Spring Activities at Home and Away
March 19, 2024
Spring is lining up to be full of activity for Columbus Chemical Industries, with our representatives attending both community events locally and industry events across the country.
This past month, CCI Controller Melissa Hoglund provided an interactive presentation to the Business and Accounting students at our local Columbus High School (CHS), touching on the highlights of her academic and career journey. She enjoyed engaging with the students and bringing real life experiences to their academic studies, encouraging them to consider all the possibilities a career in the Business and Accounting field may present, and letting them know, “It’s okay if you don’t know ‘what you want to be when you grow up’ yet. Neither did I, you’ll find your way.”
Melissa, along with CCI founder Richard Sheard, also attended the Regional FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Conference at CHS as guest judges for student presentations on Coding & Programming and Broadcast Journalism. Hundreds of students from Southern Wisconsin competed, with top placers moving on to the state competition.
The ‘You be the Chemist’ Challenge is an annual student competition focused on promoting development of knowledge in both the practical and business sides of STEM fields. Students compete at regional, state and national levels, presenting their innovative solutions to real world challenges. In March, CCI Sales Rep and 2024 Chicago Drug & Chemical Association (CD-CA) President, Derek Paulowski, attended the regional Chicago event on behalf of the CD-CA, who provided sponsorship of the event, encouraging students to further their interest in STEM activities and education.
Spring also brings us into a busy trade show and conference season for the chemical industry. Our team has recently attended events including the 75th Anniversary Pittcon Expo in San Diego, and the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD) Central & Southern Region Meeting where we enjoyed connecting with our industry partners to discuss industry challenges and provide solutions. We are looking forward to our attendance at additional upcoming events such as DCAT week in New York (Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association) and the ILDA (Independent Laboratory Distributors Association) Spring meeting in Philadelphia.
