Upon Further Inspection

In Part 1 of our conversation, Branden and Greg sit down with Travis Harrington, Senior Manager for Enhanced Inspection and Maintenance at Chevron, to explore the experiences, family influences, and mentors who helped shape his career.

Travis reflects on growing up in rural South Louisiana, working his way through college at UL Lafayette, and finding his way into the inspection industry through a 40-hour radiation safety course, his brother’s work in NDE, and a summer on an offshore platform.

He shares lessons from the mentors who encouraged him to think independently, traces his career progression through Chevron and Anadarko, and discusses why quality must be built into every stage of a project. Travis also reflects on the 2026 Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit and the leadership principles he carries into both his professional and personal life: be a good teammate, work hard, and have fun.

Whether you’re building your career, developing future leaders, or managing an integrity program, this conversation offers practical takeaways on accountability, mentorship, and making the most of every opportunity.

If you enjoyed this discussion, part 2 of our conversation with Travis will be published on Thursday, November 19. Subscribe to Upon Further Inspection so you are notified as soon as the new episode drops.

• 00:00 Welcome and Introduction
• 01:08 Takeaways from the 2026 Summit
• 03:24 Growing Up in South Louisiana
• 05:01 First Steps into NDE Work
• 08:07 Early Mentors and Work Ethic
• 10:00 Working Through College in Lafayette
• 11:47 Cajun Cooking and Gumbo Season
• 12:31 Serbian Roots and a Military Father
• 17:17 Louisiana’s French and Spanish Heritage
• 20:34 Hard Work as a Family Value
• 23:32 Landing the Job at Chevron Pascagoula
• 25:17 Mentorship: Teaching the Process
• 26:37 World-Class Inspector Training
• 28:53 PSM and the Rise of Integrity Groups
• 31:05 Figure It Out: Problem Solving
• 33:46 Sports and Teamwork Lessons
• 38:30 Industry Along the Gulf Corridor
• 39:57 From Refinery to Corporate Roles
• 42:13 Why Quality Starts Early
• 43:33 Asset Integrity at Anadarko
• 45:33 Leading Through the Downturn
• 47:02 Working in Different-Sized Organizations
• 49:16 Good Leadership and Having Fun
• 50:37 Conclusion and Podcast Credits

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Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

• API – American Petroleum Institute
• ASNT – American Society for Nondestructive Testing
• ETC – Energy Technology Company
• FCC – Fluid Catalytic Cracking
• MI – Mechanical Integrity
• NDE – Nondestructive Examination
• NDT – Nondestructive Testing
• OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• PSM – Process Safety Management
• PT – Penetrant Testing
• QA – Quality Assurance
• QC – Quality Control
• RBI – Risk-Based Inspection
• UL – University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• UT – Ultrasonic Testing

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Ryan Corn, Lead Corporate Refining Reliability Specialist at Marathon, hosts Branden Stucky and Greg Alvarado examine Ryan’s progression through inspection supervision and routine maintenance to his current focus on predictive maintenance and long-term fixed equipment reliability. Ryan reflects on how inspection activities can affect maintenance schedules, why communicating the rationale behind inspections helps gain maintenance team support, and how experience in both functions informs his approach to asset integrity.

The discussion explores the organizational and technical elements of reliability, from area team concepts and coordination between operations and maintenance to collaboration between corrosion engineers and inspectors. Ryan explains how damage mechanism reviews, corrosion control documents (CCDs), and risk-based inspection (RBI) are being developed together, along with the purpose of integrity operating windows (IOWs) and the impact of remote thickness sensors on condition monitoring. 

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:24 Illini Roots And Cardinals Fandom
• 03:10 Respect For The Front Lines
• 03:51 From Pre-Med To Mechanical Engineering
• 04:41 Glass Stove Top Manufacturing
• 05:04 Pipeline Valves And Joining Marathon
• 06:32 Junior College To University Of Illinois
• 07:17 How Glass Cooktops Are Made
• 08:46 Quality Lessons That Transfer To MI
• 09:33 Metallurgy For Non-Metallurgists
• 10:13 A Century-Old Refinery
• 11:23 Shifting From Time-Based To Risk-Based
• 12:29 RBI’s Bad Reputation
• 13:40 Defining The Best Inspection
• 14:00 Young Engineer, Veteran Inspectors
• 15:40 Earning Trust With Inspectors
• 17:25 The Inspector Personality Test
• 19:08 Path To Inspection Supervisor
• 21:26 From Contributor To Leader
• 23:17 Mentors Along The Way
• 24:14 Communicating Up The Organization
• 25:25 Learn How Others Communicate
• 28:32 Scripting Your Presentations
• 31:19 Building An RBI Program
• 33:21 Cross-Functional Buy-In
• 38:03 Marathon’s Area Team Concept
• 39:21 Breaking Down Silos With RBI
• 40:08 Using Everyone’s Time Wisely
• 40:58 Wrap Up And Conclusion

