Container Handling Solutions
•    Mark Yunker, principal packaging engineer, ConAgra Foods, Inc.

The Packaging Hall of Fame class of 2011 will be honored at a special reception and award ceremony Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, during Pack Expo Las Vegas 2011

Nominations for the Packaging Hall of Fame Class of 2011 will be accepted through June 30, 2011. Submissions can be made atwww.pmmi.org

“The Commission will evaluate nominations based on the nominees’ contributions to the packaging community - technical, scientific or operational advancements, their contributions to the knowledge base, their volunteer efforts and so forth. I want to thank them for the time and energy they are contributing,” Ferrante says.