September 2005 
 

Rick Roberti Achieves CPLP Professional Status

Congratulations to Rick Roberti, Lab Manager for SGS U.S. Testing in Fairfield NJ, who recently became the sixth person to achieve the highest level in ISTA’s Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional program.

CPLP Professional recognition requires the holding of both Technician and Technologist certificates, and then is based on an extensive résumé of industry activities and achievements. Applicants are evaluated in a number of different categories, including job function, continuing education, industry participation and support, honors and awards, etc. Significant emphasis is also placed on contributions to the field through speaking, writing, and teaching.

Rick Roberti has been with SGS U.S. Testing since 1992, when he started as a lab technician working for Leon Venech. He didn’t have any package testing experience at that point, but had worked as a lab tech for Union Carbide and also in a blowmolding operation. He obviously picked up packaging very quickly, as he was promoted to Project Engineer within 6 months. A year later he was Lab Supervisor, and in 1997 was named Lab Manager. He now serves as Manager of the Paper & Packaging and Product Evaluation Labs for SGS facilities in both Fairfield and in Southern California.

An active member of ISTA for over a decade, Rick has been on the ISTA Testing & Certification Council since its inception. He also holds memberships in TAPPI and ASTM D10, is HazMat certified, and is certified as a CPP by the Institute of Packaging Professionals.

Rick is a regular attendee and exhibitor at the regional and national packaging shows, HMAC conferences, and TAPPI packaging conferences. He’s never missed a Dimensions, and SGS is always a sponsor and exhibitor there.

As a teacher and speaker, Rick has conducted in-house training for SGS personnel, has presented seminars on testing for corrugated companies, and has been part of several HazMat programs. Most recently he spoke at the ISTA China Symposium in Chengdu, and was also a presenter for the ISTA track at last May’s Packaging Services Expo. He’s been an expert witness in a lawsuit involving a moving company package.

For more about Rick Roberti, see the article “Spotlight on ISTA Member” in the 2nd quarter 2004 issue of ISTA’s PreShipment Testing Newsletter. Congratulations to Rick and to all the ISTA Certified Packaging Laboratory Professionals.

Click Here for complete details about the CPLP program and a list of all recipients.  
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See You at Pack Expo Las Vegas!
If you’re going to Pack Expo September 26-28, be sure to visit ISTA in booth C-4706. We’ll be on hand with literature and materials, and the latest information and news about ISTA.

Pack Expo, along with the co-located Food Processing Machinery Expo, will have more than 1,200 packaging and processing exhibitors from around the world. An associated conference features tracks on RFID, Pharmaceuticals, Materials, Operations, Controls, Management, and Security. In all, over 19,000 attendees are expected.

C-4706 is a corner booth in the Central Hall, two aisles over from the big 3M exhibit. Ed Church, Meredith Young, and Bill Kipp from ISTA staff will be on hand, as well as many of the ISTA Officers and Directors. Hope to see you there!

Click Here to visit the Pack Expo Las Vegas 2005 website.
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RIT Packaging Science Alumni Gathering at Pack Expo

Rochester Institute of Technology’s Packaging Science Program is holding an alumni get-together Tuesday September 27th during Pack Expo Las Vegas.

Join fellow alumni, faculty, and staff for drinks and hors d'oeuvres at the Monte Carlo Pub & Brewery in the Monte Carlo Hotel, 3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd. (on the Strip), starting at 4:30 p.m.

Contact Karen Proctor for further details or to sign-up.

Click Here to visit the R.I.T. Packaging Science website.
Click Here for a map to the Monte Carlo.
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CPLP Workshops November 2-3 in Chicago Area

ISTA’s Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional program is most often taken as an on-line course. But for those who prefer in-person classes, these one-day Workshops (one for Technician level and one for Technologist) offer a fast track to certification.

The Workshops will be held November 2 and 3 in Countryside, IL, about 15 miles from downtown Chicago. The Technician class will be on Wednesday the 2nd, with the Technologist class on Thursday the 3rd. You can attend one session or both – achieve Technician and Technologist certifications on consecutive days and under the same travel expense!

Each day’s schedule is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include presentation and discussion of the material, lunch, a break, and finish with administration of the exam. Applicants will receive study materials in advance of the Workshops.
Note: Only ISTA Members may take the CPLP exams and receive CPLP status.

An added bonus will be a Wednesday evening tour of the nearby UPS CACH (Chicago Area Consolidation Hub). This is a great chance to see packages going through one of the world's largest automated sorting facilities! Tour group size is limited, so register early.

You are responsible for your own travel and lodging arrangements, but a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn-Countryside (where the Workshops will be held) has been reserved at the special rate of $89 (single, plus tax). The ISTA room block expires on October 11.

Click Here to go to the registration page. You can register for one or both Workshops. Registration is $595 for each individual class, $1070 for one person taking both. Deadline is October 24.

Contact Meredith Young at ISTA Headquarters if you have any questions or problems.

Click Here for complete information on the CPLP program.

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