NACE International is hosting numerous events related to coatings and coatings technology at its CORROSION 2017 Conference & Expo, taking place through Thursday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Representatives of CoatingsPro Magazine will be on hand at booth #2849 in the exhibit hall.

Contractor Awards Program

The magazine presented its inaugural Contractor Awards Program from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Corrosive Chronicles Green Theater. These awards were established to recognize projects and crews that have demonstrated excellence in the high-performance coatings industry. Submissions were rated by the CoatingsPro Editorial Advisory Group, composed of industry experts, with help from the technical editor.

The program is for commercial and industrial coatings contractors, with projects awarded in the categories of commercial concrete, commercial roof, industrial concrete, industrial steel, specialty project, and contractor/crew MVP (most valuable player). The MVP award is for a team or crew member deserving of special recognition for any outstanding accomplishment on the jobsite, such as an exemplary team contribution, safety performance, or communication practice.

Thanks to all who joined us to recognize this year’s winners!

Coatings Forums, Workshops

NACE is also introducing a new forum for basic coatings and coatings technology at the annual conference. Titled “Coatings 101: An Introduction to Coatings & Coating Technology” and moderated by technical coatings consultant Rae Marie Mattis, this two-part series will be held in the Corrosive Chronicles Purple Theater on Tuesday. Part one of the forum will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., while part two is scheduled in the same room from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Topics that they are planning to cover include how to achieve the expectations of a successful coatings project; coated vs. uncoated surfaces; the challenges of structure design; common failures, root causes, and how to avoid them; how coatings add value to aging infrastructure; strategies for risk management; how to determine the true cost of coatings; developing a list of qualified products; and how NACE can assist in an individual’s development within the industry.

Speakers currently scheduled for the Coatings 101 forum are Trevor Neale, John Petersen, Joe Davis, Johnny Eliasson, Carl Kempkes, Steve Harrison, Sarah Olthof, and Steve Poncio.

Elsewhere, KTA-Tator's Matthew Fajt is hosting a basic workshop on the proper use of coatings inspections and standards, held from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Corrosive Chronicles Purple Theater. Other sessions of coatings industry significance include the “How to Avoid Premature Coatings Failures” forum, held by Mike O'Brien of the MARK 10 Group from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, as well as a thermal spray coatings question and answer (Q&A) session presented by James K. Weber of James K Weber Consulting from 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

Technical committee meetings will also be conducted each day of the week on a wide range of protective coatings and linings topics.

For more information, contact: NACE International, (800) 797-6223, www.nacecorrosion.org