The Association said goodbye on August 1 to Dennis Cornelius, NELMA’s retiring Export Wood Packaging Inspector for Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Eastern Iowa. Dennis has provided inspection services to NELMA’s wood packaging facilities from his home base in Freeport, Illinois for nearly 11 1/2 years, witnessing significant changes to the program over the years. He advanced to the position of Program Coordinator in 2009, working closely with the Association’s staff to instill consistency in the inspection process and implementation of new aspects of the standard.
The process of replacement has been underway since Dennis’ plans became known in June. As with any field personnel changes, NELMA’s President and Director of Inspection Services take the opportunity to review customer locations and territory boundaries to ensure efficiency in fulfilling the requirements of the position. As a result, the home base for this
territory has been relocated to the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, where the personnel search began and a new staff member has been hired.
NELMA is pleased to introduce Peter Sohnle as the latest member of the Inspection Staff, who began his orientation and training process on July 28. Peter brings extensive customer service skills to the position, having most recently worked as a territory manager for a nationwide woodworking hardware distributor, providing coverage to around 300 customers in Wisconsin. He is also an accomplished woodworker himself with a broad knowledge of wood species and properties gained through the design and construction of custom furniture. Peter is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee with a degree in Sociology, in addition to earning a Technical Diploma in Architectural Woodworking from the Milwaukee Area Technical College. He lives in Wauwatosa (Milwaukee suburb) with his wife Karen and their two daughters. We welcome Peter to the NELMA family!