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

• API – American Petroleum Institute
• BME – Biomedical Engineering
• MI – Mechanical Integrity
• PT – Penetrant Testing
• RBI – Risk-Based Inspection
• Wet Mag – Wet Fluorescent Magnetic Particle Testing

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

In Part 1 of our conversation with Ryan Corn, Lead Corporate Refining Reliability Specialist at Marathon, hosts Branden Stucky and Greg Alvarado trace Ryan’s path from pre-med classes in small-town Illinois to a career in mechanical integrity. Ryan shares how his experience in quality and process engineering at a glass stovetop manufacturer and later managing a machine shop that repaired pipeline valves prepared him for his eventual role as an inspection engineer in Robinson, Illinois. He discusses taking on the goal of running the refinery’s risk-based inspection (RBI) program and how the principles he learned in manufacturing quality control carried into his work in inspection.

The conversation then turns to what makes RBI work in practice, including why it is about defining the right inspection rather than simply deferring one, and why collaboration with operations, process, and corrosion experts was essential. Ryan also discusses his transition from inspection engineer to inspection supervisor, the shift from doing the work to supporting the people doing it, the mentors who shaped his career, and practical lessons on communicating with different personalities and presenting to leadership.

Part 2 of our conversation with Ryan is coming soon. Subscribe to Upon Further Inspection to stay up to date on future episodes and conversations. 

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:24 Illini Roots And Cardinals Fandom
• 03:10 Respect For The Front Lines
• 03:51 From Pre-Med To Mechanical Engineering
• 04:41 Glass Stove Top Manufacturing
• 05:04 Pipeline Valves And Joining Marathon
• 06:32 Junior College To University Of Illinois
• 07:17 How Glass Cooktops Are Made
• 08:46 Quality Lessons That Transfer To MI
• 09:33 Metallurgy For Non-Metallurgists
• 10:13 A Century-Old Refinery
• 11:23 Shifting From Time-Based To Risk-Based
• 12:29 RBI’s Bad Reputation
• 13:40 Defining The Best Inspection
• 14:00 Young Engineer, Veteran Inspectors
• 15:40 Earning Trust With Inspectors
• 17:25 The Inspector Personality Test
• 19:08 Path To Inspection Supervisor
• 21:26 From Contributor To Leader
• 23:17 Mentors Along The Way
• 24:14 Communicating Up The Organization
• 25:25 Learn How Others Communicate
• 28:32 Scripting Your Presentations
• 31:19 Building An RBI Program
• 33:21 Cross-Functional Buy-In
• 38:03 Marathon’s Area Team Concept
• 39:21 Breaking Down Silos With RBI
• 40:08 Using Everyone’s Time Wisely
• 40:58 Wrap Up And Conclusion 

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations 

• API – American Petroleum Institute
• BME – Biomedical Engineering
• MI – Mechanical Integrity
• PT – Penetrant Testing
• RBI – Risk-Based Inspection
• Wet Mag – Wet Fluorescent Magnetic Particle Testing 

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

We're back with Kelly Schupp, ASME PCC Standards Chair and Consulting Engineer at Equity, for part 2 of our conversation! This episode picks up with Kelly’s transition from design engineering to refinery and chemical plant fixed equipment, including how an all-day interview at Valero changed her career direction, a “sink or swim” introduction to post-construction, and lessons in writing technical requirements that work across sites of vastly different sizes.

Kelly shares stories spanning 1930s German reactors, the Haber-Bosch process, glass process columns, and the potential pitfalls of spark testing. The conversation then turns to codes and standards, including capturing tribal knowledge, should versus shall, the value of peer networks, and ASME PTB-2 as a life cycle roadmap for younger engineers. Kelly also discusses her plans for sustainability as PCC Chair and the responsibility of experienced engineers to share hard-earned knowledge with the next generation.

