Committee Members
Adam BACKHAUT
Paint Manufacturing
LUCID MOTORS
Scott BARNETT
Director – Application Engineering, Robotics and Automation
3M
Scott currently leads the 3M global abrasives application engineering team that is focused on engineering of robotic abrasive processes in collaboration with system integrators and end using customers.
He has been with 3M for 41 years within various abrasives related businesses and has held a variety of roles including new product development, technology development, business leadership, acquisition integration, and for the past ten years, application engineering.
Scott has a Bachelors of Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and is a certified Black Belt in both Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma methodologies.
Scott enjoys playing golf, often with his wife Lisa, when weather or travel allows and his new passion is spending time with his two young grandchildren, Julie and Bradlee.
Nadia BENHAMIDA
Senior Polymers and Coatings Engineer
HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER
Nadia BenHamida is the Senior Coatings Material Engineer at Hyundai, with responsibility for North and South American manufacturing plants. Her primary role is quality auditing to ensure production quality, evaluation of new colors for future vehicles and coating development that improves quality and customer perception of Hyundai and Kia vehicles. At Rhetech, she formulated and developed new plastic materials for interior and exterior automotive application. And previously at EAG she developed dry erase coatings widely used today in homes, offices, schools, appliances and other products.
Nadia Benhamida is a global citizen; she received a Chemical engineering degree from North Africa, M.S. Applied Chemistry Engineering degree from Europe and a M.S. degree in Polymers and Coatings Engineering from USA. She enjoys yoga, hiking and traveling. Her philosophy is: “Together we achieve more”.
In the dawn of the 4th industrial revolution the auto industry is being challenged more than ever before; Nadia believes that the response and contribution need to be global involving all stakeholders from public and private sectors to academia and civil society.
Michael BENNETT
Marketing Director
AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS
Bob BOOTH
President of TKS Industrial Company
TKS INDUSTRIAL COMPANY
Bob has been with TKS, the North American division of Taikisha Ltd., for 17 years. Bob, a degreed engineer, has supported various roles throughout his surface finishing systems career at TKS including sales/marketing, procurement and operations. He currently holds the position of President of TKS and its paint finishing subsidiaries in Canada and Mexico. Bob is committed to the customers TKS serves, the industry as a whole and the drive toward an efficient and green future. When not supporting that commitment, he enjoys being a soccer and baseball dad and the many outdoor activities he and his family enjoy.
Marc BRILL
Director of Sales
GIFFIN
Marc currently leads the Sales and Marketing team that is focused on providing high quality surface finishing solutions for Automotive, General Industrial, Aerospace and non-Automotive processes, in collaboration with system integrators and OEMs. He has been in the industry for 30-years within various disciplines, including design, program management, field operations, business development, and recently appointed Director of Sales.
Marc’s diverse industry knowledge, experience and network play a key role in supporting successes for our client’s and their needs that involve complexity, intricacy, large-scale implementation, and sustainability. His recent accomplishments include the most expeditious, safe and successful build of a World-Class manufacturing facility for Stellantis in Detroit, MI., amidst COVID-19 Pandemic.
Marc is a well-rounded humanitarian driven with dedication and investments in relationships, results and continual improvement in all aspects of life, professional and familial. Marc is the President of a Youth Non Profit Archery League and has Managed his son’s baseball teams for close to a decade; and is a founding member of GIFFIN Gives-Back community outreach program, extending to habitat for humanity participation and organizations that support and foster well-being and enlightenment for children.
Steve COATS
Vice President – Automotive Sales & Marketing
SAMES
Vernon COMEAUX
Manufacturing Engineering - Paint Operations Senior Manager
STELLANTIS
Rich EVERLY
Vice President Paint
BMW SPARTANBURG
Cassiano FABRIS
CEO
WENKER
Greg FREZELL
Technical Director Americas
NIPPON PAINT AUTOMOTIVE COATINGS
David GEORGE
Surface treatment technical manager
HENKEL
David George is a Surface Treatment Technical Manager at Henkel. In his 35 years with Henkel, he has held various positions within The Automotive Technical Service Group including Director, as well as Global Technical Sales Manager, and Head of Henkel’s Automotive Training Programs. Throughout his career, he has given numerous presentations to technical/trade organizations including SURCAR, Fabtech, CCAI, and The Electrocoat Association. In his current role, David provides technical expertise and support for Automotive OEMs’ conversion coating processes, focusing on innovations in sustainable metal pretreatment technology. David and his Henkel team have won two Automotive News PACE awards for the introduction of zirconium oxide (Thin Film) technology in 2009 and Henkel Flex (Two-Step) hybrid technology in 2014. He currently serves on the board of directors for The Electrocoat Association. David is also a professional photographer and a music enthusiast.
Yuko GIDCUMB
Engineering Material Development Leader
TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA
Yuko graduated from the University of Michigan with a Chemical Engineering degree prior to starting her career at Toyota R&D in 2003.
At Toyota, she started off as a paint design engineer before transferring to the materials development group, with focus on body primers.
After completion of an international assignment on 2011, Yuko then expanded into the high viscosity development area.
Currently, she works as the Senior Engineering Manager of the materials development group that focuses on the localization and development of body paint, pretreatment and electrocoat, and high viscosity materials.
Chris HALL
Strategy and Standards, Paint Group Leader
HONDA
Tim HAYES
International President
SURCAR
Jeffrey JONES
Vice President Automotive OEM coatings
BASF
Jon KARR
Vice President Paintshop Automation
FANUC
Xavier MAURY
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Director America
PLASTIC OMNIUM
Patrick MCKERNAN
Chief Engineer VOME - Global Paint Engineering
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Mike NELSON
Paint Process Manager
ABB
Ryan ODEGAARD
Director, Global Paint Vehicle Systems Engineering
GENERAL MOTORS
Jim PAKKALA
Director of sales and estimating
GALLAGHER-KAISER
Paul SIKORA
Vice President & General Manager
NALCO WATER
Travis SMITH
Senior Manager Paint and Plastics Engineering
NISSAN MOTOR CORPORATION
Joshua SUDBURY
Director of Sustainibility-NA
NIPPON PAINT AUTOMOTIVE COATINGS
Steven SULLIVAN
Chief Commercial Officer
ALTAS COPCO
Dennis TALJAN
General Manager, Automotive OEM Services Automotive Coatings
PPG
Alexander WEITEN
Vice President
DÜRR SYSTEMS
Kenny WHITE
North American President
SURCAR