AMPP Interview Series

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) represents 140,000 workers in the finishing trades across the United States and Canada. 

In this March 2025 episode, IUPAT’s Andrew Croll and Ken Seal share insights on the organization’s mission to support and train professionals in the coatings industry; its strategies pertaining to recruiting and retaining workers; emerging technologies and jobsite trends in the industry; and much more.

Gary Gray, a longtime coatings contractor and an executive with Tenor ESOP Partners and ESOP Consulting Group, LLC, says he is seeing considerable momentum toward broad-based employee ownership as a growth tool.

With the strategy also representing a tax advantaged exit alternative, Gray explains why he believes the momentum is especially strong in the construction sector.

Terry Greenfield, principal consultant at CONSULEX and a past AMPP chairman and past NACE International president, joins our first podcast of 2025! As AMPP’s accredited representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Terry shares insight and perspective from his recent industry travels — including valuable feedback from the field and opportunities to collaborate and potentially solve many corrosion-related challenges.

Russell Raad, president of “one-stop shop” Abrasives Inc., recently joined a sponsored episode of the CoatingsPro Interview Series with insight on his company’s unique specialties and market position.

Discussion topics include marketplace trends, changes, and regulatory impacts; unique challenges to the surface preparation of industrial coatings jobs; strategies to incorporate feedback from contractors and end users; an outlook for the future; and available resources from Abrasives Inc. to assist in these processes.

Kaveh Meghdadpour, Director of National Accounts and Business Development and the East Region Manager at Crown Polymers, joins this sponsored episode of the CoatingsPro Interview Series.

Discussion topics include industry trends and pain points within floor coatings; successful case studies using Crown solutions; the importance of manufacturers and contractors working together; and strategies to address potential industry concerns in the years ahead, such as workforce development.

Kyle McDonald, Project Manager at Western Specialty Contractors in Delray Beach, Florida, recently joined the CoatingsPro Interview Series with insights pertaining to his job scope and beyond.

Discussion topics include standout projects from his time at Western; unique coating factors to consider with concrete substrates and his regional market; industry trends related to technologies, materials, equipment, and workforce development; and much more.

Greg Mulholland, founder and CEO of Citrine Informatics, shares his perspective on how artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly affecting the coatings industry and others linked to materials protection and performance. Discussion topics include development processes influenced by AI; feedback from industrial users; strategies for using AI to adapt to industry trends and new regulations; what the future evolution of AI may look like; and available resources to learn more.

Jennifer Rogers, Senior Director of Education, shares the latest intel regarding AMPP’s newest educational program, Cathodic Protection (CP) Field Techniques. The two-day, immersive course introduces personnel to essential corrosion testing methods and real-world field techniques.

In this interview, Rogers explains the background and development process of the course; how it incorporates member collaboration and feedback; and ways in which it overcomes historical limitations while meeting modern needs.

HZO Inc. is a provider of conformal coatings solutions for electronics and other products made for a variety of markets ranging from consumer electronics, medical devices, aerospace, semiconductors, and more.

In this sponsored episode, Sean Clancy, Ph.D.—Senior Director of Materials Science at HZO—shares industry insights gained from many years of performing root-cause failure analysis in these products and markets.

Kern Williams, Government Affairs Manager at AMPP, joins this week’s podcast with insight on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newly issued final rule pertaining to Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).

Topics include background information on the lead pipes replacement plan and how it is tied to corrosion control and materials protection; educational resources available to help members and member companies get involved in the process; a potential timeline for implementation; and other topics on AMPP’s agenda in the weeks following the Nov. 5 election.

For more information, visit AMPP’s Government Affairs web page.