May 12, 2022
The 2022 George E.F. Brewer Awards—a prestigious accolade given to those who stand out among the best in electrocoating— were presented at the annual ECOAT22 Conference held in Orlando, Fla. In addition, the Electrocoat Association created a new Lifetime Achievement Award for those who have dedicated most of their career to the electrocoating industry to present solutions to industry problems and create an environment of innovation for new participants to learn.
This year’s Brewer Awards were presented to Rex Krohn, manager of enterprise facilities services at Deere & Co.; Gary Orosz, applications process manager, PPG; and Chad Andreae, vice-president of sales for Therma-Tron-X, Inc.
Krohn leads the paint process engineering group at John Deere and is responsible for designing and constructing new and renovated paint systems. In 2020, he took on additional responsibility for the Enterprise Facilities Competencies—electrical, mechanical, environmental, civil, and structural engineering.
Orosz has over 25 years of experience in the electrocoat industry, all with PPG. In his current role, he supports the successful integration of PPG’s electrocoat and pretreatment products into new and existing systems by providing process and design specifications, engineering reviews, cost justification models, pilot system design and testing, and training to end users of electrocoat. He served on the board of directors for The Electrocoat Association from 2014 to 2019 and remains an active participant in the Association.
And Andreae holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). He is a member of the Chemical Coaters Association (CCAI), The Electrocoat Association, and the Powder Coat Association (PCI). As VP sales, he works with a small team of sales engineers to develop customized solutions for clients in need of complete paint finishing lines and water and wastewater treatment systems.
The association’s first Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to David Myers, director of technology and manufacturing – coatings, Modine Manufacturing Company.
Myers has been associated with the finishing industries since the early 1970s. He worked for PPG Industries in the 70’s as a project manager/engineer in their electrocoating division. He has since managed and owned several companies involved in the sales, design, fabrication, installations and management of finishing systems and operations.
He has been an active member of the Electrocoat Conference Steering Committee for over 25 years, was a founding member of the Electrocoat Association and has served on its board of directors since its inception. He also served three terms as the president of the Electrocoat Association and is also a member of the Chemical Coaters Association International.
