AMPP Interview Series

In interviews from the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, DJ Guba of Atlantic Design Inc. ( ADI , 2:04) highlights the importance of the oil and gas sector and AMPP’s growing maritime emphasis, noting significant sales and educational engagement. Meanwhile, Seaspan Corp. ’s Dylan Goddard (9:18) — also chair of AMPP’s British Columbia chapter — emphasizes the need for standardization and workforce...

Sarah Olthof , AMPP’s Senior Technical Manager specializing in corrosion protection, chats with AMPP Media regarding the recently completed 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo. In that role, Olthof leads AMPP’s technical engagement team, which supports the association’s standards and research programs . Discussion topics on this episode include her team’s highlights from the conference, as well as...

Ken Seal, Deputy Director for the International Finishing Trades Institute ( IFTI ) of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades ( IUPAT ), caught up with AMPP Media on the sidelines of the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo. Discussion topics include the importance of workforce development and recruitment initiatives, as well as how industry bodies like the IUPAT and AMPP can work tog...

At the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, discussions highlighted sectors including energy production and transportation; maritime and defense operations; and civil infrastructure systems to support global communities. To help AMPP best serve these industries, the association has three vice presidents — Tim Gonzalez  (2:02), Jennifer Merck  (9:41), and Ernst Toussaint (18:19) — leading these mark...

A  record-breaking AMPP Annual Conference + Expo is now complete! Inside the new AMPP Media Studio on the Exhibit Hall floor ( video ), AMPP CEO Alan Thomas joined Ben DuBose to discuss highlights from the 2026 show in Houston. Interview topics include the launch of TalentForce ; key takeaways from the conference’s keynote address ; reflections on AMPP’s five-year anniversary ; and expectations fo...

A record-breaking show in Houston is officially in the books! Inside the AMPP Media Studio, Greg Muha, Director of Conferences, Exhibits, and Sponsorships at AMPP, joined our Ben DuBose and Lisa Sciortino to recap the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference & Expo. The interview can also be viewed in video form here . Discussion topics include packed sessions and new technologies in the Exhibit Hall to th...

Dr. Alan Rose, CEO at Corrdesa , and Dr. Siva Palani, CTO, are the latest guests in our ongoing series profiling MP’s 2025  Corrosion Innovation of the Year Awards . In this episode, they discuss the company’s award-winning innovation, “Portable Plating Shop for On-Aircraft Coating Repair.” Used in over 100 systems globally, the technology addresses aircraft corrosion issues by providing rapid, no...

Dr. Nick Birbilis , FNACE, is Executive Dean of the science, engineering and built environment faculty at Australia’s Deakin University. In his 20+ year career to date, Birbilis has worked in corrosion fields including monitoring, remediation, life prediction, asset design, durability management planning, and the development of corrosion-resistant materials. He has led large research teams and bri...

In the first week of February 2026, AMPP is hosting its inaugural Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum in Virginia Beach, Virginia. To preview the event and share insights into industry trends, AMPP is catching up with key sponsors and industry leaders. In the aftermath of last week’s five-person panel , this week’s edition features Matt Dowden of Av-DEC, Courtney Culpepper of Courtney Culpepper Con...

The Association for Materials Protection and Performance ( AMPP ) is now five years old! To celebrate and reflect on that journey, D. Terry Greenfield — principal consultant at CONSULEX and previously an AMPP chairman and NACE International president — kicks off our “Then and Now” anniversary series. Discussion topics include AMPP’s origins as a combination of its legacy organizations (NACE and SS...

On February 3-4, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, AMPP is hosting its inaugural Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum . To reflect and share insight on the latest industry trends, this panel discussion features AMPP’s Jennifer Merck and Ben DuBose alongside several prominent event sponsors. Speakers include Jim Hartley of PPG; Robert Dahlstrom of Apellix; Joe McGreal of Ervin Industries; and Russel...

This December 2025 roundtable conversation with leaders from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades ( IUPAT ) explores the vital role of certifications in industrial painting, as well as areas in which a trained and certified workforce can boost the coatings industry. Topics on this sponsored episode include modern project requirements, certifications, and the industry’s future; QP...

