President’s Message
Dear PSCT Members,
I am quite honored to be serving the PSCT as President for the 2018-2019 year. Last year we had over 30 registered members and I hope we can increase that number this year. To help us reach this goal, we will be having a membership drive. If your membership for the 2018-2019 year is paid in full by October Meeting, you will be entered into a drawing for $91. The $91 is in celebration of our 91th year. The winner will be drawn at the October 8th meeting. Attendance to the October meeting is not required to win, but as always your support for high meeting attendance is appreciated.
The annual PSCT golf outing will be held on September 6th at Cedarbrook Golf Course. I would just like to thank all our sponsors and those who will be participating in this great event. As everyone knows, this is our primary fundraiser for our annual scholarship, so your participation is paramount to its success. Also, a special thanks to Sam Puglisi for organizing this event for yet another year. Your hard work is greatly appreciated.
One of the PSCT key objectives is to promote undergraduate students through the Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant. Please read the newsletter throughout the year to stay current with any updates regarding the requirements for this great scholarship. Last year we were able to award a total of $5,000 to the winners, so let us keep this tradition going. If you are interested in acting as the Scholarship Chair, or just participating in the Scholarship Committee, please contact a member of the board. The only requirement for the Scholarship Committee is that you currently do not have a child applying this year.
I am excited to announce that we already have some great speakers lined up for the upcoming year, but we do have room for a few more. Please consider sharing your expertise, or providing us with ideas for speakers and topics that you would find interesting. Note that we are not having a meeting in September and attendance at the Golf Outing will count towards the scholarship. To start off the year, Dustin Young of SSPC will be presenting at our October meeting on “Preparing Concrete for Coating Application”.
Lastly, I’d like to thank our new board members who have volunteered to support out 2018-2019 year. Those members are: Mark DePasquale (Past President), Cheryl Roberts (Vice President-President Elect), Chris Chaousy (Secretary), Art Kasson (Treasurer), Barb Anderson (Director-at-Large), Jim Wasik (ACA Liaison), and Jeff Scherm (Membership Chair).
The first meeting this year is scheduled at SSPC in Pittsburgh off of I-376 for October 8th. I look forward to seeing you there.
Chris Gehly
PSCT President 2018-2019

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Jeff Niederst of Sherwin Williams for taking time out of his schedule to come and speak to all of us about packaging coatings and the technological advancements being made. Another great example of how coatings affect our everyday. It is wonderful to see how companies are making great strides to a better tomorrow.

Thank you to all who donated to the Hiram P. Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant this year. Also, a special thanks to Karren Hollertz, Scholarship Chair, and the rest of the scholarship committee comprising of Cliff Schoff, Deb Longhini, Bilk Hawk and Britney Grabigel for donating their time this year. Lastly, congratulations to the following scholarship recipients this year: Caleigh Anderson, Nicolas Roberts and John Sherbondy. John was also awarded this year’s STEM grant.

Come and join us at Maggie’s Farm Rum in the Stip on Monday, May 14th for this years May Outing. The event will consist of a tour and tasting, a glass and buffet dining. There will also be a cash bar. Please RSVP to Dan Bickford at PSCT1927@paintsociety.org or pay online at paintsociety.org by May 1st. See this month’s news letter for more details.

Lastly, I would just like to thank everyone for having me as their PSCT President this year. We had a great year, with a bunch of wonderful speakers and topics. It is with this I pass the torch off to Chris Gehly, our 2018-2019 PSCT President. Thank you and I look forward to continuing my contribution in the future.

Mark DePasquale

PSCT President 2017-2018

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Cindy O’Malley of KTA-Tator for taking time out of her schedule to come and speak to all of us about the methods and technology used to investigate a coatings failure in the field. Although, I was unable to attend the March meeting, I was told the talk was very interesting and highly engaging by those I spoke with. We would also like to thank KTA-Tator for hosting the March meeting at their facility. It is always nice to have a new venue to visit.

