How proper training is key to a project’s success

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how the training can empower you to save money, time and headaches. 

Host Heidi J. Ellsworth met up with Johnny Walker from APOC for the first CoatingsTalk! Johnny is the National Technical Manager for APOC and has been with the company for 14 years now. His journey in the industry began even before that, he shared, “I've been in roofing, in one form or another, pushing 40 years. Started out picking up shingles off the ground, then I did some tear off of shingles and then went into distribution. Ran coatings jobs, was an independent rep, a manufacturer's rep, a sales director and now it's national technical manager.” 

Johnny knows the industry from many different angles and that showed him the power of proper training. He explained, “Training is key, and there are so many factors to it, whether it's safety or proper application.” He has observed well-designed products and systems in the coatings industry fail simply because they were not installed correctly. But training is not a simple task, it’s something that is evolving in the industry, as Heidi explained “it's all across the board. It starts at the ownership level, through sales, production, service departments, the whole nine yards. And so that training has really taken on, as with everything in this day and age, a whole new level.” 

As for APOC’s training, Johnny emphasizes their emphasis on understanding products as a system, something that “is properly prepped, properly primed, properly patched.” To help ensure the success of both contractors and products, APOC has begun doing hybrid training. Some are virtual for accessibility, but they also have hands-on training in classrooms across the country. These trainings emphasize the systemic nature of these products and set applicators up for success. By the end of the training, applicators get a certification as proof of their training. This is helpful for them to show their level of workmanship and reliability to clients.  

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar to learn more about the training APOC provide.