Bales Metal Surface Solutions' Harry Raimondi Named Moldmaker Of The Year

A $500 honorarium was presented to the school of Harry’s choice: Township School District 211, specifically Schaumburg High School’s metal working program.

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“Where’s Harry?” is a question the Bales team gets at industry events any time that Harry Raimondi, Bales Technical Services Manager, walks away from the company booth.

After more than 50 years in the business, Harry knows everyone and they know him, whether from his decades as a moldmaker or years on the other side, helping moldmakers tackle their toughest surface and finishing issues.

At Amerimold Expo earlier this month, when people were looking for Harry, it was to congratulate him. During the show, he was presented with the Moldmaker of the Year award by the Society of Plastic Engineers/Mold Making and Mold Design Division. The award annually recognizes one professional who has made a significant, positive contribution to the moldmaking industry.

“With all the talented people in the industry, it was quite a surprise,” says Harry, who recalls that as a teen, he was encouraged to consider moldmaking by an uncle who had been a machinist in the Navy.

Following high school graduation in 1964, Harry began an apprenticeship through the Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA). Sponsored by A-1 Tool Corp in Melrose Park, Ill., he earned $1.35 an hour working 10 hours a day, then attended school for three hours in the evening two nights a week.

In 1976, Harry began working at Major Tool in Schaumburg, Ill., first as a moldmaker and CNC operator, and eventually foreman. Then in 1992, he moved to sales, joining Cutco Industrial Supply in Illinois. Harry came to Bales in 1996. Having been a Bales customer, he could put himself in the shoes of a mold shop’s crew, anticipate their needs, and pinpoint details that might go unnoticed by others.

“It’s so deserved,” says Sara Mortensen, Bales Vice President. She and Stacey Bales, President, nominated Harry. “He’s a pillar of the moldmaking community, not just in Chicagoland but around the U.S.”

In addition to the award, a $500 honorarium will be presented to the school of Harry’s choice: Township School District 211, specifically Schaumburg High School’s metal working program.

DME Co. sponsored the honorarium. In presenting the award, Glenn Starkey, President of Progressive Components International Corp. and President of the SPE board, said: “Along with Harry’s mold-building career, he has been a trusted resource and problem solver for moldmakers throughout the industry.”