Among other notable moments during the awards ceremony:
-- Dow Automotive won a PACE Award for its Impaxx energy-absorbing foam.
Doug Shewchuck, global market manager for Dow Automotive's energy management systems, cited sobering proof of Impaxx's energy-absorbing ability: the April 4 crash of Michael McDowell's NASCAR race car during qualifying trials at the Texas Motor Speedway, in Fort Worth, Texas.
The car, equipped with Impaxx, hit the wall at 200 mph and rolled over eight times. McDowell walked away, got into a backup car and qualified for the Samsung 500 race.
-- Cummins Inc. won for its 6.7-liter Turbo Diesel engine.
"I'm really thrilled for the many Cummins employees who worked their tails off to develop this product," Cummins President Joe Lough-rey said in accepting the award.
He also credited several partners and others for assisting in the effort. The list included the Department of Energy and "the EPA, believe it or not, for being willing to look at a different approach" to reducing emissions.
Loughrey closed by thanking the PACE Awards sponsors "for giving us a chance to show our stuff."
-- Dennis Kovalsky, vice president of automotive coatings at PPG Industries Inc., agreed with that assessment of the award. "It really does showcase the advancements being made in the automotive industry," Kovalsky said.
He asked, "How many people had the shrimp cocktail this evening?" PPG won for its Green Logic paint process, which uses chitosan — derived from crab, lobster and shrimp shells — rather than acid- or formaldehyde-based products as a detackifier.
Said Kovalsky: "Thank you for creating the raw material we use."
