Robert D. Forger
SPE
Inducted 1997
As the longtime Executive Director of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), Robert Forger (1928-2023) played a central role in helping SPE to become an important worldwide professional association for the plastics industry. During his 21 years as executive director, SPE more than doubled in size, and the number and scope of its activities grew even more rapidly.
Forger is widely recognized for his leadership abilities and management skills. While serving as Executive Director of SPE (1971-1992), the organization achieved substantial gains as measured by the following metrics:
• Membership: Grew from 16,500 to 37,000.
• Revenues: Grew from $805,000 to $5,500,000 annually.
• Range of groups within SPE: Sections grew from 67 to 91; Technical divisions grew from 10 to 18; and Student Chapters grew from 1 to 84.
• Educational seminars: Grew from 2 to 162 annually.
• Technical Conferences: Grew from 10 to 20 annually.
• Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC): The number of papers grew from 148 to 506; attendance grew from 2,000 to nearly 5,000.
Considerable economic inflation occurred during the same period, yet during the expansion of SPE’s activities, membership dues increased from $25 per year to $60. The number of employees on the permanent staff grew from 23 to 37.
Robert Forger joined SPE in 1954 and served as Director of Member Services (1959-1964), Conference Manager (1964-1967), and Associate Executive Director (1967-1971) before becoming Executive Director.
Robert Forger received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Norwich University (Northfield, VT) in 1949. That year, he joined Dorr-Oliver Inc., a Stamford, Connecticut, manufacturer of equipment systems, where he held positions as an engineer, advertising assistant, and manager of technical publicity.
Named a Distinguished Member of SPE, Forger has also served as president of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1971.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic management