The Finishing Touch
Finishing News with a Michigan Edge
Member Newsletter - Issue 1: June 18, 2025
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Greetings!
I'm honored to introduce myself as your new President and excited to present our inaugural edition of " The Finishing Touch". My name is Rich Held, and I am privileged to serve and support the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Surface Finishing for the next two years.
Since joining the board two years ago, I've focused on enhancing the value our organization delivers to members, both job shops and suppliers. One of my early priorities was initiating a strategic planning session involving our entire board.
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During this session, we thoroughly assessed our current offerings and identified future opportunities to benefit our members. This effort resulted in a renewed strategic plan—the first in several years—centered on membership growth, educational programming, and member resource expansion. Our clearly defined strategic priorities are enhancing member engagement, fostering professional development, and advocating effectively for industry growth and sustainability. This newsletter represents an important step toward achieving these goals, providing you with timely and relevant updates on industry news, regulatory changes, and emerging trends.
Through sections on upcoming events and professional development opportunities—such as our Midwest Seminar this July in Traverse City focused on "The 'H' in HR: Strategies for a Thriving, Engaged Workplace"—we aim to equip you with practical knowledge and tools to foster a dynamic workplace culture.
We also encourage active participation by highlighting ways you can become involved, sharing resources that directly benefit our members, and creating stronger networks within our association.
Your input is essential to our collective success. Please take a moment to complete our member survey, which is linked below, ensuring your voice helps shape our future initiatives. Share your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas as we continue to address our strategic priorities. With your collaboration, I am confident we'll achieve great things for our industry and each other.
Membership Survey
Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to connecting with many of you soon!
Warm regards,
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Rich Held
President, Michigan Chapter
National Association of Surface Finishing
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In Memory of Jeff Curtis -
A True Finishing Industry Champion
| Written by Dan Church, Haviland Products | | | |
I’d like to take a moment to remember a friend of mine and honor someone who meant a great deal to all of us in the finishing industry.
I met Jeff many years after he had already established himself at his father’s company, Electroplating Industries in Clinton Township, Michigan. I was younger at the time—just beginning to find my footing—but already passionate about this industry we all share. It didn’t take long to see that Jeff had that same passion.
Whether we were talking about cars, hunting trips, or finishing lines, every conversation with Jeff was enjoyable—and usually came with a bit of professional insight or mentorship. He had a unique way of tying life experience back to the craft, always willing to share knowledge and wisdom in a way that stuck with you.
Even after stepping down from an active role as President of the Michigan Finishing Association, Jeff remained a source of guidance for me during my time with the MAMF and MI NASF. He never hesitated to offer advice, lend support, or provide a historical perspective that helped me and others better serve the organizations.
It was clear why Jeff became President of his family’s plating shop—he wasn’t just a leader in title. With years of technical knowledge and hands-on experience, Jeff was often right there on the line, diagnosing problems, helping staff, and improving processes. His leadership was the kind that inspired involvement. Whether at a plant or an industry function, Jeff brought a sense of camaraderie and commitment that was contagious.
Let’s all take a moment to honor Jeff’s legacy—his contributions to our profession, his mentorship, and his unwavering dedication to the finishing industry we depend on and love.
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Layer By Layer: Engineering a Lasting Legacy at Master Finish
Article written by, The Family Business Alliance
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For over 65 years the Mulder family has led Master Finish Company with a commitment to doing things right. From a basement startup to a global supplier, brothers John Mulder and Aaron Mulder are honoring their legacy and building the future—layer by layer.
🔗 Explore the story behind three generations of leadership:
Read full article [HERE]
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Key Legislative and Compliance Changes
Reported by MINASF Legal Counsel, Beth Gotthelf
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Recent Case: In the June 10, 2025 Michigan Court of Appeals Case Gholston v. Sherrill the court ruled that even if your property is not contaminated, if you know that there is contamination in the area and your property is being monitored for that contamination you need to disclose it to the buyer. In Gholston, the homeowner failed to disclose on the seller disclosure form that the home is located near a former RACER auto plant and TCE was found in the surrounding groundwater. RACER was operating a groundwater treatment system and monitored the homeowner’s property and thus the homeowner should have disclosed. Failure to disclose the environmental hazard was sufficient to trigger the fraud and silent fraud claims sufficiently to withstand a motion for summary disposition. Lesson- When you sell, you need to disclose all known and reasonable potential contamination that exists in the immediate area and for which there are monitoring wells at or near your property.
Waste Compliance. Tracy Kecskemeti, Assistant Director, Materials Management Division, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) recently reported to me that companies are falling behind on compliance with the waste regulations. One of the most popular issues is the failure to dispose of waste within the 90-day (or other relevant) time limit. Other companies are noting longer wait times for lab analysis and profile approvals, along with backlogs by transporters. The lesson is that you should start the process to remove waste much sooner then you have had to do in the past. As a reminder, you can request from the district office an extension of the 90-day (or 180-day) accumulation limit. The submittal must be in writing and detail the circumstances requiring the extension.
Legislation. The proposal to increase waste tipping fees from $0.36 to $5.00/ton is before the legislature again along with increasing permit fees. EGLE wants to use the money to pay for staff along with digitizing records allowing anyone to check the EGLE files for public information without having to go through the Freedom of Information Act process. Digitization is a good thing that will help companies facilitate checking on information in their files. It also makes it easier to check on what other companies are doing. If noting is done, the hazardous waste fees sunset October 1. Approximately 50% of the funds for the hazardous waste program is from the fees and 40% from the federal government. The remaining 10% is from a variety of sources. The current proposed federal budget proposes to cut all funding to the state for this program, meaning the state would need to pick up the costs.
