Polymers Foundation Names First Recipient of Joe Bennett Award

The Polymers Foundation has named Sarah Kim as its first recipient of The Joe Bennett Leadership Award, named after a long-time entrepreneur in injection molding and moldmaking, and an active member of the SPE and the Plastics Industry Association until his death in 2017. 

Kim is a mechanical engineering student at UNC Charlotte. 

The Polymers Foundation is an extension of The Polymers Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its goal is to encourage, empower and invest in the advancement of the polymers industry. The foundation says one of its most important missions is to provide educational opportunities to people interested in entering the polymers, which it believes helps secure the continued growth and success of the polymers industry. 

“We have partnered with UNCC, as well as other community colleges, to help fund the education of potential plastics professionals. By investing in relationships and people, we can improve opportunities, access to research and education. We take this charge very seriously,” says Phil Shoemaker, director of The Polymers Foundation.

The Polymers Center established the Joseph Young “Joe” Bennett Leadership Award in 2023 to celebrate and carry forward Bennett’s tremendous legacy and contributions to the plastics industry. 

A junior, Kim is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in biomedical engineering from the William States Lee College of Engineering at UNC Charlotte. Her passion for math and science drives her interest in the field, as she aspires to use these skills to design innovations that can positively impact the world. Kim is also involved in the Engineering Leadership Academy, a program designed to develop future engineering leaders.