If you enjoyed this discussion, subscribe to Upon Further Inspection so you don't miss the next episode.

• 00:45 Team Captain vs. Coach Leadership
• 01:19 Why Kelly Skipped Management
• 03:26 Concerns Over the PE Stamp
• 04:38 Choosing Valero St. Charles
• 06:09 Sink or Swim in Post-Construction
• 08:19 Cat Cracker Replacement
• 09:33 Influence Without Authority
• 11:27 Fixed Equipment Role at BASF
• 14:19 Writing Standards Across Sites
• 15:41 Methanex and Returning to Consulting
• 17:25 PVP 2018 and a Trip to Germany
• 21:14 Six-Pack Reactors and German Foresight
• 24:09 Lost Records and Vessel History
• 29:07 Shrink-Fit Coil-Wound Vessel
• 30:31 Haber-Bosch and the BASF Legacy
• 37:41 Borosilicate Glass Columns
• 42:20 Dietrich and Glass-Lined Equipment
• 44:06 Spark Testing Pitfalls
• 46:32 Capturing Tribal Knowledge
• 47:43 Should vs. Shall Debates
• 50:16 Why Peer Networks Matter
• 51:38 PTB-2 Life Cycle Roadmap
• 54:13 PCC Sustainability and Knowledge Transfer
• 57:39 ASME Boiler Code Week

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

• API – American Petroleum Institute
• ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• BASF –  Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik
• EPC – Engineering, Procurement & Construction
• FCCU – Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit 
• FEED – Front-End Engineering Design
• FFS – Fitness-for-Service
• LDPE – Low-Density Polyethylene
• NBIC – National Board Inspection Code
• NDE – Nondestructive Examination
• PCC – ASME Post Construction Committee
• PCC-1 – ASME Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Joint Assembly
• PCC-2 – ASME Repair of Pressure Equipment & Piping
• PCC-3 – ASME Inspection Planning Using Risk-Based Methods
• PE – Professional Engineer
• PTB-2 – ASME Guide to Life Cycle Management of Pressure Equipment Integrity
• PTFE – Polytetrafluoroethylene
• PVP – ASME Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference
• RBI – Risk-Based Inspection
• RP – Recommended Practice
• RT – Radiographic Testing
• SME – Subject Matter Expert
• TOFD – Time-of-Flight Diffraction
• UT – Ultrasonic Testing
• WRC – Welding Research Council

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Schupp, ASME PCC Standards Chair and Consulting Engineer at Equity, to dive into the world of Post Construction Code. Kelly takes us behind the scenes of PCC-1, PCC-2, and PCC-3, explaining why PCC-1 dropped “Guidelines for” from its title, what makes flange criticality ranking so challenging, and where facilities can improve their approach to flange assembly QA/QC.

The conversation also explores FRP composite repairs, including surface preparation, force-curing pitfalls, emerging inspection technologies for detecting laminations, and why understanding the underlying damage mechanism is often more important than the repair itself. We also hear about Kelly's journey into ASME standards development, and her progression from alternate committee member to PCC-1 Vice Chair, along with advice for engineers interested in contributing to the process.

If you enjoyed this discussion, subscribe to Upon Further Inspection to follow our conversation with Kelly Schupp into part 2 and stay informed about upcoming episodes.

01:09 What PCC 1, 2, and 3 Cover

04:22 How PCC-1 Became a Standard

06:15 Criticality Ranking for Flanges

08:21 Building a Flange Program at BASF

12:15 Setting Up a Criticality System

13:48 The Trouble with “Critical” in Codes

16:17 Gaskets in Corrosive Services

19:07 FRP Design and Contractor Reliance

22:56 Watching Fiberglass Layup as a Kid

23:33 New Inspection Tech for Composite Wraps

24:31 Why Surface Prep Gets Overlooked

28:36 Managing Temporary Repairs

29:32 The 15-Year Coating Showdown

31:09 FRP Defined and Flange Hold Points

35:30 Why Flanges Lack NDE Like Welds

37:26 Why Flange Failures Go Untracked

38:10 ASME’s New FRP Design Code

39:06 How Kelly Got Into Codes and Standards

44:00 Bringing End-User Voices to the Table

47:12 Why More End Users Are Showing Up

49:18 What Makes a Good Committee Volunteer

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

API  – American Petroleum Institute 

ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers

BASF –  Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik

FRP – Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer

HF – Hydrofluoric Acid

NDE – Nondestructive Examination

PCC  – Post-Construction Committee

PCC-1 – Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Joint Assembly

PCC-2 – Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping

PCC-3 – Inspection Planning Using Risk-Based Methods

PQR – Procedure Qualification Record

PVP – Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference

QA/QC – Quality Assurance/Quality Control

RCA – Root Cause Analysis

SAP – Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing

UT – Ultrasonic Testing

WPS – Welding Procedure Specification

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

We are pleased to welcome Abdulrahman Al-Rumaidh, a senior corrosion engineer from Bahrain to the podcast! Hosts, Greg Alvarado and Branden Stucky, learn about his path from mechanical engineering at the University of Bahrain into fixed equipment inspection and corrosion. 

He describes early influences like materials science and rigorous report writing, internships in upstream operations and shipyards, and starting his career during a turnaround. Abdulrahman explains how their team of inspectors and corrosion engineers conduct integrity work across refinery units, with hydrotreating/hydrocracking as especially complex pieces of equipment. Without a doubt, damage mechanism reviews (DMRs) are cited as the most important step in building a strong inspection program, alongside risk-based inspection (RBIs), integrity operating windows (IOWs), corrosion monitoring sensors, and data quality to reduce uncertainty. 

Throughout it all, Abdulrahman explains his passion for corrosion is a blessing. For those who are interested in metallurgy and corrosion, damage mechanisms, and IOWs – you won’t want to miss this episode.  Don’t forget to subscribe to Upon Further Inspection so you are notified as soon as the next episode drops.

02:14 Why Engineering Started

04:08 Materials and Corrosion Roots

10:12 Internships and Safety Lessons

12:59 Joining BAPCO in Turnaround

16:42 Day in Fixed Equipment

19:37 RBI and Refinery Scale

20:59 Resid Hydrocracker Expansion

23:24 Projects and Inspection Planning

25:28 RCA and Continuous Improvement

28:01 IOWs Program and Ownership

30:33 Corrosion Monitoring Data Story

39:25 IOWs vs Inspection Debate

41:40 Why Inspections Matter & the Link to RBI

45:48 DMR as the Foundation

47:34 Career Shift to Corrosion

49:58 Critical Thinking Skills

53:05 Codes and Certifications

56:11 Welding Hobby Smoker Build

01:01:04 Cooking and Smoking Tips

01:03:18 Mentors and Change Management

01:07:20 Advice and Next Steps

01:11:14 Business Versus Safety Tradeoffs

01:14:46 MOC Program Importance

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

510 – API Pressure Vessel Inspector

570 – API Piping Inspector

571 – API Corrosion & Materials

580 – API Risk-Based Inspection

AMPP – Association for Materials Protection & Performance

APM – Asset Performance Management (GE APM Software)

ASME B16.5 – ASME Pipe Flanges & Flanged Fittings

ASME Section 8 – ASME Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels, Division 1

AWS – American Welding Society

CCDs – Corrosion Control Documents

DMR – Damage Mechanism Review

FCCU – Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit

FCC – Fluid Cracking Unit 

FFS – Fitness-for-Service

IOW – Integrity Operating Windows

MOC – Management of Change

MTC – Materials Testing Certificates

NDT – Non-Destructive Testing

PPE – Personal Protective Equipment

RBI – Risk-based Inspection

RCA – Root Cause Analysis

TIG – Tungsten Inert Gas (welding)

UT – Ultrasonic Testing

Wet H2S – Wet Hydrogen Sulfide

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

Recorded live in person from the 2026 API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit in San Antonio, this episode picks up where the "Graybeards" panel, a conference session that was held earlier that morning, left off. Hosts Greg and Branden sit back down with Ray Konet, John Reynolds, and Clay White to work through the attendee questions that didn't make it into the live session.

Topics include how a leader's background can shape their backing of fixed equipment mechanical integrity programs, how to sell MI in terms leadership already understands, and the mistakes the panel sees most often from young engineers. The conversation also turns to some of the panel's best repair stories, the "cowboy" maintenance era, and why major MI failures have declined industry-wide. They close with practical takeaways on audits, API 585 near-miss investigations, and right-sizing CML programs around real damage-mechanism understanding rather than AI shortcuts.

