The Finish Line

Shop Profile: Stephen Walters, Progressive Coating

Stephen Walters is CEO of Progressive Coating, a Chicago-area job shop that has evolved from a thermoplastic coating specialist into a multi-process supplier supporting automotive, electrical infrastructure, and electric vehicle markets across North America. That performance-first mindset has guided Progressive Coatings through more than four decades of operation—and through one of the most ambitious expansion efforts in the company’s history. Founded in the early 1980s, Progressive Coatings established its reputation with fluidized-bed thermoplastic coatings, particularly nylon, PVC, and plastisol systems, used on wire forms, springs, and industrial components. Walters purchased the company in 2006 and immediately began reinvesting in infrastructure, quality systems, and technology. “Once I took over, we rebuilt pretty much everything here,” he says.  Visit https://progressivecoating.com [https://progressivecoating.com/].

Shop Profile: Dallas Cooley, Georgia Powder Coating

Dallas Cooley is Chief Servant and CEO at Georgia Powder Coating in Gainesville, Georgia, a company approaching its 27th year in business and prepares for a facility expansion that will more than double its footprint. For Georgia Powder Coating, the decision to prioritize customer experience was not based on industry precedent. In fact, there was little to draw from within manufacturing itself. Instead, the company looked outside its own industry for inspiration. “You can think of hotel chains like the Ritz Carlton, or even fast food now with Chick-fil-A,” Cooley says. “They just operate differently with the customer as the focus.” Visit https://www.georgiapowdercoating.com [https://www.georgiapowdercoating.com/].

Shop Talk: Stephen Sharretts, Sharretts Plating

Stephen Sharretts is the CEO and third-generation leader of Sharretts Plating in York, Pennsylvania, an electroplating operation that has lasted 100 years and weathered the industry’s many storms. Founded in 1925 as Charles D. Snyder and Son, Inc., the company has evolved from a small polishing and repair shop in Harrisburg into a cutting-edge surface finishing operation serving global industries. Sharretts Plating specializes in alloys and finishes that most finishing operations prefer to ignore for obvious reasons: the difficulty of mastering the processes, and the costs often associated with precious metals. It provides standard copper, tin, nickel, and electroless nickel finishes, and also works extensively with gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, and numerous other precious metals. Read the article at https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2714-doctors-orders-sharretts-plating-mastering-the-art-of-growing-finishing-business [https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2714-doctors-orders-sharretts-plating-mastering-the-art-of-growing-finishing-business].

Shop Profile: Natalia Stephen, Compound Metal Coatings

Natalia Stephen is owner of Compound Metal Coatings and CEO and Owner of PVD Advanced Technologies, both located in Ontario, Canada, and looks forward to her 25th anniversary in 2026. Stephen founded CMC in 2001, after a career that took her from her birthplace in Romania to college and her first job in South Africa, where she sold chemistry supplies, and eventually to Canada, where she was on the supplier side as well. Along the way, she has become well known for her expertise in corrosion prevention and wear-resistant coatings. She is an active member of various trade associations, including the Canadian Association of Moldmakers (CAMM), of which she recently became chairman.

Shop Profile: Marko Duffy, TDF Metal Finishing

Marko Duffy is Managing Director at TDF Metal Finishing in Danvers, Massachusetts. He took the job in 2021 after a lengthy career on the supplier side of the finishing business and has transformed the once family-owned company in just a little over four years. Duffy has helped the shop, founded in 1984, become accredited by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program and has added new finishing lines and more processes. More importantly, he won over the 30 employees by fostering a culture of accountability and appreciation. Read the article at https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2645-new-plating-lines-nadcap-take-tdf-metal-finishing-to-next-level [https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/plating/2645-new-plating-lines-nadcap-take-tdf-metal-finishing-to-next-level]