First, I’d like to first thank Jeremy Pafford from ICIS for taking the time to present at our January meeting about Coatings in the PostPandemic Era. If you missed it and would like a copy of the talk, feel free to reach out to a member of the board. As we move closer to springtime, I want to note to our members that we will have open board and committee positions available for the upcoming PSCT year. Getting more involved in the society is a great step to take to build relationships with others in the industry! If you are interested, please reach out to anyone currently on the board. We are happy to answer any questions! We have a change in our schedule and our February meeting will feature Dr. Ingrid Meier from Evonik. Her talk will focus on surfactants in low-VOC coatings. We are looking forward to the presentation! In honor of President’s Day, any former PSCT presidents will be charged a discounted rate for the in-person meeting and dinner. I hope you can join us on February 7th!

Julia Baur, PSCT President 2021 – 2022

Dear PSCT Members,

Thank you to Dr. George Mauer from Chitec Technology for his interesting and informative presentation on UV absorbers. George was our first in-person presentation since February 2020! Thank you to our Past President Chris and our Vice President Art for allowing us to still air the presentation to our virtual members.

I hope you will consider joining us at Istituto Mondo Italiano on Monday, December 13^th for a private pasta making class for PSCT members and guests! We encourage everyone to register online through our website for the event. Space is limited, so please RSVP by December 1^st.

I’d like to wish everyone a happy, safe, and healthy holiday and new year!

Julia Baur
PSCT President 2021 – 2022

Dear PSCT Members,

I would like to thank Dr. Jack Burgman from PPG for taking the time at our October meeting to share information of a new antiviral and antibacterial paint technology from PPG. It was intriguing to hear about the new interior product and the challenges that come with the development for this type of technology.

If you have a student in high school or in college, we hope you plan to have them apply for the Hiram P. Ball Scholarship as well as the STEM grant if their major is in STEM. We will be releasing the scholarship form soon which will include the requirements. I’d like to thank Karen Hollertz for volunteering her time again this year to chair the scholarship committee. We are looking for someone to chair the committee for next year (2022-2023), so if you are interested, please reach out to Karen or someone on the board.

I am excited to share that we plan to do something new and different for our December social event. We plan to attend a pasta making class at Istituto Mondo Italiano on Monday, December 13^th. More details will be included in an upcoming email blast and newsletter.

Our November presentation will feature Dr. George Mauer from Chitec Technology Company about “UV Absorbers.” The presentation will be offered both virtually and in person at Roland’s, and dinner will follow the presentation. See you November 8^th!

Julia Baur, PSCT President 2021 – 2022

Dear PSCT Members,

This PSCT year will begin with our annual Golf Outing on Thursday, September 9th at Birdsfoot Golf Club. If you are a golfer, I hope you will be able to sign up and check out the new venue this year! I want to thank Chris Gehly who is our golf chair for preparing for the event. Please see page 1 for the golf event and contact Chris at events@paintsociety.org or pay on our website at paintsociety.com to register. I for one am impressed by the long list of things that are included with the golf package: cannon blast and bagpiper at event start, skill prize markers, beverages provided every 3rd hole, and banquet dinner, just to name a few. Proceeds from the golf outing benefit the PSCT Hiram P. Ball Memorial Scholarship and STEM Grant Award which allow us every year to award students with a scholarship.

I would also like to thank Karen Hollertz for volunteering her time again this year to chair the scholarship committee. If you are interested in serving on the scholarship committee, please contact Karen. The scholarship application will be provided in upcoming newsletters if you are interested in having your children apply this year. It’s never too early to pay your membership dues! Thank you to Jeff Scherm for serving as our membership chair again this year. Please contact Jeff or visit the website to pay your membership dues. To celebrate our 94th year, if your membership is paid in full by September 30th, you will be entered into a drawing for $94. It is a nice award, coming from a person who has won the prize money in the past. The winner will be drawn at the October meeting and attendance at this meeting is not required to win. Good luck!

We have a full list of speakers for this upcoming year. Thank you to Barb Anderson, our Director-at-Large, who has been the ring leader with scheduling our speakers. The topics are very interesting, including “Antiviral Coatings” by Dr. Jack Burgman from PPG, who will be speaking at the October 11th meeting. We plan to offer the hybrid meetings again this year, for the safety of our members, so the meeting and presentation will be hosted at Roland’s with a virtual option.

Finally, I would like to thank the 2021-2022 PSCT board members for volunteering their time:

Vice President Art Kasson, Secretary Don Hart, Treasurer Andrew Meshanko, Director-at-Large Barb Anderson, ACA Liaison Mark DePasquale, and Past President Chris Chaousy. Additionally, thank you to Deb Longhini, our Communications Chair, for her continued involvement with the organization. This society would not be possible without our members and the hard work of the board members and committee members.

