CoatingsPro Interview Series

Bridge Coatings Expert Shares His Outlook

Tony Serdenes, National Coatings Director at Gannett Fleming, has been in the bridge coatings industry since the ‘80s. As a provider of consulting services to Gannett’s inspectors and clients in the bridge and water/wastewater industries, he brings words of wisdom that can help with communication from all project stakeholders—from inspectors to contractors, of which he used to be one.

For more information, contact: Tony Serdenes, (410) 371-7056, aserdenes@gfnet.com

Lessons Learned from a California Roofing Star

Gary Harvey is general manager of Wedge Roofing, a California-based company that has earned recognition at the CoatingsPro Contractor Awards for five straight years. In this episode, he discusses many of the keys to success for Wedge over his 25 years with the company, headlined by their most recent award-winning project (Mariners Landing).

Other topics include environmental trends and becoming a Green Roofing Contractor; unique coating considerations in the Bay Area near San Francisco; the importance of safety and training procedures for crews and personnel; advice for industry newcomers; and much more.

Roofing Expert Building School and Community

Henry Staggs, roofing consultant with Preferred Roof Consultants of Arizona and Founder of the School of Roofing, wants to help the roofing community through safer practices, skilled labor, and more. He shares his ideas and how he’s working to make it happen through the School of Roofing — something his grandfather would be proud of!

For more information, contact: Henry Staggs, theschoolofroofing@gmail.com

CORROSION 2021 Recap, Upcoming Coatings Industry Events

Lesley Martinez, Manager of Conferences at AMPP, joins our podcast to recap the recently completed CORROSION 2021 Virtual Conference & Expo. Martinez shares highlights from the show and lessons learned from the virtual experience, along with a preview of the upcoming transition to in-person events. She also offers an early look at the Coatings+ 2021 show and the first AMPP Annual Conference + Expo in March 2022.

Inclusion and Diversity: How to Start and Why It Matters

Having a contracting company that continuously works on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging can make an internal impact for your company, as well as externally for your clients. Dr. Tiffany Reed, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) consultant for InclusionP365, shares examples of what this type of workplace can look like and how to get started on that hard work. For more information, contact: Dr. Reed, https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtiffanyreed/

Reference

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

Coating NYC's Tribeca Bridge and Beyond

Anthony Maracic, Vice President of Northeast Operations at Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. (CPSSC), explains lessons learned from his company's recent project recoating the Tribeca Bridge in New York City (as featured in this CoatingsPro Magazine case study).

 

Maracic also shares highlights from his 40 years in the protective coatings industry, as well as tips and tricks for the next generation of coatings contractors.

Lifelong Partnership Takes Roofing Company to Next Level

Stella Amador joined German Duarte’s Florida Quality Roofing nearly 10 years ago. Over the past decade, the lifelong friends have created a partnership that has found success in south Florida by building relationships, giving back to their community, and doing what they say they’re going to do. Amador’s tips, tricks, and take on the roofing industry are worth a listen! You can also check out our most recent profile of their work in CoatingsPro Magazine.

For more information, contact: Stella Amador, stella@floridaqualityroofing.com; Roofing With a Purpose for the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, www.bgcbc.org/fqr19

Nano Non-Skid Coating Solution for Offshore Environments

Danos, Graco, and Tesla NanoCoatings recently worked together to develop a functional non-slip deck coating for offshore clients. Their work, which was profiled in Materials Performance (MP) magazine, explains how a coatings applicator was able to overcome many traditional challenges through the use of an innovative protective coatings pump design with a new single-coat carbon nanotube non-slip deck coat slurry.

 

In this episode, Danos' Scott Soto, Graco's John Lihwa, and Tesla's Joe Davis explore lessons learned from their collaboration, as well as future opportunities when using the system.

From Journeywoman to Business Owner

Kimberley Robles, president and owner of Robles Concrete Design, joins the podcast to discuss about her experiences in coming up through the trades as a journeyman. Based on those experiences, she has some great insight on how the industry might be able to attract — and keep — quality people to help decrease the labor shortage. She also shares some challenges and opportunities she’s seen within the industry over the years.

In the episode, Kimberley mentions a Citi Foundation ad that she was featured in last year. Check that out here. You can also connect with her on LinkedIn, or via the company’s website.

Digitalization Strategies for the Coatings Industry

Ross Boyd, founder and CEO of TruQC, joins our podcast to discuss the growing role of digitalization in the coatings industry. Topics include why it matters and how to start; tips to ensure a successful initiative; common questions and feedback from industry users; and much more. 

For more information, check out his recent CoatingsPro article titled "Digitalization for the Coatings Industry."