Membership Memo—Community and Camaraderie

Entering the manufacturing field right out of college can feel intimidating, especially when the industry is thriving with accomplished and experienced veterans in their respective fields. A close-knit community of engineers, sales teams, and large and small business owners can sometimes make it feel like everyone in the room knows something you don’t. PCI’s Young Professionals group alleviates those pressures and provides an instant community for young members of the powder coating industry. Whether you are a supplier, equipment specialist, manufacturer, or just someone looking to learn more about powder coating itself, PCI offers all the above.

PCI provides a plethora of training courses, the annual Powder Coating Week, scholarship programs, bi-monthly Powder Coated Tough magazines, and much more. I’ve personally attended the last four Powder Coating Weeks and enjoyed the Powder Coating 101 Workshop, PCI Technical Conference, and participated in the Tabletop Exhibition manning the Henkel booth. PCI’s Powder Coating Week has been a great opportunity to meet with other suppliers and customers you may work with daily but rarely get to see face-to-face. It is an amazing networking opportunity, and I’m glad to say seeing some of the same faces each year has grown to lasting friendships. The Tabletop Exhibition gives each supplier a chance to both display their new technologies and interact with attendees throughout the event. This is a great opportunity to connect and get hands on with new advancements in powder coating.

PCI’s Young Professionals is a rapidly growing group that has enabled me to engage with other young people in the powder coating industry. It’s a great opportunity to network with other young members eager to be more involved with the industry and the association. Whether it be a scheduled cocktail hour at Powder Coating Week or an informal meetup at FABTECH, the Young Professionals group has been a valuable outlet to connect the younger manufacturing generation. A wide diversity of experience, specializations, and knowledge fill the room at each one of these events. I get to share my knowledge of chemical pretreatment with my peers while learning their businesses and backgrounds at the same time. I encourage powder coating community members under 40 to join PCI and the Young Professionals group and go into each event with an open mind.

Devon Grenon is a functional coatings sales engineer at Henkel Corporation.