• 00:00 Summit Welcome
• 01:34 MI Leaders in Management
• 05:40 Selling MI Value
• 07:23 RBI Reaches the C Suite
• 09:52 Young Engineer Pitfalls
• 14:37 Craziest Repair Stories
• 16:19 Cowboy Maintenance Era
• 20:21 Unplanned Outage Lessons
• 24:14 Failures Down Over Decades
• 29:31 Complacency and Budget Cuts
• 33:22 Selling Risk Prevention
• 34:15 Staying Paranoid and Improving
• 36:04 Do Codes Get Softer
• 38:57 Shalls, Shoulds, and Pushback
• 40:42 RBI Needs IOWs
• 41:46 CML Optimization and AI
• 46:02 Audits and Procedures Matter
• 51:15 API 585 Investigations
• 56:45 Wrap Up and Credits

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

• AI – Artificial Intelligence
• API – American Petroleum Institute
• CCD – Corrosion Control Document
• CML – Condition Monitoring Location
• DMR – Damage Mechanism Review
• FEMI – Fixed Equipment Mechanical Integrity
• HSE – Health, Safety, and Environment
• IOW – Integrity Operating Window
• MI – Mechanical Integrity
• OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• PSM – Process Safety Management
• RBI – Risk-Based Inspection

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Melanie Brewer, MI Authority at Third Coast, hosts Branden and Greg dig into the practical realities of standing up a mechanical integrity program in a startup-like midstream environment. After nearly 30 years at a single facility, Melanie made the deliberate move to Third Coast specifically for the challenge and opportunity of building an MI and reliability program from scratch. She walks through how she prioritized fixed equipment as the highest-risk starting point, developed a foundational MI document covering engineering, design, and fabrication standards, and why getting the documentation framework right from day one is non-negotiable for long-term program sustainability.

A recurring theme in Melanie's approach at Third Coast is that more than half of her time is invested in training and cross-functional collaboration — because even the best MI standards are only as effective as the people implementing them. She shares how building a receptive, aligned culture requires consistent education at every level of the organization, and how industry events like the API Inspection Summit have been essential for stress-testing her ideas and staying current with evolving best practices. The conversation wraps with a look at the person behind the program: Melanie's passion for road course racing, and how the discipline, risk assessment, and split-second decision-making she applies on track parallels the mindset she brings to mechanical integrity every day.

If you missed Part 1 of our conversation with Melanie, you can listen here [insert hyperlink] or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe to Upon Further Inspection so you are notified as soon as the new episode drops.

00:00 Risk Based Priorities

01:41 Building MI From Scratch

02:31 Fixed Equipment First

03:04 Engineering Practices And Codes

05:02 QAQC And Welding Surveillance

05:52 What Toll Manufacturing Means

07:56 Batch Ops And RBI Limits

11:28 AIM Systems And Knowledge Transfer

13:55 Educating And Winning Buy In

17:50 Remote Oversight And Independence

19:23 Where MI Should Report

22:51 Why Standards Matter

26:31 CUI Lessons And IGGN 30

28:34 MI Roadmap And Documentation

30:52 SharePoint Framework And Less Paper

33:20 Joining Third Coast

34:11 Nimble Culture Benefits

35:23 Shared Language and Veterans

36:46 Startup Feel and Growth

37:23 Resume and Career Shift

38:27 No Coasting Mindset

40:19 MI Advice Foundations

41:49 Build Your Network

44:25 API Summit and WIMI

45:45 Track Racing Hobby

51:25 Endurance Race Dreams

54:40 Wrap Up and Thanks

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

AIM – Asset Integrity Management

API – American Petroleum Institute

ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers

CAD – Computer Assisted Design

CCDs – Corrosion Control Documents

COFs – Consequence of Failure

CPDs – Continuing Professional Development

CUI – Corrosion Under Insulation

CWI – Certified Welding Inspector

F1 – Formula 1

HSE – Health, Safety, & Environment

IOW – Integrity Operating Windows

MI – Mechanical Integrity

MT – Magnetic Particle Testing

P&IDs – Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams

POFs – Probability of Failure

PSM – Process Safety Management

PT – Penetrant Testing

QA/QC – Quality Assurance/Quality Control

RBI – Risk-based Inspection

R-Stamp – Certification of repairs issued by the National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors

WIMI – Women in Mechanical Integrity

UT – Ultrasonic Testing

944 – Porsche model

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

Inside the 2026 Inspection & Mechanical Integrity Summit… Recorded live in person from the 2026 Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit in San Antonio. Andri Orphanides joins our hosts Greg and Branden to talk about planning the 10th Edition of the API Summit over two years, adding new elements like the Energy Exchange, petrochemical track, digital transformation content, charity golf tournament, and the technology showcase theater in the exhibition hall. 

