AMPP Interview Series

With the landmark U.S. infrastructure bill recently being signed into law, we discuss its implications for the corrosion industry with Adam L. Christopher, manager of government relations at the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), and Dan Adley, recently retired CEO of engineering consultancy KTA-Tator, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA).

Topics include a legislative outline of the bill and insight into some of its major topics; what the infrastructure legislation means for the corrosion industry as a whole; what AMPP members can do to prepare themselves; and where people should go to find out more information about the bill and any opportunities.

In the first episode of the Member Roundtable Series, Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) members Jane Brown and Stephanie Decker interview AMPP CEO Bob Chalker. During that conversation, Chalker shares the background story of the steps taken to merge SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings and NACE International into AMPP.

Niles Hickman, global product marketing manager at Graco, recently joined the “member profile” series from CoatingsPro Magazine to share some of his company’s keys to success.

Topics include feedback from contractors on needs and challenges in the field; how new coating technologies are changing the marketplace in 2021; potential equipment solutions from Graco; and the role of industry associations such as SSPC, NACE, and AMPP in moving careers forward.

Jerry Frankel, Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Director of the Fontana Corrosion Center at The Ohio State University, joins the CORROSION journal Interview Series to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on universities, labs, and the research community. Topics discussed on this episode also include the importance of in-person meetings and the CorroZoom series that Jerry launched. 

AMPP is working on a new initiative to collect all legacy and current intellectual property content (standards, conference papers, books, etc.) while using best practices in content management and its supporting technology to make it discoverable for the audience.

Learn more in this exclusive interview with Mandy May, director of content management for the association, and Bob Chalker, CEO of AMPP.

Curt Hickcox, vice president of business development at Public Utilities Maintenance, Inc. (Queens Village, New York, USA), joins our "member profile" podcast series to discuss his career in the corrosion industry.

Topics include corrosion mitigation strategies of the past, present, and future for electric transmission and distribution clients; the importance of contractor certifications and a commitment to safety; and how associations like SSPC, NACE, and AMPP can play key roles in career development and company growth.

Warren Brand heads Chicago Corrosion Group, a leading vendor-neutral consultancy. In this podcast, he shares many of his personal keys to success, insights on the coatings industry, and perspective on the combination of NACE International and SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings into the newly formed Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP).

In a successful career spanning more than four decades, Brand has owned an industrial tank lining and coating firm and has written dozens of blogs and technical articles in a variety of publications. Brand, who is a certified NACE Level 3 and The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) protective coating specialist (PCS), has earned an MBA, as well. He has managed thousands of coating installation projects and developed specs for thousands of paint and coating applications.

For more information, contact Warren on LinkedIn or visit www.chicagocorrosiongroup.com.

Joe Walker, vice president and general manager of Elcometer Inc., joins our “member profile” series to share some of his company’s keys to success. Topics include Elcometer's journey as an equipment supplier to the coatings industry; strategies on how to train clients to best use their products; career highlights and expansion strategies; and much more.

Walker, who is an immediate past chair of AMPP, also shares his thoughts on the merger of NACE International and SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings — led by what he sees as benefits and priorities for the combined association and industry moving forward.

Jim Kunkle, manager of business development at AMPP, sits down with Lou Lyras, CEO of Corcon, Inc.; Sam Scaturro, president of Alpine Painting and vice chairman of the AMPP board; and Adam Christopher, government relations manager at AMPP, to discuss the surface transportation and water infrastructure bill that is currently in the U.S. Senate.

Topics include what subjects the bill is designed to address, what factors are important to AMPP members and stakeholders, and how AMPP members can help support the bill's passage.

Ingrid Milošev, Head of the Department of Physical and Organic Chemistry at Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia and scientific advisor for Valdoltra Orthopaedic Hospital, joins this episode of the CORROSION journal Interview Series to discuss her career. She analyzes her work on copper alloys and biomedical corrosion, as well as some of the changes in the field over the past 30 years.

Ingrid extends thanks to all of her coworkers throughout the years at the Department.

For more information, contact: Ingrid Milošev, Ingrid.Milosev@ijs.si