The Metropolitan New York Coatings Association (MNYCA) hosted its holiday party Dec. 7 at Iberia in Newark, New Jersey. Approximately 200 people attended this annual event.

One of the highlights at this event is the annual Pioneer Awards, which honors paint industry professionals who have given 25,40 and 50 years to the advancements of the protective coatings industry.

This year five members were recognized for their 40 years of service: David White (Heucotech), Thomas Daquila (Eagle Specialty Products), Howard Goldstein (Dux Paint), John Florio (King Industries) and Peter Rugel (Dux Paint).

David White is technical director for Heucotech Ltd. and has more than 40 years’ experience in colorants, dispersions and coatings. He has held positions in production, research laboratories and sales. His technical experience includes architectural and industrial coatings, inks and plastisols. He is a past president for the New York Society for Coatings Technology, MNYCA board member, Philadelphia Society for Coatings Technology secretary and president of the Eastern Coatings Federation. He also serves on an advisory board for the Waterborne Symposium and the Science and Technology Committee for the ACA.

Thomas Daquila started his career in 1976 at Daniel Products Company as an R&D chemist. He worked with and was trained by Fred Daniel and Ray Pinero who were industry leaders in the dispersion and additive field. Daquila performed many lab functions and later moved into technical service and sales. He spent 25 at Daniels until it became Elementis Specialties and then he decided to make a change. For the last 16 years, he has been with Eagle Specialty Products as their vice president of sales. He has been an MNYCA board member for many years and also is a past president of the MNYCA.

Howard Goldstein has been in the paint and coatings industry his entire adult life. In 1977, he started his career at the Wallcote Paint Company & Harco Chemical Company, where he was involved in all phases of the operation, including sales, paint formulation and production. In 1999, equipped with his experience and expertise, he formed his own company. Eventually, he had the opportunity to join Dux Paint and Chemical Company, which he eventually purchased in 2010. The recent acquisition of two well-known companies  – Hood Products and Hawthorne Paints – has given Dux the opportunity to venture into new markets.

John Florio has been employed at King Industries since 1981 and has made significant contributions to the development of the company’s catalyst, additive and resin modifier programs. He has authored and presented many chemistry-related articles for coating and elastomer applications. Florio is co-editor of “Handbook of Coatings Additives, Second Edition.” He holds patents in the area of catalysis for various coatings and elastomer systems. He is currently a technical manager for King Industries’ Coatings Division.

Peter Rugel started his paint and coatings journey in 1972 with C.P.L. Industries working on the bench doing quality control for five years. C.P.L. merged in 1977 with Pyrolac Corporation. He eventually got involved in sales and troubleshooting and production.  When the company closed in 1994, the owners formed a new company, Compliance Coatings. After eight years, the company closed and he joined Hawthorne Paint Co. as head chemist.

“I continued in technical sales and took a complete turn around and went into high-end Italian polyurethanes and precat lacquers and companies with companies like Valspar, ICA, Lenmar, Nanochem, and the latest Geminin Coatings, Inc.,” said Rugel. “In a short amount of time, we became a top contributor in the field, due to a great color matching service. Following the closing of Hawthorne Paint in the Spring of 2017, we were acquired by Dux Paint Co. of Lodi, New Jersey owned by Howard Goldstein. There I continued in sales and technical product. After 41 years of this journey, I am not ready to let go.”