Julia Baur, PSCT President 2021-2022

Dear PSCT Members,
This has been a memorable year, filled with challenges of continuing to supply the market, in many cases with a lack of resources and raw material. Yet, we were asked to find a way to make it work. This required a lot of innovation and thinking outside the box. Much like what has been asked of Mike Jefferies, as described in his presentation on sustainable product development. Mike did an excellent job describing the challenges and opportunities that come out of thinking outside the box to make our world a better place for generations to come. 11:00 am Shot-Gun Start Range Balls Before Start Skill Prizes, Winners’ Trophies, Lunch and Awards Dinner in Outdoor Tent and don’t forget Door Prize Raffle! Hole Sponsors – On-Course Signage: $150 Proceeds support the PSCT Scholarship Fund Contact: Chris Gehly, Matthews Marking Systems events@paintsociety.org: 412.365.2345 www.birdsfoot.com watch for more info! We had a wonderful time at the Hofbräuhaus Brewery and Restaurant for our spring event this month. Even the weather cooperated, providing us with a warm sunny day. One interesting fact learned during the brewery tour is only four ingredients are used in making their beer. Take a guess what they are. (The answer is provided on the last page of the newsletter.)
This year, it is an honor to present our scholarship to Isabelle Hart, the daughter of Don Hart. (see page 1.) Lastly, I would like to thank all of the board members for their support and hard work this year. Also, to the PSCT members for providing me the opportunity to be President. I challenge anyone interested in building close relationships with remarkable leaders in the coatings industry to consider getting more involved. Thank you once again, and I hope everyone has a wonderful summer, see you at the golf outing on September 9th!
Chris Chaousy
PSCT President 2020-2021

Dear PSCT Members,
Thank you to Mark W. Ellsworth, Ph.D. from Color Corporation of America for presenting on Transparent Water-Borne Pigment Dispersions. It humbles me at times to realize how much goes into common stains and coatings that continuously improve. In the reverse order, it is like looking back at a picture of ourselves 10 years ago, not noticing the slight changes time has on our appearance until we see that photo. Fortunately, for each wrinkle, a bit of wisdom has been gained internally. For those with no wrinkles working towards gaining wisdom, the scholarship application is due MARCH 15. Please try to encourage those that qualify to take advantage of this monetary aid to help them with their studies. The application can be found on the website. We are cautiously optimistic to be offering a Spring Social this May. Assuming conditions allow, a wine tasting paired with dinner will be held at the Mighty Oak Barrell in Oakmont, stay tuned for further updates. For our March meeting, we are excited to have Martin Neal from PPG, who will be speaking on Innovations in Powder Coatings. Please try and invite a colleague, customer or supplier to either join us online or in person at Roland’s Seafood Grill. Either way, I look forward to seeing everyone very soon.

Chris Chaousy
PSCT President 2020-2021

Dear PSCT Members,
I want to thank Carla Dittman McBain for her time in our January meeting to present on the topic of Hydrophobic Surfaces. It was fascinating to learn how little research was completed on this topic before the early 2000s and hearing the remarkable progress made since. This month we are privileged to hear from Mark W. Ellsworth, Ph.D. from Color Corporation of America, presenting on Transparent Water-Borne Pigment Dispersions.
It is a challenge to have distinguished speakers on topics relevant to the times each month. As a group, we are very fortunate to have Barbra Anderson, who works hard behind the scenes to fill these speaker roles. Barbra has begun scheduling speakers into the fall of this year and spring of 2022. If you or someone you know of would be interested in speaking at a future meeting, please have them reach out to Barb Anderson.
As we look forward to getting back to normal, with everyone meeting once again, please consider learning more about board and committee positions opening for 2021-22. Becoming more involved not only is a way to give back to PSCT, but is a great way to build relationships with others in the industry. If interested please reach out to anyone currently on the board.
Scholarships will be offered to eligible students who apply by the deadline of March 15, 2021. That is only a little of a month away. Please give a little encouragement to those eligible to begin the application process.
Lastly, a hybrid meeting approach will be offered in February, therefore, please join us either virtually or physically at Rolands Seafood Grill. Either way, I look forward to seeing everyone very soon.
Chris Chaousy
PSCT President 2020-2021

Dear PSCT Members,

I want to thank Dr. Christy Martin from INEOS Pigments, who gave an excellent presentation on pigments relating properties to coating performance. She offered a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that exist between pigment producers and coating formulators.

Unfortunately, due to the rise in COVID 19 cases and respecting Allegheny County’s stay-at-home order, we reversed our decision announced at the October meeting to hold our annual holiday gathering. We are saddened not to meet this year but know it is the best decision for our members and the community.

As we spend more time at home this holiday season, it is an excellent opportunity to nudge high school seniors and college students to begin the PSCT Scholarship application. The application can be found on the PSCT website. Any questions surrounding the application process can be directed to Karen Hollertz, our Scholarship Committee Chair. She and other members of the committee very generously donate their time to this essential duty.

As this year comes to an end, I hope everyone enjoys this rare moment in history when life has will slow down as we approach the holidays. I sincerely wish everyone a joyous Christmas and Hanukkah!

Chris Chaousy

PSCT President 2020-2021

Dear PSCT Members, A very special thank you to Dr. Gary Horacek, who not only had connection problems causing him to begin his presentation from his car but after losing connection in the car, he went inside a public community building to complete the presentation.  Talk about going above and beyond.  Thank you for your efforts and for offering a fantastic presentation on Anti-Microbial Coatings, separating the hype from the facts. This month we are lucky to have Dr. Christy Martin from Ineos who will present on relating properties of pigments to coating performance.

Last month was our first hybrid meeting and it was a success.  We will be providing the same options in November, please feel free to join us in person or online.

I would like to thank Julia Buar for putting together a survey, and also those that responded on whether they would attend an in-person traditional meeting or social event in December.  We received 38 responses to help guide the board in making the best decision for the group.   An announcement will be made at the November meeting and through an email blast on our plan for December.

Lastly, I would like to wish all of our members a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  Although this year has been difficult, there are still many silver linings and blessings for which we are able to be thankful.

Chris Chaousy

PSCT President 2020-2021