Summit Stats as of Tuesday, July 20… 2,063 registrants, 343 presentations selected from 500+ abstracts, 23 panels, and 21 training sessions. Andri outlines the Summit’s downstream/midstream/upstream, multi-sector, petrochemical, NDE, corrosion/metallurgy, and asset integrity coverage, plus beginner-to-advanced session levels. They highlight keynote speaker Shawn Kanungo on disruptive generative AI, student outreach programs, and preview the “Three Gray Beards” panel and emerging technology showcases.

00:46 Two Years of Planning

02:14 Record Attendance and New Features

03:17 Powering Patriots Charity Golf Tournament

05:42 Summit Tracks and Levels

08:15 Talks and Volunteer Power

10:09 Shawn Kanungo, keynote speaker on Generative AI

10:30 Booking the Keynote Speaker

12:15 AI Hype vs Fundamentals

12:45 Track Leads Shoutouts

13:55 Why Add Petrochem Track

14:25 Planning the 2028 Summit

15:18 STEM Outreach for Students (This Ones for the Gals)

17:22 Day Two Highlights

18:28 Emerging Tech and Theater

19:16 Energy Exchange Origins

20:11 Wrap Up and Credits

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.

In this episode of Upon Further Inspection, Branden and Greg sit down with Melanie Brewer, MI Authority at Third Coast and a 20-plus-year veteran of the mechanical integrity space. Melanie traces her unexpected path from aspiring aerospace engineer — inspired by the NASA programs of the 1980s — to chemical engineering at the University of Dayton, where a co-op program gave her real-world exposure to industrial plant environments. Her early career at an acrylonitrile plant quickly converted her initial skepticism about plant work into a genuine passion, and it was there that she built the professional network and technical foundation that would define her career in MI and reliability.

Take a listen and hear about the themes that have shaped Melanie's leadership philosophy: navigating a male-dominated industry in the 1990s, the power of strong mentorship, and the importance of remaining authentic rather than conforming to industry stereotypes. Melanie shares the story behind co-founding Women in Mechanical Integrity (WIMI), a grassroots organization that has grown into a recognized forum for professional development, mentorship, and candid dialog. The episode closes with Melanie's perspective on the role of human factors and sound risk management in an era of rapid AI adoption, arguing that technology can augment but never fully replace the judgment of experienced inspectors and engineers.

If you enjoyed this discussion, part 2 of our conversation with Melanie will be published on Thursday, July 30. Subscribe to Upon Further Inspection so you are notified as soon as the new episode drops.

01:21 From Aerospace to ChemE

02:28 Co-op to Texas Plant Life

04:34 Early Career and Mentors

08:24 Women in Construction Challenges

11:14 Respect and Boundaries

12:50 Women in MI Network

15:30 Personality and Leadership Lessons

22:18 Human Factors and AI

26:17 People First Management

28:53 Why Mechanical Integrity Matters

29:40 Petroleum Products in Daily Life

31:32 Public Perception and Education

32:42 Cleveland Environmental Memories

34:00 Air Force Museum and SR-71

37:13 Engineering Awe and Pilot Tales

40:06 Switching into Mechanical Integrity

43:54 Certifications and Trial by Fire

46:41 Corporate Support and Equity Roots

51:02 Risk Language and Budget Reality

56:52 Leadership Tradeoffs and Accountability

59:46 Building Programs and Closing Notes

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

API – American Petroleum Institute

ChemE – Chemical Engineer 

CWI – Certified Welding Inspector

MI – Mechanical Integrity

MT – Magnetic Particle Testing

PSVs – Pressure Safety Vessels

PT – Penetrant Testing

WIMI – Women in Mechanical Integrity

UT – Ultrasonic Testing

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