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2025 Midwest Seminar
July 24 - 26th
Grand Traverse Resort & Spa
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JOIN US FOR THE PREMIER SURFACE FINISHING EVENT OF THE SUMMER!
Don’t miss out —
room block expires June 24th!
Book your stay and register today to secure your spot!
This year, the Michigan and Chicago Midwest Chapters are thrilled to partner to bring you a seminar experience like never before - bigger, better, and more enriching.
"Maximizing the 'H' in HR: Strategies for a Thriving, Engaged Workplace"
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AGENDA
Thursday, 7/24: Arrival and evening welcome reception - Cocktails by the Bay (7 - 10pm)
Friday, 7/25
Breakfast (8am)
Seminar (9 - 4pm)
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"Maximizing 'H' in HR: Strategies for a Thriving, Engaged Workplace" featuring our keynote speaker, Ben Whiting - “Better Results, Better Relationships, Limitless Possibilities” .
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“Improving Employee Retention: Tips for Maximizing Engagement with a Manufacturing Workforce” - Mike Dergis, Sigred Group
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"Raising the Bar: Going Beyond Legal Compliance in Your Workplace" - Rebecca Davies, Butzel Long
- "Regulatory Update" - Christian Richter & Jeff Hannapel, The Policy Group
- "Empowering Your Workforce: NASF Training and Education Tools" - Vincent Noonan, NASF Foundation President
Cocktail Reception (6pm)
Dinner (7pm)
Saturday, 7/26: Enjoy a round of golf at one of 2 championship courses, join us for a delightful winery tour, or create your own adventure!
A detailed agenda and registration can be found [HERE]
Sponsorship opportunities are still available [HERE]
Don't miss this chance to connect with industry leaders and showcase your brand.
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Mark Your Calendars!
2025 Lansing Summit
Coming this fall!
We’re excited to announce the return of the Lansing Summit, hosted at the EGLE offices. This must-attend event offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from key state regulators about today’s most pressing environmental and workplace issues—as well as what’s on the horizon.
Join us for valuable insights from experts representing MIOSHA, Air Quality, Materials Management, Climate & Energy, MPART, and more. Whether you're navigating compliance or preparing for future developments, this session will be packed with timely, actionable information.
📅 Date and time to be announced soon—stay tuned!
2025/26 NASF Events
Washington Forum
September 16-17, 2025
Washington DC.
Leadership Conference
March 1-4, 2026
Atlantis, Bahamas
SUR/FIN
June 2-4, 2026
Rosemont, IL
Click here for details
| | Professional Development Opportunities | | Industry Trends and Insights | | | | |
We are pleased to share that Mike Wall, S&P Global Mobility, Executive Director, Automotive Analysis, will be contributing to our newsletter "Industry Trends & Insights". With his deep expertise and respected voice in the automotive sector, there’s truly no one better to provide valuable perspective on emerging trends.
Thank you, Mike, for your continued support and for always delivering exceptional insights to our chapter!
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Light Vehicle Production Outlook
The global auto industry remains heavily influenced by ongoing US tariff activity. The continued exemption of USMCA compliant parts and two-year tariff adjustments for non-compliant parts support upgrades for North America this month and offset increasing steel and aluminum tariffs. With our latest June update, we are adjusting expectations to reflect a general stepdown in baseline tariffs across trading partners starting in 2026 with quota triggers for higher tariffs. We continue to monitor the risk for production disruption due to Chinese export restrictions associated with the supply of rare earth elements and magnets. The near-term risk remains elevated but challenging to assign to a specific automaker or program.
Looking to North America, S&P Global Mobility’s latest light vehicle production outlook was upgraded by 434,000 units for 2025 and now stands at 14.6 million units relative to 15.4 million units for 2024 as stronger second and third quarter output is anticipated. The US light vehicle sales outlook for 2025 was increased by 248,000 units and stands at 15.7 million units relative to 16 million units reported in 2024.
S&P Global Mobility is the trusted leader of automotive intelligence. We provide the most comprehensive data spanning the entire automotive lifecycle—past, present and future—and the largest, most experienced team of analysts and data scientists to make sense of it all. With over 100 years of history and unmatched credentials, we are the industry benchmark for clients around the world, helping them make informed decisions to capitalize on opportunity and avoid risk. More information on S&P Global Mobility may be found at www.spglobal.com/mobility.
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Toolkits: Looking to strengthen your shop and stay ahead in the industry? Check out this valuable resource for education, research, and scholarship opportunities [HERE] . It’s packed with tools to help you develop your team, stay current with industry trends, and invest in the future of surface finishing.
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Job Board Highlights: Are you hiring? Let us help spread the word! Share your open positions with us and we'll highlight them to our network.
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Equipment Exchange: Buying or selling equipment? Let us know! We'll include your listing in the next issue of our newsletter and help connect you with interested buyers or sellers.
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We're looking for passionate members to join our committees! Openings are available on both the Membership & Events Committee and the Education & Advocacy Committee. If you're interested in getting more involved and sharing your expertise to help strengthen our industry, reach out to a board member or contact Ellen directly.
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Got a story, update, or feedback to share? We’d love to include it in our next issue! Help us highlight what’s happening in the Michigan finishing community. Send you submissions to Ellen@minasf.org
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