WASHINGTON — Allan Gates, vice president of Administration, corporate secretary and CFO of the National Paint & Coatings Association, will retire at the end of this year after more than 45 years with the association, the NPCA announced.

Gates, regarded as an effective “behind the scenes” administrator and sometimes referred to as the “little man with the big briefcase,” has worked with four NPCA executive directors and hundreds of staff members. “He really understands NPCA and how it works. And he understands the industry better than anyone who has ever worked at NPCA,” said association President J. Andrew Doyle.

Gates’ current and past responsibilities include comptroller, personnel manager, human resources director, purchasing agent, meeting manager for the Annual Meeting, trustee for the NPCA’s pension funds, and staff liaison for the board of directors, Budget and Finance Committee, and Management Information Committee.

“It takes a special kind of person to stay in a position for 45 years and continue not only to be challenged but also very effective,” Doyle said of Gates. “He is an outstanding individual who has successfully taken on new challenges willingly while always keeping a positive outlook.”