AMPP Interview Series

Held in Panama City, Panama, this July, this groundbreaking event unites two premier corrosion conferences under one roof. With technical, strategic, and community perspectives, Juan Caballero, Chair of the AMPP Board of Directors, and Greg Muha, Director of Conferences, Exhibits, and Sponsorships, explore what the program will bring to members and industry attendees.

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.

Terry Greenfield, principal consultant at CONSULEX and a past AMPP chairman and past NACE International president, shares insight on AMPP’s growing and renewed emphasis on the maritime industry and the critical role of materials protection, particularly in relation to the White House’s new shipbuilding initiative.

As AMPP’s accredited representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Terry explores how AMPP and the industry can proactively address risks before they become costly failures.

Dr. Narasi Sridhar, CEO of MC Consult LLC, is the 2025 recipient of AMPP’s prestigious Willis Whitney Technical Achievement Award. In this roundtable interview, Dr. Sridhar is joined by Lucrezia Scoppio, Chair of the Awards Program Committee, and Dr. John Scully, Chair of the Whitney Award Task Force. The discussion surrounds the groundbreaking work he’s done throughout his distinguished career, ranging from pitting corrosion to computational modeling for corrosion prediction.

Scoppio and Dr. Scully also discuss the AMPP Awards Program, its objectives, and the importance of recognizing outstanding contributions in the field of corrosion. Insight into what the task force is looking for in candidates is shared, along with ways in which award winners will be honored at the 2025 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo in April.

Dr. Mersedeh Akhoondan is joining the Materials Performance (MP) Magazine team as Technical Editor. In that role, she is replacing Jack Tinnea, who is retiring in April 2025 after a distinguished career.

In this position, Akhoondan is responsible for selecting and reviewing MP’s technical articles. She will collaborate with authors, members, and the magazine’s editorial advisory board to provide readers with timely and accurate technical content. Dr. Akhoondan, an active AMPP member and a corrosion specialist for HDR Engineering, brings over 15 years of experience in corrosion control and condition assessment of water and wastewater facilities, bridge infrastructures, solar power plants, and transit systems. 

This 1-on-1 conversation with Ben DuBose, AMPP News Editor, explores her impressive career and outlook for the new position with MP (a member magazine of AMPP).

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 March 2025 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 jobsite trends in the industry; and much more.

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

Russell Raad, president of “one-stop shop” Abrasives Inc., recently joined 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 end users; an outlook for the future; and available resources from Abrasives Inc. to assist in these processes.

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

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 in the years ahead, such as workforce development.

Kyle McDonald, Project Manager at Western Specialty Contractors in Delray Beach, Florida, recently joined the CoatingsPro Interview Series with insights pertaining to his job scope 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 development; and much more.