Thank you to all that applied for the Hiram P. Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant. Applications will be reviewed by Karen Hollertz and the rest of the scholarship committee this month. Be sure to check out the May newsletter to see this year’s winners.

It is great to announce that the paint pot was finally won at the March meeting. Let us all congratulate Karren Hollertz of PPG on her $150 jackpot. The paint pot will now be back to $25 for the April drawing. Although, you will still need to be in attendance to win, we will be picking until an attending winner is chosen. So, please come out and join us at our last official meeting of the year as we will be having a special May event at Maggie’s Farm Rum Distillery in the Strip.

We are grateful to announce that Jeff Niederst of Sherwin Williams will be our speaker for the April meeting at Roland’s in the Strip. Jeff’s talk will be about Coatings for Metal Packaging, both invisible and consumer valued. So, please join us for our last formal meeting of the 2017-2018 PSCT year.

Mark DePasquale

PSCT President 2017-2018

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Dr. Crystal Morrison of PPG for taking time out of her schedule to come and speak to all of us about the technology surrounding coatings mobility. It’s always nice to have an inside look at the future of coatings and how they will be affecting our lives to come. I hope everyone who came out in February found this presentation to be as interesting as I did.

Time is running out for students to apply for the Hiram P. Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant. Applications will need to be submitted by March 15th, 2018 to psct1927@paintsociety.org. Be sure to forward the application at the end of this newsletter to your qualifying students. The application can also be found on our website at www.paintsociety.org.

Once again, the paint pot was not claimed, and the total will increase again in March. Unfortunately for Bill Hawk, he was not in attendance when his number was picked for the $125 jackpot in February. This means the pot will be increased to $150 for March. So, everyone come on out to the March 12th meeting at the KTA-Tator facility for a chance to make that $150 yours.

We are grateful to announce that KTA-Tator will be hosting the March meeting at their facility outside of Pittsburgh. We will start things off with a presentation from Cindy O’Malley of KTA-Tator. She will be giving a talk on Coating Failure Investigations. We will then enjoy dinner, with a tour of their facility to end the night. Please note the RSVP date of Monday, March 5th. It is important that you RSVP by this date since the event will be catered.

Mark DePasquale
PSCT President 2017-2018

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank everyone who came out to the Pittsburgh Glass Center last month. Once again we had a great time and great attendance. The December event has been a great addition to our yearly circuit. Hopefully a tradition we can continue.

I would like to remind everyone that we are still looking for Scholarship Committee members for this year’s Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant. The only requirement is to be an active member and not have a student applying this year. Please contact myself or Karen Hollertz if you would like to take part in such a great cause. Our contact information can be found at the end of this newsletter. Also, if you have a student that qualifies for the scholarship this year, we urge you to check out the application attached to the end of this newsletter or on our website at paintsociety.org.

I am proud to announce that we have filled all speaker spots for this year. Thank you to everyone who helped schedule the speakers this year. Please remember, it’s never too early to start scheduling speakers for next year. If you know someone that would like to present, please contact a member of our board.

Lastly, come and join us at the Walnut Grill in Fox Chapel on Monday, January 8th. This month’s speaker will be Tim Chen of BYK. Tim will be giving a talk about wetting and dispersing in respect to viscosity stabilization, color acceptance and corrosion resistance. I hope to see everyone there for what should be a very technically informative talk.

Mark DePasquale

PSCT President 2017-2018

President’s Message – November 2017

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Dr. Shanti Swarup of PPG for taking time last month to speak to all us about his work on the ‘Appearance in the Automotive Compact Painting Process’.  It was very interesting to gain an understanding of all that goes into painting a car.  It’s great to see that efforts are being made to reduce energy consumption and VOC output, while still maintaining the coatings performance and appearance.

I would like to remind everyone that we are still looking for Scholarship Committee members for this year’s Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant.  The only requirement is to be an active member and not have a student applying this year.  Please contact myself or Karen Hollertz if you would like to take part in such a great cause.  Our contact information can be found at the end of this newsletter.  Also, if you have a student that qualifies for the scholarship this year, we urge you to check out the application attached to the end of this newsletter or on our website at paintsociety.org.

