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wiredInUSA - February 2014
10
WAI's new hand
at the helm
The Wire Association International has
appointed William (Bill) Avise as president of
the association for a one-year term, beginning
1
st
January 2014. He will serve as chairman of
the board of directors and is the 60
th
president
of the 84-year-old association.
A WAI member since 1993, Mr Avise has
been actively involved in the organization’s
leadership through his participation on the
executive committee; as a member, and later co-chairman,
of the conference programming committee; and as executive
committee liaison to both the paper awards and member relations
committees.
He has also contributed to theAmericanWire Producers Association
(AWPA) since 1994, serving as the organization’s operations
committee chairman between 1999 and 2004.
Mr Avise is president of theWireGroupand vice president of Leggett
& Platt. His career in the wire industry began in August 1970 at Union
WireRope (Armco) inKansasCity. From1970 to1975, whileattending
college at Central Missouri State University, he worked as a wire
drawer. After graduating with a degree in business he became a
shift supervisor, progressing in time to operations manager. In 1988
he accepted the position of plant manager with Leggett & Platt at
the Merit Steel facility in Kouts, Indiana. Following a promotion to
vice president of operations, he relocated to Carthage, Missouri,
and became president of the Wire Group in 2009.