NACE-SSPC Merger Approved by Members

HOUSTON (UC) — NACE International announced late Wednesday that its members have voted to approve the association’s proposal to combine with SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings. During the two-week voting period, NACE said, thousands of its stakeholders worldwide cast votes with an overwhelming 89% 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  by NACE International’s Board of Directors in favor of a resolution to bring the combination to a member vote.

“With what is clearly a resounding ‘yes,’ the NACE membership has spoken,” said 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.”

According to SSPC President Joseph Walker, “This was a vote of historical importance to SSPC members and to the coatings and corrosion industries. 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.”  

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. Member volunteers will drive discussions and decision-making to ensure 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.

NACE International CEO, Bob Chalker and SSPC Executive Director, Bill Worms issued the following joint statement, “From the time each of us began working for our organizations we have believed our members can be stronger together. 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.”

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, with offices in the U.S., the U.K., 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.

SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings was founded in 1950 as the Steel Structures Painting Council, a non-profit 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.

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