OTTAWA, Ontario - The Canadian Paint and Coatings Association (CPCA) will honor six individuals for their distinguished contributions to the association and the paint and coatings industry in Canada. These awards will be presented at the 104^th Annual Conference and AGM in Montreal on May 24-25, 2017.

“A big part of the association’s success stems from the strong support of the many volunteers from our member companies who help CPCA advance the interests of industry,” said Tim Vogel, CEO of Cloverdale Paint Inc. and CPCA Board Chair.

“The presentation of awards to these individuals allows us to recognize their efforts, both in terms of what they do for the companies they represent and their support on critical issues for the whole industry,” commented Gary LeRoux, CPCA President and CEO.

The Industry Achievement Award will be presented to Errol Bonaventura (Inortech-EMCO), Barry Cupp (Sherwin-Williams) and Sherry Oberle (AkzoNobel). This award is presented to an individual or an organization that has demonstrated exceptional achievement in advancing the interests of the industry and the association.

Bonaventura serves as the Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Inortech-EMCO and is a member of CPCA’s HSE Committee. He has participated on various Responsible Distribution Canada committees including the Responsible Distribution Committee, the Operations and Logistics Committee and the Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC). Bonaventura chaired the RDC RAC from 1999 to 2004 and continues to report on various files, including nanomaterials, VOCs and Industry Coordination Group (ICG).

Cupp is Director of Product Compliance for Sherwin-Williams. Product Compliance is assigned to the Corporate Environmental, Health, and Safety & Regulatory Affairs Department. Actively involved with new rule development that affects coatings products, he provides expert testimony in various jurisdictions during regulatory development such as the South Coast Air Quality Management District and California Air Resources Board. Cupp is an active member of CPCA’s Health, Safety and Environment Committee and the Paint and Coatings Working Group.

Oberle serves as the Regulatory Specialist for the Marine, Protective Coatings and Yacht businesses at International Paint, a subsidiary of AkzoNobel Performance Coatings. In this role she is the lead for the Houston-based team that handles product compliance for registrations and regulatory requirements, product classification, labeling and transportation. Oberle is the Chair of AkzoNobel’s North American Regulatory Affairs group that spearheads advocacy and compliance collaboration, and shares company best practices. She is a valuable member of CPCA’s Paint and Coatings Working Group and continues to provide strong input with respect to Akzo’s views on Canadian regulatory development, including the work on the federal Chemicals Management Plan.

Stuart Eaton (Cloverdale Paint), Gilles Lussier (Chemours) and Richard St. Onge (Peintures MF) will receive the Industry Statesman Award. This award is presented to individuals who have recently retired or are retiring and have made a significant contribution to the association at the national or local level.

Eaton joined the industry in 1968, earning employment with Bapco Paint Co. in Victoria, B.C. Over the course of his career, Eaton’s strong work ethic and attention to detail led to positions in quality control, product formulation, material purchasing, and production and product development. He joined Cloverdale Paint in 1975, where he developed Cloverdale’s first industrial coatings line, helping change the direction of the company. Eaton is a recipient of the Raymond J. Tremblay Award for outstanding service and contribution.

Lussier joined the industry in 1978 as a chemist for DuPont. Over a 38-year period, he contributed to the development and launch of various projects like a new Dacron^® polyester plant as well as the sales, marketing and management of engineering polymers, automotive refinish, specialty chemicals and titanium technologies for the Canadian market.

St. Onge joined the industry more than 30 years ago, starting his career at Sico Paint and International Paint. He later moved to MF Peintures. During his tenure there, he served as a technical director and a purchasing director. St. Onge also dedicated his time and effort to CPCA’s Health, Safety and Environment Committee, and he participated in several AQIP activities, including special lobbying efforts when Quebec’s VOC regulations were amended as well playing in the annual AQIP golf tournaments.

For more information about the conference and registration, visit http://www.canpaint.com/cpca-conference/.