With an innovation known as “Heat-Flex CUI mitigation coatings,” Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine earned industry recognition as a winner in the 2025 Materials Performance (MP) Corrosion Innovation of the Year Awards program. MP is a member magazine of the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). Neil Wilds, global product director for corrosion under insulation (CUI) a...

On February 3-4, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Va., the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) will host its inaugural Maritime Coatings Contractor Forum . To share event plans along with insight on industry trends, this roundtable podcast features Jennifer Merck of AMPP; Anthony Manglona of Precise Systems; and Cassandra Frisby of Newport News Shipbuilding.  

Gregory Muha, Director of Conferences, Exhibits, and Sponsorships, joins our podcast with answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the  2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo .  Held from March 15-19 in Houston, discussion topics include what members can expect at the show; highlights of the 2026 schedule; feedback-based changes from previous years; and how the latest version of the conf...

Malcolm McNeil, owner and president of McNeil Coatings Consultants, Inc., passed away on August 31, 2025 . He was 92 years old. In addition to his numerous jobs and roles over six-plus decades in the industry, McNeil spent many years as a lead instructor of NACE International’s flagship Coating Inspector Program (CIP) and as Technical Editor for CoatingsPro Magazine. In this episode, longtime CIP...

Dennis Karnstein and Brian Carson are top executives at  Pittsburgh Paints Co. , a leading North American producer of interior and exterior paints, stains, caulks, repair products, adhesives, and sealants. In this conversation with CoatingsPro Magazine, a member magazine of AMPP, Karnstein and Carson address several marketplace trends as 2025 draws to a close. Other discussion topics include strat...

As part of exclusive “Exhibitor Spotlight” interviews from our flagship AMPP 2025 conference in Nashville, we spoke with leading industry experts regarding new products and services to address today’s challenges. With emphasis on our Materials Performance (MP) audience, this mini-episode features insights from leaders at TESI Group , Lindsay Corp. , and Automa .

As part of this sponsored episode, experts from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades ( IUPAT ) explore how new and emerging technologies are transforming the industrial coating marketplace. Featuring insights from Don McClain, Andrew Croll, and Ken Seal, topics include the impact of new technologies and tools; optimal strategies for training, workforce development, and quality con...

In exclusive “Exhibitor Spotlight” interviews from our flagship AMPP 2025 conference in Nashville, we spoke with several industry experts regarding new products and services to address modern needs and challenges. With emphasis on our Materials Performance (MP) audience, this mini-episode features insights from leaders at MOBILTEX and ROCKWOOL .

Ray Fremont Jr., president of General Air Products, joins our ongoing series profiling winners of the 2025 Materials Performance (MP) Corrosion Innovation of the Year Awards . General Air’s winning innovation, Vapor Pipe Shield , is a patented and UL-listed solution for the prevention of corrosion in dry pipe and pre-action fire sprinkler systems. The technology features a delivery system utilizin...

Developed by Integrity Products & Supplies Inc. , the PTFE Spacer Wrap offers an impermeable and stand-off barrier between thermal insulation and piping to simultaneously protect against corrosion under insulation, insulation-driven stress cracking, and thermal losses. Backed by peer-reviewed scientific research, this winning innovation (materials design category) from the 2025 MP Corrosion In...

Mike Yongjun Tan, professor of applied electrochemistry and corrosion technologies at Australia’s Deakin University , shares insights pertaining to his group’s award-winning technology . As a patent-pending, closed-loop smart cathodic protection (CP) technology, the system employs a localized corrosion probe to perform in-situ monitoring of localized corrosion. It then uses corrosion monitoring da...

Davies Hood, President and Owner of Induron Protective Coatings , shares his insight on marketplace trends; innovations within the industry; and feedback from clients and end users. Those innovations include Induron’s new Perma-Clean 100 SL, which was designed to offer the benefits of thick-film barrier protection without requiring complex plural-component spray equipment.

In an ongoing series profiling MP’s  2025 Corrosion Innovation of the Year Awards winners, Tony da Costa of MOBILTEX (Vice President of Engineering) shares insight on his group’s winning innovation, the CorTalk RDL1 Remote Datalogger. Topics include traditional challenges with cathodic protection (CP) remote monitoring and how this technology aims to overcome those; feedback from users in the fiel...