SOCMA: Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates

August 22, 2007, Washington, DC - The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) announces that at the midway point of 2007, SOCMA is on track to set the best member retention record of the last 10 years.  This is on top of 2006, which saw the association recruiting the highest number of companies in 10 years, culminating in the highest member total in four years. 

 “These excellent numbers are the result of a continued focus on our member companies,” said SOCMA President, Joe Acker.  “The last few years have seen positive outcomes on a number of SOCMA issue initiatives, most notably in the EPA’s rulemaking on the Definition of Solid Waste.” 

Acker added, “SOCMA has also redoubled its efforts on member services, increasing our outreach to members on regulatory changes and federal agency expectations for the industry.  To that end, SOCMA has created our Joe’s Blog to keep members abreast of developing information and conditions, created a performance improvement newsletter for EHS&S officers, as well as created a members event bulletin to keep members informed of SOCMA sponsored events.  Our members have responded positively to these new tools and we are actively searching for other ways to reach our members.  These are in addition to our traditional efforts such as GlobalChem and our security conferences.”

2007 also saw SOCMA create a number of webinars, the latest trend in ongoing corporate education.  Said Acker: “This allows SOCMA members to attend a highly informative educational session with very low fees and no travel costs.  These are expected to be a major area of growth for the association in the coming year.”

Continued Acker, “the strength of these numbers show the industry is valuing association membership given the regulatory and political environments.  Industry is increasingly putting a value on representation before regulatory bodies.  This uniquely positions SOCMA, as the association has worked hard to gain credibility before federal regulators, as companies themselves are finding.”

“One other area that should be identified is SOCMA’s ChemStewards Program,” said Acker.  “The program was in development for two years and is now active.  We are seeing a number of companies interested in the association for this program alone.  ChemStewards appeals to any company wishing to increase its standing within its community and ensure cost efficiencies and excellence in the management of EHS&S.  With REACH being a major element in the production of products for European markets and sustainability becoming much more than just a buzzword in the United States, companies are looking to programs that will assist them in managing their companies more effectively and more safely.  ChemStewards fits that requirement at a low cost and in a highly effective manner.”

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