Our Silent Partners PART 2 A Step back in History: Birth of the WAIB & the Aerosol Industry Defense Effort PART ONE appeared in the December 2013 issue of Spray. The aerosol industry is a very unique and 20 SPRAY June 2014 special family of people who have found, through the years, that working together to solve our problems and achieve our goals has given our industry the ability to not only survive and grow, but to stand as a strong and unified team. We stand head and shoulders above the crowd, where we are easily recognized. Back in 1969, west coast aerosol industry members met for the first time at the Roger Young Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. This was followed by its first meeting as an organization—a joint dinner with the industry and the CSMA (currently the Consumer Specialty Products Association CSPA) Executive Board at Marina del Rey in 1970, led by Ed McKernan, former CSMA Aerosol Board Chairman (1959- 1960). Ultimately, CSMA Western held its first conference in the Fall of 1973 at Rancho Bernardo, CA. Jack Peterson, VP/Plant Manager of Peterson Puritan, was the inspiration. During this time, it became apparent to me that we, as an industry, had purpose. Behind that purpose was the leadership, drive and ambition to work together for a better industry. CSMA Western reached its high point in 1975, when the annual meeting was held at the Pebble Beach Lodge. The golf committee (Peterson, Paul Robinson of Crown Cork & Seal, Gary Clapp of Sprayon Products and myself) became quite concerned about the rates, as the rooms were $43 per night and golf was $25 for 18 holes. We forged ahead and the meeting became a very successful event with over 125 attendees. However, the cost proved to be the event’s Achilles heel, even though it brought together the leadership of our industry. In 1976, at the 4th CSMA Western Conference, a mutual understanding was reached between CSMA and the Western leadership that henceforth the group would be named the Western Aerosol Information Bureau (WAIB). It was a special honor to be a part of the growth of the WAIB following the advent of the 1974 aerosol/ ozone issue. WAIB grew as we made many trips to Sacramento, CA to meet with legislators and work with our CSMA lobbyist Phil Gregory and WAIB public relations firm Walter Leftwich to develop our principals of defense and foundations of our future offense. When By Donald Rowson, President & CEO, Industrial Hydrocarbons, Inc.
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