I am proud to announce that we will be hosting another December event at the Pittsburgh Glass Center this year.  Come out and celebrate the end of the year with some light refreshments, a glass demo and then a hands on opportunity to make a holiday gift for that special someone.  The event will be on Tuesday, December 5^th.  Take a look for more details in this month’s newsletter.  If you or your company would like to make a food or drink donation for this year’s event, please contact myself or send an email to psct1927@paintsociety.org.  We appreciate all of the support our members offer.

Lastly, come and join us at the Walnut Grill in Fox Chapel on Monday, November 13^th.  This month’s speaker will be Roger Carmany, a technical consultant for Palmer Holland.  His talk is entitled ‘Sunblock and Solarscaine, the Mechanism and Selection of Ultra Violet Light Stabilizers’.  I hope to see everyone there for what should be a very technically informative talk.

Mark DePasquale

PSCT President 2017-2018       

https://paintsociety.com/2017/10/30/432/

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Tim Reilly of Clariant for presenting at the February meeting. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of fire retardant technologies offered by Clariant. As a formulator myself who happens to deal with wood treatments, I find it very useful to have Tim come in an update me on the newest technologies and products that might help me with my work. As a reminder to all members, the PSCT board is always willing to listen to ideas for topics that might interest our members. If you have an idea for a topic, just email one of the board members or stop us during one of the meetings.

The deadline for the Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM grant is March 15, 2017. I’d like to remind everyone to read the application thoroughly and make sure your application is complete. Incomplete applications will NOT be approved by the Scholarship Committee. As a reminder, the Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship will be $6,500 to be split among the winners, and the STEM grant winner will receive a $500 scholarship. Please review the scholarship applications for further details.

Our next social event will be a Pirates baseball game on April 24th. Come and watch the Pirates play some team from Chicago that might have won something last year. The cost of the event will be $70 per ticket. There is a limited number of tickets for this event! Please make your reservations early so you don’t miss out!

We are still searching for PSCT Board members for the next year. Please consider volunteering your time and talents to keep our organization strong! As usual, we will be seeking nominations for Treasurer, Secretary, Vice-President, and Director-at-Large. We will also need a Society Liaison Representative which is a two-year term. The current Vice-President, Mark DePasquale, will move to President and the current President, Ken Cutler, will move to Past President. If you have any interest in any of these positions, please contact Jim Wasik or any of the PSCT Board members.
Have you considered helping the PSCT by volunteering for a committee chair? This is a great option for those you don’t feel like they have the time to commit to a PSCT board position, but still want to be actively involved. These positions are appointed by the PSCT President and serve for one year. We are in need of filling the Membership, Nominating, Program, Bylaws, Audit, and Scholarship Committee chairs for next year. If you are interested, please contact one the PSCT board members.

Our next meeting on March 13th and will be at Roland’s Seafood Grill & Iron Landing in the Strip District. The speaker, PSCT member Dwight Weldon, will present at 6 pm with a talk entitled “Anatomy of a Coating Failure” and will be followed by dinner. I hope to see all of you there!

Kenneth Cutler
PSCT President 2016-2017

Dear PSCT Members,

As we head into the New Year, it’s often a time to reflect on the previous year and make plans for a prosperous new year. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the members who made 2016 such a great year! I’m proud of all the PSCT was able to accomplish including continuing to promote the coatings technology industry, promoting educational goals, and providing interesting experiences for our members. As we look towards 2017, I’d like to remind everyone that we only progress through the efforts of our members. Please consider how you can contribute to making 2017 even better than 2016!

I would like to thank Jim Wasik, the other PSCT board members, and the Pittsburgh Glass Center for an outstanding event last month. If you attended, I hope you had an outstanding time at the event. If you weren’t able to make it to this event, our next social outing will be the May Event. More details on the May Event will be coming shortly. Stay tuned to the newsletter so you don’t miss out!

As a reminder, if you know someone who will be applying for the Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM grant, you should be badgering them to get started on the application. As a proud parent myself, I realize they probably will still wait until the last minute, but it’s worth a try! The application deadline is March 15th, 2017.

Our next meeting on January 9th will be at Covestro at Freddie’s Café starting at 5 pm with a social hour. The speaker, Mike Jeffries, will present at 6 pm with a talk entitled “Making the Switch to Water Based Polyurethane” and be followed by dinner. This will be a joint event with the Chemical Association of Pittsburgh. I hope to see all of you at our first meeting of 2017!

Kenneth Cutler
PSCT President 2016-2017

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Dr. Gary Horacek of Troy Chemical for speaking at last month’s meeting. I have talked with several other PSCT members who found his presentation very interesting. Also, I think it was nice to have a change of scenery at Roland’s. Please remember to talk to the PSCT board members about your preferences for meeting locations as we will be deciding where to have meetings after we complete our rotation with the November meeting.

The PSCT Board and Scholarship Committee have been hard at work making some changes to the Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM grant. Most of the changes are cosmetic in nature, but I would like to recommend that everyone takes the time to carefully read the application when released so that everyone understands the requirements. I expect the scholarship applications to be ready for release in the December newsletter. Any questions can be addressed to myself or the Scholarship Committee chair, Tom Van Kuren.

I would also like to remind everyone about the December event at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Because the event was so popular last year and filled quickly, we have decided to offer two options of activities this year. The first is an artist glass paperweight which will be made in the Hot Shop. The second will be a fused tile, sun catcher, window ornament which will be made in the Kiln Shop. Unfortunately, time will only allow participation in ONE of the two activities. Please specify which activity you are interested in when making your reservations. Reservations can be made to psct1927@gmail.com and will be accepted starting now. The cost of the event is $50 per person. Couples, who would only like to make one item, may attend at a cost of $60. We will have some light refreshments on hand as well. Please check inside this issue of the newsletter for more details. This event is really one you’re not going to want to miss!

The third meeting this year is scheduled at Walnut Grill in Wexford for November 14th. This month our speaker will be Tim Chen of BYK USA Inc. His presentation will be on “Wax additive technology for the improvement of surface properties while maintaining low matte finish”. Please note this is not the same location as the Walnut Grill in Fox Chapel. The address for Walnut Grill – Wexford is 12599 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 15090. I look forward to seeing you there.

Kenneth Cutler
PSCT President 2016-2017

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank the 56 golfers and over 26 business sponsors who attended and supported the September Golf Outing. I would like to also extend a large thank you to Sam Puglisi for organizing the event and Cedarbrook for hosting. Without this event, we would not be able to support our future scholarship recipients!

As a reminder, please keep checking the PSCT newsletter to stay current with any updates regarding the Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM grant. The PSCT Board and Scholarship Committee have been hard at work making some changes to requirements and giving the application a fresh look. Tom Van Kuren, the Scholarship Committee chair, is still looking for committee members. If you are interested in participating in the Scholarship Committee please contact Tom at tvankuren@gmail.com.
I also would like to thank Josh Mathes of KaMin for presenting at the September meeting. Josh’s discussion on kaolin clay and its uses as a TiO2 extender was very informative. Utilizing a drawing of Pangea, Josh even showed us how kaolin clay deposits formed in the locations we find them today!

Spots to speak at our PSCT meetings this year are rapidly filling. If you have thought about sharing your expertise with us, this year would be a great opportunity! Our second speaker this year is Dr. Gary Horacek of Troy Chemical who will be presenting at our October meeting on “Preservative Challenges and Strategies for Green Coatings”.
I would also like to announce that for the December meeting this year, we are again planning on doing an event at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Last year, this was a very popular event in which attendees made some great glass ornaments. Please continue to check the monthly newsletter for more information on this upcoming event.

The second meeting this year is scheduled at Roland’s in the Strip District for October 10th. The address for Roland’s is 1904 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. I look forward to seeing you there.

Kenneth Cutler
PSCT President 2016-2017