May 26, 2023

At the Canadian Paint and Coatings Association’s (CPCA) annual conference and AGM, held at the Queen’s Landing hotel in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. on May 24 and 25, the association treated its members and attendees with a trip to Château des Charmes vineyard for the Chair’s Awards and dinner.

The CPCA has a long and storied history of recognising excellence and honouring innovation from member companies and the individuals driving their success. Awards are bestowed on members and colleagues who have dedicated their careers to their respective companies and supporting the industry’s collective commitment to growing the vibrant Canadian coatings industry over the years.

This year’s recipient of the industry’s highest honour, the Roy Kennedy Award, is Fred Heitfeld from Sherwin-Williams. The CPCA said that Heitfeld has been a crucial contributor to the association’s advocacy on multiple files, including paint preservation, VOC’s and GHS, among others. “He is a regular participant in the Paint and Coatings Working Group meetings and has also provided valuable input on GHS worker safety, primarily to support alignment between Canada and the US, which remains a crucial issue for our industry.”

The Industry Achievement Awards were presented to Rachel Laberge (Brenntag); Diane Nash (Axalta); Judy Stevens (Vibrantz); Jim Kantola (PPG); Joyce Borkhoff (Intertek); Tom Snider (Cloverdale); and Brent Jamieson (Axalta). This award is for individuals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in advancing the interests of the industry and/or the association.

The Industry Distinction Award recognises individuals for their long-term contributions to the CPCA at the national and local level and have since retired or plan to soon do so. This year’s recipients include Cathy Currie (Home Hardware); David Faherty (Arxada); JF Tanguay (IMCD); Gary Regulski (Axalta); and Jeff Snyder (AkzoNobel).

CPCA also recognised several member companies and related associations that recently celebrated milestone anniversaries in 2022 and 2023. The following were awarded with commemorative plaques for their longevity in the industry:

• British Coatings Federation – 110 years
• Mapei – 85 years
• Behr – 75 years
• BYK – 150 years
• MF Paint – 55 years
• Orr & Boss – 75 years
• Cloverdale Paint – 90 years
• Duha Group – 75 years