Membership Memo: Building More Than a Career

Contributed by Josh Gilmore

If you had told me while I was surviving on coffee and poor decisions at 3 a.m. in architecture school that I'd end up in the powder coating industry, I would have laughed. Then I would have gone back to trying to draw a straight line for the fifth time.

Like many of us, I didn't grow up dreaming of transfer efficiency, cure schedules and reclaim systems. I found powder coating through opportunity. What I didn't expect to find was a community that would shape my career.

It turns out my architecture background was surprisingly useful. Designing paint systems is a lot like architecture, except instead of convincing clients their building will fit on the lot, you're convincing yourself that 10 pieces of process equipment and a conveyor can somehow fit into a space designed for a supply closet. A successful paint-system designer is part engineer, part problem-solver and occasionally, part hostage negotiator.

When I entered the industry, I knew very little about powder coating. Throughout my career at Sames, I've been fortunate to work alongside customers, suppliers, competitors and industry experts who challenged me to grow professionally. Getting involved with the Powder Coating Institute (PCI) accelerated that growth even further. Through PCI, I met experienced professionals who generously shared their knowledge, answered my questions and helped me avoid learning everything the hard way, which, as many of us know, is the industry's most expensive training program.

Those experiences taught me an important lesson: our greatest asset isn't our equipment, technology or facilities. It's our people.

That realization inspired the creation of the Young Professionals in Powder Coating group. The idea was simple: to create a place where emerging leaders could connect, learn and build relationships. What has been exciting is seeing that vision become reality. Today, it's a growing network of talented professionals who are helping to shape the future of our industry.

Some of my closest industry friends are people I technically compete against. That's one of the unique things about powder coating. We compete during the day, then share ideas, solve problems and support one another afterward. It's probably one of the few industries where your competitor might help you succeed—and then try to beat you on the next quote.

Whether you're new to powder coating or you've been around long enough to remember when every technical document lived in a filing cabinet, I encourage you to get involved. Join a committee, attend an event, participate in a discussion or connect with the Young Professionals Group. Every conversation has the potential to teach you something new, introduce you to a future mentor or open the door to your next opportunity.

Looking back, I've spent my career at Sames helping customers build finishing solutions. Through PCI, I've had the opportunity to help build something different: relationships, leadership and a stronger future for our industry.

And unlike some of my old architecture projects, this is something that actually got built.

I hope you'll join us!

Josh Gilmore is Sales and Marketing Training Specialist at Sames.