SPRAYTechnology & Marketing Commentary Mike SanGiovanni, Executive Editor All good things come to an end, and my tenure with this magazine, after more than 40 6 Spray January 2014 Cynthia Hundley Publisher chundley@spraytm.com Ava Caridad Editor acaridad@spraytm.com Montfort A. Johnsen Technical Editor montyjohnsen@att.net Susan Carver Vice President, Administration scarver@spraytm.com Doug Bacile National Sales Manager dbacile@spraytm.com Donald Farrell Production production@spraytm.com Joy Cunningham Reader Service Coordinator readerservice@spraytm.com Circulation circulation@spraytm.com Member: CAPCO Volume 24, No.1 January 2014 Copyright 2014 by Industry Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part may be reprinted without written permission from the Publisher. Spray Technology & Marketing (ISSN No.1055-2340) is published monthly by Industry Publications, Inc. Address all correspondence for editorial, advertising and circulation departments to: 3621 Hill Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054 Phone: 973-331-9545 • Fax: 973-331-9547 Subscription inquiries: circulation@spraytm.com Internet: www.spraytm.com Periodical postage paid at Parsippany, NJ and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Spray Technology & Marketing, 3621 Hill Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054. Subscription rates: U.S. 1-year $50.00; Canada & Mexico 1-year $60.00. Airmail Rates to foreign countries: $130.00/yr. Single copies of current issues: $12.00. Directory Issue (Buyers Guide) $27.00 (includes shipping). Missing issues: Claims for missing issues must be made within three months of the date of the issue. The opinions expressed in this publication are not intended to be, nor should they be interpreted as, a replacement for professional, legal advice. Five decades under pressure… years, is about over, but it has been quite a ride! When I got out of the Army, back in 1971, it was time to look for a job, and by chance, I saw a very small ad for an Assistant Editor who had to be able to use a camera. The job was with a small publishing company in New Jersey. Long story short, I got the job and found myself writing news for three of its publications. A year before, the company had acquired a 15-year old magazine called Aerosol Age, including its staff. But when the editor left only a year later, I found myself assigned almost exclusively to work on that magazine. I was sure the job was temporary—something to do until I could figure out where my career was headed. Still, the idea of being published was alluring. I was writing something that would be read by thousands of people. But it was about “aerosols,” whatever they were. Eventually, I grew with the magazine and with the industry. In B2B publishing, not only do you have to know your own industry—publishing—but the industry you write about. You’re always learning. And that makes it very interesting. Maybe that’s what kept me in this temporary job, and it was fun—if you like what you do, it isn’t work, they say. As the years rolled by, I think it is fair to say this magazine created a number of firsts among the magazines with which we competed. For example, we had the first full-color covers on a regular basis. We had the first “Scratch ‘n’ Sniff” cover, featuring a life-size photo of a shave cream can. The real can sported a scented label to demonstrate its new Bay Rum scent, so we obtained a supply of the stickers and our printer hand-applied one to each and every cover on the image of the aerosol. If you have bound copies of this magazine, one of those from the 1970s might still have an interesting aroma. We were even the first to have a website. Creating those covers was fun. Whenever possible, the cover was an original photo or piece of artwork, and some were pretty elaborate. Long-time readers may recall the aerosol can in a custom made raincoat for our story on rainwater runoff from filling plants, or the Gotham City rooftop scene, replete with lighted skylight, for the Crazy Foam Batman and Superman themed bath foam products. One cover I enjoyed doing was the shot of an aerosol can being carved out of stone. The product featured was a craft spray that created a stone finish. To create the photo, I figured I could embed an aerosol in a box half filled with plaster, then spray it with the craft product to resemble a stone carving. With a few props, such as a chisel and a hammer nearby, we had our cover. There was one hairy moment, though—as plaster cures, it gets hot! Realizing this may have a detrimental effect on the aerosol can—and possibly on me—I relieved the pressure by spraying the product periodically until the plaster cooled. Aside from the fun of creating the covers and graphics, there was the industry itself and the wonderful people who provided so many memories. Over the years, I was able to meet and interview most of the legends in this industry. I personally took the aerosol technology course (twice) at DuPont, the first time when the great Paul Sanders taught all about foams. I was privileged to be friends with and work with the legendary Monty Johnsen, whose articles I edited for many years. In fact, I have been lucky enough to have met just about every major pioneer in the aerosol industry—many who are no longer with us. And then there were the associations. When I joined the magazine in 1971, CSMA (now CSPA) was still in New York. I saw the formation of SATA, WAIB, NAA, EAA, MAA as viable aerosol associations. There always was something to write about. In addition to the amazing innovations, the latest being BOV products (remember when we used to call them barrier packs?), there were the challenges. Just before I started, it was the New York City Fire Dept. expressing its concern about aerosols. Not long after, atmospheric scientists Rowland and Molina were to postulate the Ozone Depletion Theory, hitting the industry exceptionally hard, even though only half of all aerosols contained fluorocarbons. In time, that was overcome and the industry again began to grow; still, new challenges emerged: VOC issues persist to this day, as do inhalation and warehouse storage concerns. I remember when we made the decision to expand our editorial coverage to include pumps and other packages that sprayed. Some readers were upset, but most came to realize that this continued on page 36
SprayJan14
To see the actual publication please follow the link above