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20 JANUARY 2017 COATINGSPROMAG.COM A fter a rigorous auditing process, which included an administrative review and field audit, Blastco and Turner Industries recently became the first coatings contractors to earn accreditation from the NACE International Institute Contractor Accreditation Program (NIIC AP). NIIC AP is an industry-designed and -managed program focused on contractors involved with professional project management and project perfor- mance in the surface preparation and coating or lining application industries. It was created in response to demand for an alternative to other coatings contractor accreditation programs. "e safety and quality of our work is our top priority at Blastco," said Jay Soper, vice president of Blastco, a TF Warren Co. "Attaining the most demanding and trusted accreditation and certifications offered in the indus- try is the best way to set ourselves apart from — and above — our compet- itors. We are proud to not only meet the highest standards set by the industry leader, but especially to be the first company to do so." "Turner has been committed to building, maintaining, and servicing the nation's heavy industrial sector for over 50 years," added Richard Kelly, opera- tions manager at Turner. "Our ability to remain successful hinges on us working hard to find, develop, and support the very best people for the jobs we perform throughout our four divisions. Working to achieve NIICAP accreditation is an important component in our efforts to be the best at what we do and has given our craft workers something to take great pride in, as do we." e NIIC AP program board of directors is mainly composed of project owners; however, coatings contractors also get a voice through the contractor committee, which enables the new accreditation program to be the first to bridge the gap between what asset owners are seeking and what coatings contractors provide. "e NACE International Institute is known for its thorough and unpar- alleled qualification programs," said Chris Fowler, president of the NACE International Institute. "e insti- tute is leading the way in developing the best programs to improve and mitigate the costly — and sometimes catastrophic — effects of corrosion. NIIC AP is an essential part of this organization's important work." By earning the NIICAP seal, contractors verify that they are fully qualified to perform the best and latest in coatings preparation, application, and inspection techniques and practices. For owners, this translates to better quality, increased savings, and reduced risks. "As a facility owner representative, I find that industry-wide certification programs are an important tool for instituting quality in a maintenance program," said Johnnie Miller, lab and materials engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation. "By providing a vehicle through which the contracting community can be vetted for competence, programs like NIICAP help to ensure facility owners that the contractor hired to do the work is both capable and incentivized to do it properly. is is especially true for owners dealing with a low-bid award environment." "We hope to see more contractors bidding with this accreditation," added Johnny Eliasson, a hull and coatings engineer with Chevron Shipping Co. LLC. "It provides the owners with another venue to keep the contractor accountable, while helping us identify contractors with a proven track record of going the extra mile to continuously execute quality work." For more information about the NACE International Institute Contractor Accreditation Program, visit www.niicap.net. CP From left to right, Robin Frye (Blastco), James Hart (Blastco), Jay Soper (Blastco), Helena Seelinger (NACE International Institute), and Steve Wissing (Blastco) posed for a photo after Blastco became the first contractor to earn accreditation through a new NACE program. NACE News Blastco, Turner Earn Accreditation From NACE Institute's New Program for Contractors