Valve World Expo, the 9th Biennial Valve World Conference & Exhibition, Dec. 2-4, 2014 in Düsseldorf, Germany, has grown significantly since the event moved to that location. In the first year, 2010, 535 companies exhibited; by the second year, 2012, there were 591 and this year, there are already more than 625 with three months to go. Because of that growth, the expo organizers have opened up a third exhibit hall for total exhibit space of more than 190,000 feet.

The Valve Manufacturers Association welcomed its first chairman from a Canadian company when Ivan Velan, executive vice president, Velan, Montreal, Quebec, was sworn into office at the 75th annual meeting last fall. But Ivan Velan brings other unique factors to the position as well.

In 2014, the U.S. industrial valve industry will see the fifth straight year of increases in annual shipments. The industry will grow more than 2.1% during the year to reach almost $4.4 billion by year’s end, according to the annual forecast just released by the Valve Manufacturers Association (VMA).

At its 75th Annual Meeting, held Oct. 3-5 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL, members of the Valve Manufacturers Association of America elected Ivan Velan, executive vice president of Velan to serve as 2013-14 chairman of the VMA Board of Directors, filling the slot held by 2012-13 chairman Mark Cordell of Cameron Valves & Measurement. Greg Rogowski of Mueller Co. is vice chairman, while Bob Kemple, ASCO Valve – Emerson Industrial Automation, is program chairman. Newly elected to the board for three-year terms are: Mark Nahorski, PBM; Bryan Burns, DeZURIK; Jeff Drees, Flowserve; and Patrick Dunn, Metso Automation USA.