About Don Schlimme

On July 24, 2012, the cold chain industry lost Donald V. Schlimme, Ph.D., a remarkable man who was an invaluable, respected member of our industry. A member of the WFLO Scientific Advisory Committee since 1983 until his death and a WFLO Scientific Advisor for many of those years, Schlimme was an expert food science and temperature-controlled handling. He was committed to sharing his extensive knowledge with others. In July 2012, Larry Rauch (WFLO Chairman, 2012-13) announced the formation of the WFLO Don Schlimme Scholarship Fund to honor Don Schlimme’s memory and develop young professionals in the cold chain industry.

About the Award

Organized by the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) and its Core Partner the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), the Don Schlimme Award recognizes outstanding young professionals in the North American cold storage industry.

Benefits of Participating in the Award

• Each North American Finalist will compete for the Don Schlimme Future Leader Award at the 2019 IARW-WFLO Convention; April 7-10, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.
• The Don Schlimme Future Leader Award Winner will receive a travel stipend up to $2,500 to attend the 2019 Global NextGen Award Competition at the Global Cold Chain Expo; June 10-12, 2019 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL USA.
• Broaden knowledge and understanding of the industry.
• Meet many key players in the temperature-controlled logistics industry.
• Gain both interviewing and presentation experience and knowledge.

Award Eligibility

This award is open to all employees of all IARW warehouse member companies who:

• Are 35 years of age, or younger as of April 1, 2019
• Have demonstrated excellence in their work
• Have demonstrated potential to excel further in any of the many facets within the industry
• Have worked within the industry for a minimum of three years and have a broad knowledge of the refrigerated warehouse.
• Are from any section of the industry including commercial, administrative, technical, engineering, accounting, sales, handling, service, or management
• Possess insight into their organization’s strategic values and direction, policies
• Are available to attend the IARW-WFLO Convention and Global Cold Chain Expo

Important Deadlines

The 2019 Don Schlimme Award application period opens on August 27, 2018 and will close October 24, 2018. Nominees will be informed of their application status by December 13, 2018.