NACE International announced that its members voted in April to approve the association’s proposal to combine with SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings. During the two-week voting period, thousands of NACE stakeholders worldwide cast votes, with an overwhelming 89% voting in favor of combining forces with SSPC.
The vote came after more than a year of discussions between the member leadership of both organizations and a unanimous vote this past March by NACE International’s Board of Directors in favor of a resolution to bring the combination to a member vote.
‘Historical Importance’
“With what is clearly a resounding ‘yes,’ the NACE membership has spoken,” says NACE President Terry Greenfield. “As a member and as NACE’s president I could not be more excited with this result. This will bring more benefits and resources to the members of both organizations and it will have a strong and positive impact on the corrosion and coatings profession worldwide.”
“This was a vote of historical importance to SSPC members and to the coatings and corrosion industries,” adds Joseph Walker, president of SSPC. “The level of engagement and interest throughout the process and the impressive showing for the vote demonstrates the enthusiasm the industry has for the potential of this combination. I look forward to working with my colleagues at NACE as we move forward on creating this new organization.”
Future Timeline
Several steps are required before a specific timeline for completion of a combination can be set, and most changes will not be immediate. Initial efforts will be focused on determining the new governance and membership structure by January 1, 2021, with member volunteers driving discussions and decision-making to ensure that the final combined organization represents the best interests of the membership.
McKinley Advisors will continue to serve as a third party, independent advisor to assist both organizations with combining resources, knowledge, and cultures.
Bob Chalker, CEO of NACE, issued the following joint statement with Bill Worms, executive director at SSPC.
“From the time each of us began working for our organizations, we have believed our members can be stronger together," they said. "We are devoted to providing our members with the best services, education, and products possible, and we know this combined organization will accomplish that and more. We are pleased to see this come together and look forward to a bright future ahead for the members of NACE and SSPC.”
About NACE International
Founded in 1943, NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, is the world’s largest nonprofit of its kind with more than 38,000 members in 130 countries. Based in Houston, Texas, USA, with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and a training center in Dubai, the organization serves all industries impacted by corrosion. NACE International provides its membership with numerous benefits and offers the world’s most specified technical training and certification programs, industry standards, reports, conferences, and publications focused on corrosion prevention and mitigation.
Source: www.nace.org.
About SSPC
SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings was founded in 1950 as the Steel Structures Painting Council, a nonprofit society focused on using protective coatings to protect industrial steel structures. In 1997, the name of the association was changed to SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings to better reflect the changing nature of coatings technology and the ever-expanding types of construction materials. With 11,000 members worldwide, SSPC is the leading provider of training and certification programs for coatings professionals and source of information on surface preparation, coating selection, coating application, environmental regulations, and health and safety issues that affect the protective coatings industry.
Source: www.SSPC.org.