INDEPENDENCE, KY - During the 2019 CCAI Annual Meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) held its annual awards ceremony to recognize the CCAI Chapter Users and Suppliers of the Year and announce the 2019 James F. & David J. Wright Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. CCAI also announced its 2018-19 National Board of Directors and Officers. 

In its 13^th year, the James F. & David J. Wright Lifetime Achievement Award continues to be CCAI’s highest honor and is awarded to deserving members of the association that have dedicated years of service to CCAI and the industrial finishing industry. This year, Sam Woehler of George Koch Sons LLC, was named the recipient of this honor. Woehler has been a member of CCAI for 14 years, serving on the National Board of Directors for the past 13 years. He has served in all officer positions and was the CCAI National President from 2012-2014. He was instrumental in launching the newly founded CCAI Finishing Education Foundation, contributed as an author to several CCAI training manuals and was heavily involved in the research and decision for CCAI to become a partner of FABTECH. As a CCAI Corporate member contact, he ensures his company supports all CCAI programming, chapters, events and initiatives and encourages staff participation. Woehler’s guidance over the years has been a tremendous asset in helping CCAI move to the next level. He graciously accepted this award and commented, “I treasure my experience with CCAI. Learning from and working with knowledgeable and committed professionals who are willing to share expertise and improve our industry, do things the right way, is energizing. To be recognized among this group is a tremendous and completely unexpected honor.”

CCAI also honored its Chapter User and Supplier of the Year recipients at the awards ceremony.  Each year, chapters recognize a User and Supplier member for their service and dedication to their respective chapter. Chapters are the cornerstone of the association and CCAI is grateful for the tremendous efforts of those who continue to support its mission to build a better finishing industry.

The 2018-19 Chapter Award winners are:  Central States Chapter – Frank Laster, A-1 Paint Powder and Sandblasting LLC, and Ron Cudzilo, George Koch Sons LLC; Georgia Chapter – Wayne Pettyjohn, Georgia Power Co.; Las Vegas Chapter – Tony Sclafani, AR Iron LLC, and Sercy Spears, TIGER Drylac Inc. USA; Northern Illinois Chapter – Matt Ambrose, Henkel Corp.; Salt Lake City Chapter – Ginny Phommavongsay, Martin Door Mfg.; Southern California Chapter - Shivie Dhillon, Sundial Powder Coating, Tony Sclafani, AR Iron LLC, and Luis Hernandez, Coral Chemical Co.; Twin Cities Chapter – Mark Walsworth, retired, and Jim Henningsen, Troy Chemical; West Michigan Chapter – in memory of Herb Knape, Knape Industries Inc., and Jason Meekof, Industrial Metal Cleaning; and Wisconsin Chapter – Justin Jarmuz, Wacker Neuson Corp., and Matt Roeser, DuBois Chemical Co.

CCAI also announced that the following individuals will continue to serve on the National Board of Directors for 2019-2020.

Officers will include: Bill Oney, Therma-Tron-X Inc. – Wisconsin Chapter – as President; Duane Fudge, Chemetall US Inc. – unaffiliated – as Vice President; Tony Sclafani, AR Iron LLC – Las Vegas Chapter – as Treasurer; and Ron Lum, Coral Chemical Co. – Southern California Chapter – as Recent Past President.

In addition to the officers, serving on the National Board of Directors for the 2019-20 year will be: Kevin Coursin, George Koch Sons, LLC – Northern Illinois Chapter; Shivie Dhillon, SunDial Powder Coatings – Southern California Chapter; Jim Gallagher, Harley-Davidson Motor Co. - Wisconsin Chapter; Russ Green, Midwest Finishing Systems, Inc. – Northern Ohio Chapter; Loren Keene, Pneu-Mech Systems Mfg. LLC – Central States Chapter; Dan Labrecque, Tiger Drylac USA, Inc. – West Michigan Chapter; Todd Luciano, Products Finishing – Greater Cincinnati Chapter; Jim Malloy, Kolene Corp. – Southeast Michigan Chapter; Mark Walsworth, retired – Twin Cities Chapter; Bob Warren, Retired – West Michigan Chapter; Jeff Watson, Custom Chemicals of Texas, Texas Chapter; and Sam Woehler, George Koch Sons LLC – unaffiliated. Serving as Ex-officio Board member is Larry Melgary, Northern Coatings & Chemical – Wisconsin Chapter.