President's Column - October 2026
Hello Members and Industry Friends,
Well, that’s a wrap! My time as President is winding down. At the upcoming Annual Meeting, the baton will be passed to the Incoming President. It has been an honor. It has not always been easy, but it has certainly been an honor.
My participation with the IADD spans fifteen years, and the only constant has been change. I’ve written time and time again about how the times have changed and the challenges we face as an association in keeping up with those changes. In some areas, we were making progress; in others, our wheels were spinning. I proudly accepted the presidential nomination to help push us forward.
As my time winds down, of course I’ve done a lot of reflection on my effectiveness in that push. I feel I’ve had some wins but there are certainly areas where more progress is still needed.
Again, as I’ve noted before, the biggest challenge we face is sharing our knowledge and experience in modern times. In-person chapter meetings are not what they once were, as information is so much more readily available. Our content is just as relevant today as it has ever been, but how it is shared and consumed has changed drastically.
So, how do we get our message out? That is THE question.
What I am so happy, optimistic and enthusiastic about is that I believe we have found the answer. And we were not far off all along.
It is education.
We knew that was our strength, but the question was: what do we do with it? The answer has come in the form of hands-on and introductory training.
I am incredibly grateful to have such a motivated group that has taken this approach to levels that seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream not so long ago. Within the last 18 months, Mark Goklin, Anne Barrett and Sarah Farley have driven a 101 training program that has really taken off with great success.
It has opened new doors, started new discussions and confirmed the value of the association. I cannot thank that team and the staff who have supported and grown the 101s enough.
It gives us what we need: a vehicle. A door opener. Now we have to rely on our volunteers to walk through that door.
I warmly recognize our volunteers for the time they give to strategy and committee calls. But now we need action. We have gone too long trying to change the tide our way. The tide is changing, but we need to capitalize on it.
We finally have some momentum and I’m confident the right people are continuing the push.
Coming into my term, I saw two big opportunities that I wanted to see through during my time: the publication of a Spanish-language The Cutting Edge and a dedicated social media manager.
What we kept in mind was that neither of those things would change our course by themselves.
For The Cutting Edge, we need content. We need news. We need something to share. The intent was never simply to translate the English version, but to publish local content in Spanish, aimed at regional diemakers and converters, with targeted local advertising.
With social media, it was a similar thought.
Social media is a voice and a spotlight to share what the association is doing. But again, we needed content. What message are we trying to share?
This is why the 101 training has been so well timed.
Our message is education.
We can now post about the training we are doing, share the student events we have held with local colleges and highlight the Board members, staff and volunteers bringing it all to the market. With so much new to share, we have hired a Social Media Manager, Erin O’Neill. This is a big step for the IADD, and I’m excited to see where it takes us and happy to be part of the team that led that charge.
None of this would be possible without our staff, and it has not been easy on this small team either. Thank you for everything.
Jenny, thank you for keeping up with the travel and schedule changes for our weekly calls. And Cassi, I owe you one for putting up with my consistently late column submissions. I’m sorry! I would also like to recognize Leanne, who had always provided such great support and was a pleasure to work with over the last few years. I wish her all the success in her new role.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read some of my columns. I tried to keep a balance between personal stories, situations I found myself in, “riding along” as I began a new position in a new country and, of course, business-relevant topics.
Lastly, I deeply thank all our members for their continued support. You are the reason we keep pushing.
And for any folks who have read most of my articles: no, I still have not figured out the recycling rules here in Switzerland!
It has been my pleasure to serve as your President. Thank you for your trust. Looking forward to seeing where we go next!
Thank you and all the best,
Rob has 27 years of experience at Bobst, one of the world’s leading suppliers of substrate processing, printing and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries. He currently serves as Tooling Director.
Rob is based in Switzerland, with his wife Monica and their children, Leo and Manuela. His older son, Khai is engaged and remains living in New Jersey. Rob enjoys camping and cooking as well as being a full time chauffer to hockey and swimming practices.
He is proof that being one of those “take it apart and see how it works” kind of guys can lead you to a wonderful career, meeting new people and experiencing the world.
The President's Column appears in The Cutting Edge, the IADD's monthly magazine.
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