Saflex® Makes Waves

Saflex, a unit of Solutia Inc. and manufacturer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer used in producing laminated glass, is now making waves on the water. Saflex brand products are used extensively around the world in laminated glazing applications that enhance protection and comfort such as high impact resistant hurricane windows and automotive acoustic windshields. Within the Saflex product family, the Vanceva brand comprises a line of unique interlayer colors that are vibrant and aesthetically pleasing for flexible design applications and best represents the spirit and energy of the Saflex-sponsored juniors sailing team. Fresh from winning the Junior North American Championship 2006 in San Diego, Team Vanceva, under talented skipper Ian Schillebeeckx, has been heating up the regatta circuit both in the United States and abroad.

"We are pleased to be able to support Ian and his crew during the 2006 regatta season," says Luc De Temmerman, president of Solutia's Performance Products division, which includes the Saflex business unit. "They are a very talented group of young sailors, and we are proud to have them sailing under the Vanceva name."

The Washington, Missouri-based Schillebeeckx, together with crew Beth Ward and Lucas Hofmeister of Nashville, competes in the 19-and-under Juniors' Lightning Class. However, because of the limited number of Juniors' Lightning events in the U.S., the crew often competes in open regattas. Even against world-class adult sailors, Team Vanceva is heating up the Lightning Class circuit. In a race at the recent Canadian Open Regatta on Lake Erie, the Vanceva crew nabbed first place out of 35 boats, edging out an adult team that took second place at the World Championship Lightning class event in Chile last year. The team also captured first place at the Junior North American Championship in San Diego in August.

"We greatly appreciate Saflex's sponsorship, and we are proud to sail under the Vanceva name," says skipper Schillebeeckx. "The sponsorship is helping us sail in more than a dozen regattas this season." Saflex's sponsorship helps defray the cost of regatta entry fees and travel expenses. The team recently returned from the 2006 Youth World Championship in Finland, where they placed seventh in a field that included the world's top teams from Latin America and Europe.

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