As we head into the final quarter of 2020, most finishers and coaters are looking to put this year behind them and have their eyes set on next year. Truly, with what has occurred this year, looking forward to tomorrow is sometimes the only thing most in the industry can do to shake what has been a hellish year for many.
No matter what I do in this business, there is nothing more satisfying to me than telling the story of entrepreneurship and ingenuity. And that all starts with the people who own and manage the coating and finishing shops in North America.
I can’t tell you how many finishing and coating shop managers and owners have told me over the years how they started out racking parts or running a forklift, and now they are calling the shots. Even the ones who were brought up in the family business often gleam with pride knowing that they earned their current job through hard work and pushing a broom.
I’ve never had to meet payroll. I’ve never had to put money on a credit card to keep a business afloat. I’ve never had to go without a paycheck as the owner of a company in order for my employees to be paid. In other words, I have no idea what it is like being the owner of a finishing or coating operation, or any business in the U.S. for that matter.
I’m back. Did I miss anything?
Tim Pennington is Editor-in-Chief of Finishing and Coating, and has covered the industry since 2010. He has traveled extensively throughout North America visiting shops and production facilities, and meeting those who work in the industry. Tim began his career in the newspaper industry, then wound itself between the sports field with the PGA Tour and marketing and communications firms, and finally back into the publishing world in the finishing and coating sector. If you want to reach Tim, just go here.
