The William R. Carteaux Leadership Award celebrates the lasting impact of longtime PLASTICS President and CEO Bill Carteaux, whose tireless advocacy, optimism, and collaborative spirit helped shape the modern plastics industry. Throughout his tenure, Bill was widely respected for his unique ability to unite diverse stakeholders, champion the industry’s workforce, and face even the toughest industry challenges with resilience and grace.
This award honors his legacy by recognizing an exceptional industry professional who embodies those same defining values: unity, dedication, perseverance, and selflessness. Today, the Carteaux Award recognizes an outstanding industry professional who carries that torch—someone whose personal distinction and dedication have created a lasting, positive impact across the plastics industry.
Do you know someone whose leadership reflects Bill’s enduring spirit? Nominations for the 2027 William R. Carteaux Leadership Award will officially open in November 2026.
Eligibility & Nominations:
Who can nominate: Candidates may be nominated by industry peers, colleagues, or community members.
Who is eligible: Any employee of a PLASTICS member company who embodies Bill Carteaux’s values and works for the betterment of our industry is eligible for nomination by peers, colleagues, or mentors.
Longtime PLASTICS President and CEO Bill Carteaux (1959–2018) was a visionary leader whose career was defined by bridge-building, fierce advocacy, and profound optimism.
A machinery veteran who previously led Demag Plastics Group and Autojectors, Bill understood the plastics sector from the shop floor up. From 2005 to 2018, he brought that manufacturing perspective to Washington, guiding the association through historic growth. Under his stewardship, NPE: The Plastics Show flourished into one of the largest and most influential manufacturing trade shows in the world, and SPI successfully rebranded into the modern Plastics Industry Association to better champion the entire supply chain. In 2015, he was honored as the youngest inductee in history into the Plastics Hall of Fame.
When diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2016, Bill met the challenge with characteristic grit—launching the “InvinciBill” campaign to rally the industry and raise critical funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
While we lost Bill in December 2018, his leadership philosophy continues to shape our industry. This award honors his memory by celebrating those who lead with the same dedication, unity, and selflessness Bill modeled every day.
Membership in the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) gives your company a voice in shaping the industry’s future and a measurable return on investment through networking, advocacy, educational programming and business opportunities that can come only from joining.
