The beat was full of business and pleasure throughout CastExpo in Atlanta, April 12–15. Foundries, suppliers, service providers, casting buyers and design engineers, academia, FEF students, and more––representing dozens of countries and all casting specialties––flooded show floor aisles, lecture halls, and special events, all aimed toward the knowledge transfer and advancement of the indomitable metalcasting industry. 

AFS continues to receive an outpouring of first-hand reports from exhibitors who garnered large volumes of leads. And Members returned home with fresh technology insights, as well as strategies for adopting automation, increasing efficiencies, and implementing further environmental, health, and safety improvements.

Well-Deserved Recognition

During event, AFS presented two Gold awards: 
(1) Bruce Dienst, president of Norican Group North America, received The Peter L. Simpson Gold Medal for his decades of commitment to advancing metalcasting through leadership, innovation, and strategic insights. His contributions in leading AFS, FEF, and CISA had a lasting positive impact. 

(2) Robert Scholz, senior project manager at TRC Environmental Corp. received The William H. McFadden Gold Medal for his contributions to safety and employee health. He has devoted his career to innovative solutions in industrial ventilation and hygiene.

The 2025 recipients of AFS Service Citations were Jay Morrison, vice president, equipment sales/Eastern region sales manager, Carpenter Brothers Inc., and Colbey Solis, plant manager, Oil City Iron Works. Morrison was recognized for his 25 years of industry service––his work on the AFS Board of Directors coupled with leadership roles with the AFS Western Michigan Chapter and Central Indiana Chapter speak to his commitment to advancing industry standards and driving significant increases in chapter involvement. Solis was honored for his service in AFS chapter leadership and encouraging area students––he became Chair of the AFS Texas Chapter and worked with former chairs and new volunteers to revive the chapter, hosting its first successful regional event in six years, attracting renewed energy from local foundries. In addition, his outreach among student chapter members is pointing young people toward choosing metalcasting careers. 

The AFS Scientific Merit Award went to Paul David Paulsen, president, Furness – Newburge Inc. in recognition of his significant contributions to environmental remediation and sustainable energy within metalcasting. A dedicated member of the Green Sand Committee, he has consistently championed eco-friendly initiatives and educated future metalcasters, with many committee ideas inspired by his work. As an active leader in the AFS Molding Division, his extensive papers and presentations demonstrate his invaluable knowledge and innovation in the field. 

The World Foundry Organization’s (WFO) Jozef Suchy Medal was presented to Denny Dotson, chairman, Dotson Iron Castings and past AFS representative to WFO. He is a lifelong metalcaster who has served as president of both the American Foundry Society and the Ductile Iron Society. Since 2010, he has been chairman of Dotson Iron Castings, a 141-year-old company specializing in the under-50-lb. ductile cast and machined market. 

Inspiration

Attendees enjoyed inspiration aplenty at CastExpo, beginning with Day 1 Keynote Dominique Dawes, 3-time Olympic Gymnast, Olympic Gold medalist, and the first African American gymnast to qualify for the Olympic games. Her compelling story of embracing team mentality, using failure as fuel, and believing in the power of your dreams resonated with the diverse AFS audience of both new and experienced professionals. 

Day 2’s keynote, retired Rear Admiral Scott Moore, captured the heart of every leader with his stories of teamwork in life-and-death circumstances that fed into insights about recruiting, training, and equipping teams that exceed expectations. Having served in every leadership position in the SEAL teams, including the former commander of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, underscored the importance of leadership and cohesiveness.

Day 3’s main stage welcomed Frank Headington, retired from Neenah Foundry, who delivered the Hoyt Memorial Lecture: “Servant Leadership: A Leadership Concept for Today’s World.” His premise: “Servant leadership is about serving people, not using people. Serving others is the most meaningful and satisfying way for leaders to live and lead. It begins with “the natural feeling that one wants to serve.”

On Day 4, inspiration was replaced with a call to action for remanufacturing. The Reshoring Initiative Founder Harry Moser delivered hard data and sound reasoning for bringing manufacturing back to North America and the U.S. specifically.  He revealed new foundry case studies as well as results from the Reshoring Initiative’s recent, national survey among U.S. foundries and casting-buyers. He urged foundry attendees to harness the insights in active defense among their customer base to re-focus the casting supply chain conversation and re-energize the North American casting industry. 

Learning at an Elevated Level

Scores of technical papers were presented at CastExpo, and highlights from four exceptional presentations are summarized beginning on page 42. In addition to the technical and management education sessions, CastExpo featured nine immersive AFS Institute Courses that included: Metalcasting Process Basics – Parts 1 & 2;  Metalcasting Process Basics – Parts 1 & 2; Introduction to Quality and Process Improvement – Parts 1 & 2;  The 10-Step Method for Corrective Action – Parts 1 & 2; and Introduction to Casting Design.

Customers Come to CastExpo

The Casting Source Theater on the show floor connected 200 manufacturer buyers and part design engineers with nine practical and highly-engaging presentations hosted by the editor of Casting Source magazine. Aimed at providing this customer audience with knowledge they can use every day to do their jobs with even greater proficiency, the Buyer-Designer Program brought in top metalcasting experts to unpack: 10 Ways to Reduce Cost on Your Casting Program, Practical vs. Pretty – What Surface Finish Do You Really Need; When to Convert a Weldment to a Casting; How to Get the Best Casting––A Foundry-End User Panel Discussion; the 2024 Casting of the Year Case Study (St Marys Foundry) Reduce Defects to Reduce Rejects: Improving Quality in Your Castings; What to Ask a Prospective Foundry Partner; Selecting the Right Alloy; and Rapid Prototyping and Advanced Manufacturing. 

Women in Metalcasting

The premiere of the Women in Metalcasting (WIM) Dinner brought over 120 attendees together for an evening of connection, celebration, and inspiration. A departure from the traditional annual WIM breakfast, the evening event featured a networking reception as well recognition of women making a difference in the industry. Debbie Eckmeter, Sinto America, was honored with the 2025 Women in Metalcasting Award for Excellence, and Bri Beasley, a student at Georgia Southern University, received the Jean Bye–AFS Women in Metalcasting Scholarship. The program was emceed by WIM Vice Chair Maddie Wilson-Smith, Pittsburgh Foundry & Machine, who also recognized outgoing Chair Michelle Ring, Ductile Iron Society, for her leadership and service. 

Looking Ahead

Good things will unfold in the shadow of CastExpo throughout the year, but it’s not too soon to mark calendars for the 2026 AFS Metal Casting Congress coming to Grand Rapids, Michigan next April 23–26 at the DeVos Place Convention Center.