CoatingsPro Interview Series

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 “Exhibitor Spotlight” interviews at the flagship AMPP 2025 show in Nashville, we spoke with several industry experts regarding new products and services to address modern challenges for protective coatings professionals. This mini-episode features experts from from Best-Tec and Sauereisen .

In “Exhibitor Spotlight” interviews from the flagship AMPP 2025 show in Nashville, we spoke with experts from across the industry regarding new products and services that could help address many modern needs and challenges. This mini-episode features experts from Belzona and Corrosion Innovations .

AMPP Advocacy Day 2025 is on the horizon, and this year’s event is focused on protecting America’s maritime future through corrosion mitigation and coatings solutions. As the United States modernizes its maritime industrial base and expands naval and commercial shipbuilding capacity, AMPP is leading conversations with policymakers to ensure materials protection remains a national priority. In this...

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades ( IUPAT ) represents 140,000 workers across the United States and Canada. In this summer 2025 interview with CoatingsPro Magazine, IUPAT’s Andrew Croll and Ken Seal share insights and the latest trends pertaining to safety, training, workforce development, industry influence and advocacy, and more.

Brian Carson, CEO of Pittsburgh Paints Co.  since February 2025, shares insights regarding his new role and the future of the industry. Topics include opportunities for the company under private ownership; how Carson’s flooring experience helps him understand the paints and coatings market; common challenges and pain points for contractor customers; and more.

Atlantic Design, Inc. (ADI) is a family owned and operated business in Baltimore, Maryland. The company brings more than 30 years of experience in the blasting and coatings industry while aiming to provide innovative and efficient solutions for the needs of its customers.  Russell Roden, president of ADI, joins this sponsored episode with perspective gained over his three-plus decades in the busin...

Kirk Lipes, Global Transportation Segment Director at paints and coatings manufacturer Sherwin-Williams , shares his insight on unique needs and opportunities within the market. Topics include challenges and historical limitations; newer technologies and processes to improve performance; feedback from customers and applicators; collaboration opportunities; and more.

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 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 jo...

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 ( learn more ) also representing a tax advantaged exit alternative, Gray explains why he believes the momentum is especially strong in the construction sector. 

While at the 2025 World of Concrete show in Las Vegas, CoatingsPro Magazine caught up with leaders from several industry companies for brief interviews on the Exhibit Hall floor. Companies profiled in this series, in alphabetical order, include BrandSafway; Crown Polymers; Graco; Key Resin Company; Polymer Nation; PPG; and Quikspray Inc.

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...

Russell Raad, president of “one-stop shop” Abrasives Inc. , joins 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...

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

Kyle McDonald, Project Manager at Western Specialty Contractors in Delray Beach, Florida, joins the CoatingsPro Interview Series with insight on his job 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 dev...

U.S. Navy Veteran Matt Flory is a global business director at Sherwin-Williams , where he leads the industrial group’s military coatings segment . With a team comprised largely of Veterans, Flory shares perspective on what they bring to the coatings industry and the role they can play in overcoming workforce development challenges. For the military market, Flory also outlines recent technological...

Ken Wells, co-owner of Elite Insulation & PolyPro and president of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance ( SPFA ) Board of Directors, joins the CoatingsPro Interview Series. Discussion topics include goals for his current SPFA term; challenges and opportunities within the evolving marketplace of the SPF industry; and resources from the SPFA that can be of assistance.

Jeff Jirak, managing director of  AkzoNobel ’s global powder coatings business, explains how new coating technologies are helping to mitigate corrosion in the built environment. The show also explores the manufacturer’s recent development partnership with CoatingAI, which aims to assist contractors and installers with application processes while reducing their carbon footprint. Related links:  U.S...

Winn Darden, North American business manager for LUMIFLON  fluoropolymer resins, shares his perspective on key decision-making processes pertaining to paints and coatings. This sponsored show explores how experts can develop strategic planning approaches that best adapt to current structural and future market demands. Discussion topics include the details of LUMIFLON and how it works in tandem wit...

The Master Painters Institute ( MPI ), a subsidiary of AMPP, has announced the launch of its MPI Decision Tree tools . This digital platform is designed to transform the way industry professionals specify coatings for new construction and restoration projects. Pam Nicoletti, president of MPI, explains how this innovative platform encompasses all project variables while greatly reducing manual effo...

While at the 2024 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo in New Orleans, our AMPP Publications team interviewed a series of experts regarding new products, services, and technologies related to the coatings industry. Subjects in this series of sponsored Exhibitor Spotlight interviews include Rust-Oleum, BrandSafway, Induron, PPG, Abrasives Inc., and Axxiom.

In a  recently published white paper , experts at Induron examined the expected service life of coatings for potable water linings while combining that knowledge with an interpretation of the total applied costs of these systems. On this sponsored podcast, Induron ’s William “Bill” Seawell, technical service manager, and Andy Odorzynski, national sales manager, elaborate on expectations for water...

Sam Scaturro, President of Alpine Painting & Sandblasting Contractors , shares his insight on industry trends and career highlights after nearly two decades of success. Topics include the process of buying his family business and its transformation over the years; emerging trends in the marketplace; optimal strategies for workforce development; and highlights from his time as an association me...

In a panel discussion, member leaders Dawn Eden and Sandy Williamson join Ben DuBose, News Editor with AMPP Publications, to explore the association’s latest efforts and intel related to materials sustainability. Topics include what’s new within AMPP’s Sustainability Task Force; key takeaways and insights from the recently completed 2024 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo; and what they see on the hori...

Ryan Bingham, business development leader at third-party inspection services provider OMC International, LLC, shares his insight regarding the value that qualified coating inspectors can have within the industry.  Discussion topics on this episode include trends and common pain points from clients; how technologies and demands continue to evolve; the unique career arc of Bingham and the company; a...