News Release

ACC Gains Six New Members, Offers Dues Credit to Members

ARLINGTON, VA (March 2, 2010) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today further demonstrated its commitment to its mission and its members as Cal Dooley, ACC President and CEO, announced a 10 percent reduction in dues for the coming year and the addition of six companies as new members.

The new member companies include five chemical manufacturers and ACC’s first “affiliate member,” a new category that was created by ACC’s board of directors at its last meeting of 2009.  The new members are:

• Clariant Corporation of Charlotte, N.C.;
• Cray Valley USA, LLC of Exton, Pa.;
• Pflaumer Brothers, Inc. of Ewing, N.J.;
• Southern Chemical Corporation of Houston;
• VanDeMark Chemical Inc. of Lockport, N.Y.; and,
• Vinmar International Ltd., a chemical marketing and distribution company based in Houston.

In recognition of the challenges companies continue to face in the recovering economy, Dooley also announced a 10 percent credit for 2010 membership dues.

“These new members represent our early efforts to enhance the participation of small- and medium-sized companies in ACC and our advocacy,” Dooley said.  “ACC provides unparalleled dedication and service to our member companies, and that includes continuously seeking ways to increase our advocacy effectiveness, expand our membership ranks, and manage member dues carefully.”

The addition of new members and dues credit reflect ACC’s enhanced advocacy initiative, announced earlier this year (www.americanchemistry.com), which also provides incentives for smaller companies to join ACC by offering three years of dues relief to help them pay for Responsible Care® implementation while giving them the benefits of ACC membership.

“Responsible Care is a marketable business asset for our members and it is a strong component of the ACC membership value proposition.  This new initiative will help overcome perceived implementation challenges for small companies, while assisting with readiness assessments, formal mentoring, and environmental, health and safety benchmarking.”