31 Even though we didn’t have the 2020 Holiday Party, we continued with the toy drive for Children’s Hospital. I want to thank everyone who donated toys to the children who are in the hospital not able to see their family. We had several gifts sent to Emultec, the majority sent directly to the hospital via Amazon. I am told that it was a great success, and they are very appreciative of our organization and its members to always help them each year. I am so proud of our members for coming through again! In February we presented the 2019 Merit Award to Rachelle Allen (the last in person meeting we had!) And for 2020 Speaker of the Year is Alison Griffin who spoke about Color Trends. I want to thank everyone who helped this year, either by leading a committee or assisting as a volunteer. Melanie Timms was essential in selecting the speakers, Maria Mayeron found the venues for the two meetings we conducted in person, Jeff Barcafar coordinated the Golf Tournament, and Robert Vetkoetter who reviews all our contracts/business matters. We are a success because of these volunteers! My greatest appreciation is to the 2020 SWSCC Board (Andra Corder, Mauricio Castro, David Stott, and Alison Nally) for their hard work. It was a tough year but very successful! You all worked very hard and deserve the recognition! I also want to thank our Area Directors Jacklin Hoffelt and Angie Inouye for their support in 2020. Finally, a big thank you to the SCC National Board for supporting us in a year that was new to everyone. They moved quickly and provided us with guidance and tools to make it successful. I must give kudos to Colleen Daddino as I probably harassed her the most with all my questions and guidance. � Congratulations to the new 2021 board (Andra Corder, Chrissy Burton, Kim Wandell, David Stott and Nirmal Shah) and I wish them all the success in the upcoming year. It is always great to see new “blood” on the board. I am looking forward to all the new and exciting changes or events they will bring. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and that 2021 will be a year of not looking back but embracing what we have learned and moving forward with changes. Sincerely, Mary Miller Chair – 2020 SWSCC

32 St. Louis 2020 proved to be an odd year, but it was full of more education at our fingertips (keyboard) than any previous year. The St. Louis Chapter started the year with a wonderful meeting in February, where Dr. Gabriella Baki taught us about emulsions, textures, and rheology. Alongside a delicious pasta lunch, around 35 members got a hands-on learning experience with emulsions and emulsifiers. This presentation was so wonderful Dr. Baki was awarded the St. Louis Speaker of the Year! Shortly after our first in-person meeting, COVID hit, and the world went on shut down. St. Louis, like the rest of the chapters, had to jump into the virtual webinar world. We had our first Webinar in April, by our own 2021 chair, Cheryl Mitchell. Cheryl gave us an insider preview of what it is like to be a small maker, from sourcing raw materials to compounding on micro scale! She navigated us around the challenges and wins to being a small maker! Following Cheryl’s presentation, we heard from another St. Louis chapter officer, Dale Sanson in July. Dale gave a detailed view of formulating products very common for pet parents in the summer, Flea and Tick grooming treatments. Dale guided, our largest attended meeting of the year, around the different types of pesticides, from the EPA minimum risk category, to registered pesticides. He highlighted issues with adding these actives to surfactant systems, and the most commonly used systems in the industry. In July, we heard from Jim Mosbaugh and his patented research on medium chain fatty acids. His research has provided a solution to deliver plant based antimicrobial medium chain fatty acid esters to formulation. September brought us a fascinating presentation by Frances Troy from Imerys on a large natural raw material category, minerals. Frances taught us about mineral specifications, what they mean, and helped us identify applications for a vast variety of minerals. Frances also addressed the dark cloud around many minerals, while building a toolbox of knowledge for all formulators. In November we had the please of Liz Streland installing our 2021 board: Cheryl Mitchell: Chair Denisha Patel: Chair-Elect Dale Sanson: Secretary and Newsletter Editor Ashley McKinney: Treasurer Sophie Bonham: Treasurer-Elect I personally look forward to another spectacular year in 2021 serving on the St. Louis Board again, and hopefully seeing many more people in person! Thank you, Sophie Bonham (2020 St. Louis Chair)