The Finish Line

Terry Karst officially retired in June after a 40-year manufacturing career and 18 years as President at 3P Processing in Wichita, Kansas.

3P Processing was founded in 2012, but by the time Karst arrived, the facility had already undergone several ownership changes and carried a long history within Wichita’s aerospace community. The operation eventually evolved into 3P Processing, a name inspired by the company’s mission.

The company’s footprint grew to approximately 115,000 square feet, with additional expansion opportunities nearby. More importantly, the facility became a critical supplier to aerospace manufacturers across the industry.

Karst did not begin his career in finishing. He joined Boeing in Wichita in 1986 as an engineer, primarily working in material review and engineering support roles. After earning an MBA, he moved to Honeywell, where he spent nearly a decade in avionics. The move expanded his management responsibilities and prepared him for future leadership roles.

Visit https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2901-legends-terry-karst-3p-processing

Jamie Visker is President of Winona Powder Coating, which operates a 167,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Etna Green, Indiana, along with a 50,000-square-foot facility in Elkhart.

The company’s workforce has grown to about 160 employees, and it is already considering expansion plans as it runs short on space again.

As the company grew, Winona Powder Coating moved beyond being a traditional local job shop. It began taking on more technically demanding work requiring robust quality systems, engineering support, and advanced operational capabilities.

Today, coated parts processed at Winona Powder Coating ultimately end up on vehicles and products from major manufacturers, including Volkswagen, Ford, General Motors, Subaru, and leading agricultural OEMs.

Visit https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/powder-coat/2897-from-banking-to-booths-winona-powder-coating-builds-a-reputation-for-solving-finishing-challenges

Tammy Speal is General Manager of Valence Surface Technologies’ Blairsville, Pennsylvania, facility, a 55,000-square-foot operation that has become one of the most versatile, defense-focused finishing operations in the region.

Valence Surface Technologies acquired the former H&W Global Industries in 2021 after recognizing the value in a provider of surface treatment for highly engineered products in the aerospace and defense market in the Northeast region of North America.

What began as a smaller plating operation has grown into a comprehensive finishing hub—one that supports a wide range of defense and industrial applications, including approvals for Moog, Aerojet Rocketdyne, BAE, General Dynamics, Kongsberg Defense, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Martin Baker of America, Northrop Grumman, Rafael Aerospace, SpaceX, and others.

Speal credits her teams with the operation's success.

“Their knowledge is not something you just go out and take a course to learn,” she says. “It’s something you gain through years, and having access to that, it changes everything.”

Read the article at https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2878-valence-surface-technologies-blairsville-facility-is-scaling-capability-quality-and-market-reach.

For Magnum Powder Coating owners Nancy and Steve Couturier and their son Matt, it was always the plan that their son would take over someday when the parents retired from their Comstock Park, Michigan, business, which they have owned for more than three decades.

In 1992, with a three-year-old child and a newborn at home, the Couturiers leaped, as many entrepreneurs understand all too well: they started their own business. By 2003, Magnum Powder Coating moved into its current facility. What started as roughly 3,000 square feet has since grown to about 18,000 square feet.

Magnum offers conventional powder coating, chemical stripping, and sandblasting services. The team also maintains its own racks and hooks to ensure cleanliness and consistency.

Visit https://www.magnumpowdercoating.com. 

Kyle Ingham is the owner of Ingham's Powder Coating, which operates two facilities in Pennsylvania. The original shop began as a modest 10,000-square-foot operation in Stevens, Pennsylvania.

About 13 years ago, Ingham expanded by purchasing a second location—a 17,000-square-foot facility. In 2024, he began a major expansion of that building, spending the entire year adding to it, taking it from 17,000 square feet to about 34,000 square feet.

One of Ingham Powder Coating’s distinguishing characteristics is its diverse range of markets. While the main facility focuses on larger production work, the original shop handles specialty projects and retail customers.

Visit https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/powder-coat/2840-collaboration-technology-and-trust-how-ingham-powder-coating-built-a-modern-finishing-operation

Jim Meyer is the President of Aviation Repair Solutions in Long Beach, California, a highly specialized finishing and repair operation that plays a critical role in keeping aircraft operational.

Aviation Repair Solutions is a focused Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility that blends hard chrome plating, precision grinding, and non-destructive testing into a seamless, FAA-certified repair process for high-value aircraft components.

ARS serves three primary customer categories: commercial airlines, independent component repair stations, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Typical turnaround times range from 15 working days to 6 weeks, depending on the complexity of the repair, masking requirements, baking cycles, and additional finishing steps, such as cadmium plating, which is often performed by partner metal finishers.

Visit https://aviation-repair.com.

Greystone Machining & Plating began as a Rhode Island plating shop in 1932 and has evolved into a global manufacturing partner serving automotive, medical, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets. Today, Greystone is roughly split between machining and finishing operations, a balance that allows it to address challenges that many suppliers only encounter after problems arise.

We talk with Leif Walther, Vice President of Sales, and Jesse Bussiere, Global Market Manager, about how the company is positioned as a problem-solver for manufacturers facing some of the most demanding tolerance, performance, and reliability requirements.

Visit https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2800-greystone-machining-plating-engineers-precision-in-machining-and-finishing

James Simonelli’s is executive director of the Metal Finishers Association of California, a role he assumed on January 1.

Simonelli’s leadership comes at a time when collaboration across the metals industry has become essential. Over the past several years, companies have increasingly joined both MFAC and the California Metals Coalition, where he has spent much of his career advocating for the broader metals sector.

California’s metal finishing industry found itself in the middle of one of the most consequential regulatory battles it has ever faced. In 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved sweeping new regulations targeting the use of hexavalent chromium in plating and finishing operations.

Read the article at https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2791-new-leadership-renewed-resolve-simonelli-takes-helm-at-metal-finishers-association-of-california.

Jason Brassard is the owner of Brapsard Powder Coating in Franklin, New Hampshire, and grew his powder coating business the same way many others have: a small setup, a lot of trial and error, and a passion that quickly outgrew the garage.

When Brassard was approached by a friend to help him remember his late brother, he developed an unusual way to immortalize loved ones through his craft: embedding their ashes into the powder coating to finish unique parts that would hold them dear to their families.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Brassard’s business is something few powder coaters have ever attempted: incorporating cremated ashes into powder-coated finishes.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/Brapcoat/

James DeDeus is President of JMD Industries in New Hampshire, which recently acquired Massachusetts’ Patriot Coatings.

The Patriot Coatings acquisition, finalized at the end of 2025, represents the most significant expansion in JMD Industries’ nearly 50-year history. 

JMD Industries’ roots trace back to 1977, when the company was founded in Lawrence, Massachusetts, by DeDeus’s parents. In its early years, the business focused heavily on restoration work, such as chrome plating automotive parts, refinishing antiques, and serving anyone who walked through the door.

One of the most consequential decisions in JMD’s evolution came around 2018, when the company committed to pursuing NADCAP accreditation.

Visit https://jmd.industries and https://www.patriotcoating.com.