Powder Coating Institute Awards 2022 Scholarships

The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) recently awarded its 2022 scholarships to deserving students who are studying subjects that can lead to a career in powder coating. “The Powder Coating Institute is addressing the labor shortage and rising cost of higher education head on by continuing to expand the reach and impact of our scholarship program,” states PCI Scholarship Subcommittee Chair Teddy Piepkow. “PCI’s member companies have nearly doubled the amount of annual giving to our scholarship program since 2019, with contributions in excess of $45,000 for the 2022-23 academic year.”

PCI manages the scholarship program, which solicits applications from students from educational institutions throughout the country. PCI member companies also provide support to the scholarship program through corporate sponsorships. The corporate sponsors are said to benefit by being involved in the selection process and investing in potential personnel from the pool of candidates. With continued support from corporate donors, the scholarship program reaches a broad range of students and guides them into careers in the powder coating industry.

The scholarship program continues to grow and promote the powder coating industry to younger generations, including students pursuing degrees in polymer science, manufacturing, engineering, business management and marketing. Piepkow adds, “The quality of qualified applicants this year was outstanding, and PCI is excited to watch the career paths of these exceptional students.”

The 2022 PCI Scholarship Program awarded $45,000 in total, which includes donations of $5,000 from each of our seven corporate donors: Axalta Coating Systems, Gema USA Inc., Henkel Corporation, IFS Coatings, Nordson Corporation, PPG and Sun Polymers. The growth of the scholarship program enhances the potential of young scholars in the industry. 

The following students were awarded scholarships this year:

PCI Corporate Named Scholarships

• PCI/Axalta Scholarship
  • Scott Andreae, University of Wisconsin - Stout
• PCI/Gema Scholarship
  • John Frantz, Butler University and Purdue School of Engineering & Technology
• PCI/Henkel Corporation
  • Daniel Knecht, University of Cincinnati
• PCI/IFS Coatings Scholarship
  • Joseph Dahlgren, North Dakota State University
• PCI/Nordson Ken Kreeger Scholarship
  • Chloe Yeagley, University of Cincinnati
• PCI/PPG Scholarship
  • Tyler Kleinsasser, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
• PCI/Sun Polymers Scholarship
  • Kyle Hoff, California Polytechnic State University

PCI General Scholarships

• Hyunseok Kim, Purdue University
• Adam Mistretta, Clemson University

Visit the PCI website, www.powdercoating.org/scholarship, for more information and the application process for future scholarship opportunities.