CANTON, Ohio--Ohio Gratings (OGI) is celebrating 40 years in the aluminum and steel bar grating industry. Founded in Canton, Ohio, by Harold Bartley and son David W. Bartley, Sr. in June 1970, OGI is now best known for its full line and specialty niche grating capabilities. The company began as a fabricator of light duty weld forge bar grating for Blaw Knox Gratings. Within a short time, the company began manufacturing heavy-duty steel grating. Over the past 4 decades, OGI has expanded its product offerings to include aluminum, specialty carbon, and stainless steel grating products. More specialty niche products were eventually added, including heavy duty riveted deck grating and a line of Wheels n' Heels ADA compliant grating products. In 2007, the newest division, OGI Architectural Metal Solutions was founded. Today, OGI has grown to more than 350 employees working in more than 400,000 square feet of space at five locations around the country including its original Canton facility and facilities in Ridgeland, South Carolina; Houston, Texas; Lindon, Utah; and Longwood, Florida.

ELGIN, Ill.--Wagner Systems recognized its top 10 North American distributors for 2009 at the company's annual distributor meeting, held recently in Lake Tahoe. Distributors receiving recognition included Dove Equipment, Gestion Pierre Proulx, Industrial Air, J.W. Sales, Myers Brothers, Patriot Metal Finishing, PEDTECH, Providing System Solutions, Rontier Industrial Supply, and Sherwin-Williams.

REAMSTOWN, Pa.--With the introduction of a new coating option featuring antimicrobial protection, several DORMA Architectural Hardware products can now meet the strict specifications for projects in which ultra-clean tactile surfaces are desired or necessary in environments such as healthcare facilities, educational institutions, food processing and manufacturing areas, public venues, office buildings, hotels, and restaurants. The company's CL800 Cylindrical, ML9000 Mortise, and D800 Deadbolt lockset series offer the coating option on levers, roses, escutcheons, thumbturns, trim rings, and cylinder face plates. For the DORMA family of exit devices, the coating is added to the touchbar, touchbar rail, chassis cover, end cap, surface vertical rods and latch covers, as well as to the following trim components: escutcheon, plate, rose, lever, knob, pull, and thumbturn. The clear-finish, antimicrobial-protected coating requires no additional prep considerations. Under the company's warranty, antimicrobial-treated surfaces are protected for the life of the product provided coating remains on treated surfaces. Antimicrobial protection is limited to the treated article and does not protect a user against disease-causing bacteria. The antimicrobial technology is a substance added to the powder coating material and is supplied by Agion Technologies, Wakefield, Mass. For more information about the antimicrobial coating, contact DORMA Architectural Hardware at 717/336-3881, or visit www.dorma-usa.com.

DECATUR, Ill.--Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM) is now offering isosorbide, an industrial ingredient made from corn, as a potential alternative to the petroleum-based chemical Bisphenol A in plastics and other applications. ADM is the first company in North America to offer renewable isosorbide on a commercial scale. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is used in the manufacture of plastics and is present in many products including eyeglass lenses, sports equipment, and CDs and DVDs. Both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health have expressed concern about the potential health effects associated with BPA. Isosorbide is a versatile ingredient with wide range of applications. It can be used in polyesters for inks, toners, powder coatings, packaging and durable goods; polyurethanes for foams and coatings; polycarbonates for durable goods and optical media; epoxy resins for paints; and detergents, surfactants and additives for personal care and consumer products. ADM currently offers isosorbide in a technical grade (97 percent pure) and a polymer grade (99 percent pure). Isosorbide is part of ADM's Evolution Chemicals line of bio-based industrial ingredients derived from renewable resources like corn and soy.

Roy Koch joined Richards-Wilcox, Aurora, Ill., as vice president, Sales and Marketing, and will be responsible for the company's brands, including Aurora Storage Products, Richards-Wilcox Conveyor, and Richards-Wilcox Hardware. Most recently, he was vice president, Sales and Marketing, at Sagus International, a manufacturer of K-12 school furniture. He holds a Master's Degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management, and Financial Accounting for Senior Executives from the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.

The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) announced its 2010 board of directors and officers during its recent annual meeting in San Antonio. Lachlan Perks, president of Eclipse, will serve as 2010-2011 president. Bill Pasley, Southern Companies, was named first vice president; Mike Shay, Elster Kromschröder, second vice president; Jay Cherry, Wellman Furnaces, treasurer; and Max Hoetzl, Surface Combustion, past president. IHEA's 2010-2011 board of directors includes Brian Bunkenburg, Despatch Industries; John Dauer, SCC; Steve Fruth, Fostoria; Mark Gentry, Advanced Energy; Doug Glenn, BNP Media; and Tim Lee, Maxon.

MIDDLEBORO, Mass.--Thomas Babington was appointed senior product development engineer at Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Middleboro, Mass. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth. Joe Murray was appointed regional sales manager for Process Instrumentation. He also holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts/Dartmouth.

HOUSTON--Robert (Bob) H. Chalker was named executive director of NACE International, the Corrosion Society, Houston. He was managing director and CEO of ASQ Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Society for Quality. He holds a Master's of Business Administration from Oakland University, Rochester, Mich., and a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

CLEVELAND--ACE Equipment has recently produced a 6-minute video that demonstrates the advantages of its Hybrid Radiant Tube Burn Off Oven system. The system is environmentally friendly while providing a high-tech way to clean finishing line fixtures, racks, hooks, reject parts, and more. The video covers system construction, controls, performance, and industries served. To see the video, go to www.armaturecoil.com/burnoff-ovens/.

WARRENDALE, Pa.—SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) is seeking nominations for its J. Cordell Breed Award for Women Leaders. The award, established in 1999, recognizes a woman who has made significant contributions both professionally and personally to the mobility industry. Administered by the SAE Women Engineers Committee (WEC), the award includes a $2,000 honorarium and plaque, and is presented at a ceremony during the SAE World Congress. Nominations are being accepted through July 31. Go to www.sae.org/news/awards/list/wec/.