Marcelo Guadalupe Acuña Coating industry leader receives CRSI Epoxy Industry Service Award Canadian Design and Construction Report special feature In March, the Epoxy Interest Group of the Concrete Re- inforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) announced Marcelo Guadalupe Acuña as the recipient of the Epoxy Industry Service Award. The award recognizes individuals who con- tribute time and effort to further the use of epoxy coated reinforcing steel. Acuña is president of ABC Coating Company, a busi- ness that spans many regions, with roots firmly grounded in the industry. In 1979 Acuña and his then partners Gerald Campbell and Don Benge formed ABC Coating Company Inc. He says they spoke with people who were using epoxy coat- ing on rebar, at that time on projects in New Mexico, learned the process, bought a plant, took it apart and moved it to Oklahoma, creating the first stand-alone epoxy- coated reinforcing steel coating plant in the world. “We had to go through quite a few trial runs to find the right powder for the job. It had to be flexible enough to meet the bend test and that wasn’t easy to find.” He says at the time there were not many powder sup- pliers and most epoxy then was used for pipe coating which did not provide the flexibility rebar required. 42 – April-May 2015 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report In the early days, Acuña says Campbell handled sales while he did the fabrication work. With time and experience he says they learned how to coat eight bars at a time instead of one and began building their own production lines. “We played with the heat and speed of the line, fine tuning as we went to get the right results.” He says the company received valuable support from the mills who they worked closely with to develop a mate- rial that was straight and without sharp edges, in other words, a material that could be effectively coated. During production cycles, Acuña says they had to be on top of the work every minute to ensure the specifications were being met. As they gained experience, they added plants, in Michi- gan in 1980, and in Texas and Colorado in 1981. Over time the company made several other acquisitions in Denver and Michigan, and added another location in Washington, expanding its capabilities and footprint across the country. As they gained experience, they also gained attention. Acuña says they had representatives from Japan coming to look at their plants and inquiries from Saudi Arabian rep- resentatives looking to have similar plants built there.