Linda Gillette is vice president of Pearl Technologies Inc., a Savannah, N.Y., supplier of components used alongside film extrusion, such as punches, perforators, gusset boards, bubble guides and bubble cages.

Pearl began its relationship with RIT in 2011, when the company hired its first co-op student, and that effort continues. Pearl also has donated machinery and equipment to the school, such as a five-punch demonstration kit and a micro-perforation unit that can punch pin-sized holes in plastic film.