New President Outlines Her Goals At The Helm Of Pipe Coating Association

Merry L. Brumbaugh, who has spent almost all of her 29-year career in the coated tubulars segment of the L.B. Foster Company, Pittsburgh, PA, has the distinction of being chosen the first woman to be president in the 44-year history of the National Association of Pipe Coating Applicators (NAPCA).

The association is an international group devoted to furthering the success of operators of permanent facilities that apply protective and anti-corrosion coatings to the outside and inside of line pipe.

Pipeline & Gas Journal visited with Brumbaugh and to discuss her career and her goals for NAPCA.

P&GJ: Congratulations on your election. What are your thoughts about being named the first woman to be named president of NAPCA?

Brumbaugh: This election was not about gender. Each year our association elects an experienced pipe-coating professional as NAPCA president. My experience includes serving six years as a member of the NAPCA board and being vice president of L.B. Foster Tubular Products. Having said all that, it is important to acknowledge that women are taking up the challenge to compete in all fields. When I began in the pipe-coating industry few salespeople and even fewer facility managers were women. That situation remains a concern today.

P&GJ: Where did you grow up and when did you become interested in your discipline as a career?

Brumbaugh: I was raised in Chicago and the city remains home to much of my family. I now proudly hail from Pittsburgh, but a bit of my heart will always be lost to my hometown. My first real employment was as a sales secretary for a Chicago aluminum manufacturing company. It was in this job that I became interested in industrial sales. It was unusual at that time to find a woman in such a position, but my manager must have seen some potential in me. He suggested that the fast track to a successful industrial sales position required a college degree and he encouraged me to return to school.

P&GJ: What was the career path that led to your current position with L.B. Foster?

Brumbaugh: In 1980, I graduated from Loyola University and applied for a job with L.B. Foster’s Chicago office. My first interview went badly, but I came back and tried again. Today, I consider myself very fortunate to have spent 29 years at L.B. Foster and lucky to have worked directly for President/CEO Stan Hasselbusch during most of that time.

P&GJ: What brought you into the energy industry?

Brumbaugh: In 1981, L.B. Foster purchased Utilities Coating Services. This new acquisition created an opportunity for the Chicago district office to begin marketing pipe and pipe coatings to natural gas transmission and distribution companies. At the time I had no idea I had just begun a life journey down my career path.

P&GJ: How has L. B. Foster’s business strategy evolved in recent years?

Brumbaigh: Our company has always been focused on quality and safety, but today we have implemented many exciting new programs that encourage continuous improvement. These initiatives have raised our quality to new highs and lowered our accident rate to near zero. The great team at L.B. Foster Coated Products has made our Birmingham coating plant the benchmark for these corporate-wide efforts.