"So far, the Field Exams have had the
biggest turnout ever, I think! It is encouraging to see guys coming in wanting
to be better. Everybody is coming together!"
--Dennis "Denny" Vandewater, SPFA
President
"It is real encouraging to see young
faces starting to step up more and more. This is going to grow our industry."
--Brad Houlden, Houlden Contracting in
Cambridge, Nebraska
"I’m nervous about taking the exams, to
be honest. But, I have an instructor who is a hard^*# and I am learning. He
duct-taped my gloves to the Tyvek – nobody else would do that for me!"
--Manny Lojo, Puff Inc. of Charlottesville, Virginia
"I love volunteering for this -- the
SPFA PCP Field Exams. This is my third go- around. This year they are free! They
are well-organized and are running pretty darn smooth."
--Doug Orcutt, Technical Director, Accella Polyurethane Systems
Neville Morgan, owner of NRM Construction in Grand Cayman, is participating in the Field Exams because "we needed basic training" on SPF machines. "It is going good. I am trying my best!" Two people from NRM are attending the conference and participating in the Field Exams to help get their new company off on the right foot. "We are just getting started," said Morgan. "There is a lot of need for SPF in the Grand Caymans."
Dave Penta of Sprayworks built a couple of rigs for Polyurethane Machinery Corporation and is also a "top distributor" for PMC, which recently released a gun that comes with an extension and enables applicators to spray up to 10 feet in the right conditions. It reduces the need to get up on a ladder when spraying, which is a time-saver, he said. "The gun was a co-adventure," said Penta. "We had an idea and brought it to PMC." And now it is a reality!
Kevin Neff, a superintendent at Puff Inc., who got to the Field Exams at 6 a.m. to start setting up, said this is his first year as a volunteer at the Field Exams. The traffic is going smoothly, but it is a long day, he said. "For what they have and what they are trying to accomplish, we could use a couple more volunteers," he hinted. "It’s going well, though."
"This year, we are going into the show
with two feet in. We are coming back in a big way! We are starting to get a lot
more name recognition now."
--Tom Rivera, Polyurethane Machinery
Corp.
"The Field Exams have had very good attendance. So far, in general, there has been a lot more than last year. It helps that they don’t have to pay for it! There have been a lot of walk-throughs as well."
--Shirley Houlden, Houlden Contracting in Cambridge, Nebraska
Bonnie Strickler, president of PUFF Inc., said, "If it was like it was this morning, we are expecting a really good turnout tomorrow." She added that the line for the Field Exams started well before 8 a.m., and ebbed and flowed the rest of the day. There were a lot of tours and walk-up registrations, as well as pre-registered people. "If you haven’t signed up yet, it is not too late! We’ll be taking walk-up registrations tomorrow, as well." Bonnie suggested going to the PCP registration desk in the parking garage either late morning or early afternoon. "This year’s Field Exams have been phenomenal."
The exams are good! You can never know
enough.
--Jacob Ski, Lilac, Queens, N.Y.
Peter Panagako, owner of Cool Roof Foam and Coatings in Pompano Beach, Florida, said he took the Field Exams and the first Assistant Exam, and will be taking the Installer exam. "All the material is in the study guides. As long as you read them, you should be all right. There is a lot of good information in there that I didn’t know, even though I’ve been in the business 8-9 years."
Bobby Gill, a foreman and applicator at Cool Roof Foam and Coatings, said, "I’ve been in the business 25 years and some of this information is new to me; I learned at the school of hard knocks! Reading these books helped me out." Bobby was sponsored by his company to attend and take the exams. "I want to separate my company from other companies that don’t have certification," said owner Peter Panagako. "If gives me an edge on the competition."
