Q&A With Steve Hall, Technical Director
This issue's featured employee is Steve Hall, CAS-MI's newest hire. Steve has joined the CAS-MI team as Technical Director and will be managing key projects as well as assisting with business development activities. We sat down with Steve to discuss his new position at CAS-MI, the coatings industry, and even some of his travel adventures.
Q: Tell us about your new role at CAS-MI.
SH: Right now, I am managing a few key projects, coordinating field test sites, gathering and interpreting market data, and working with the senior formulating chemist to improve the products. In the future, I will also be involved in CAS-MI's business development programs.
Q: What did you do before coming to CAS-MI?
SH: I started my coatings career early as a lab technician, moving on to chemist and then to product and business development. I was the Product Marketing Manager for Akzo Nobel for about 12 years. In this role, I was in charge of automotive powder coatings for the aluminum wheel market as well as dabbling in architectural coatings from time to time.
Most recently, I was a Product Development Manager for Illinois Tool Works (ITW) in their Performance Polymers Division. Most of my chemical related experience has been in liquid and powder coatings, but during my employment with ITW, I was involved in structural, polyurethane adhesives for the construction and automotive industries. Needless to say, it was a sticky situation. Ha ha.
Q: What do you like best about working at CAS-MI?
SH: I have been in my current position for approximately two months and had to hit the ground running due to project deadlines. The people at CAS-MI have been great resources and they have all been eager to help me out whenever I needed it. I have also enjoyed working closely with our customers. One key customer has been very pleased with our innovative formulating techniques to commercialize their product. I am proud to be part of this group.
Q: What interesting developments have you noticed in the coatings industry in the past few years?
SH: I have always been proud to be part of the chemical and coatings industries. Having an integral role in the innovations in the industry has been very rewarding. Chemistry wise, I have seen the move toward more sustainable coatings, such as low VOC, better corrosion resistance characteristics, and "greener" coatings. Being able to formulate technologically advanced coatings that exceed specification guidelines has been very interesting to watch.
Q: What's your favorite type of coating and why?
SH: I am not sure that I have a favorite, but I can say that powder coatings are a special interest of mine since I was involved in the industry for such a long time. I have seen powder coatings change dramatically from just being a functional coating to becoming a coating type than can compete favorably with traditional liquid coatings. Aesthetics plus durability is a winning combination.
Q: In you line of work, you must get to travel a lot. Do you have any interesting stories?
SH: During my first trip to Mexico to visit a large coater, I was in for a ride of my life... or so I thought. When I arrived in Chihuahua, my plane was late and the driver from the plant who was supposed to meet me was nowhere to be found. This meant arranging local travel to get to my destination. Of course, I could not reach any of my colleagues, leaving it up to me, the novice traveler who does not speak Spanish very well. I found a taxi driver and, after showing him the address, we were on the way to the plant.
After some time in the taxi, the driver abruptly pulls off the main highway onto a dusty, dirt road. The road resembled more of a path with 2 tracks for wheels in the middle of nowhere. I started to get concerned that I may be in trouble. I attempted to ask the driver where we were, but he was completely silent. Suddenly, the car stopped and the driver got out. I didn't know what to think. Of course, I let my imagination run wild. Remembering news reports about what can happen traveling alone in unfamiliar, foreign countries, all I could think about was how I could possibly defend myself. My cell service was non-existent and the situation had the feeling of a cliched horror movie. It turned out that the driver had just gotten out to refill the radiator and didn't return with an ax as I had imagined. When we finally arrived at the plant, the driver finally spoke up and said, "short cut" and laughed. I guess the joke was on me.
