ACA Industry Awards Dinner

Industry Achievement Awards

The Industry Achievement Award recognizes individuals for their specific contributions to an industry project or association effort.

Brian Okerberg is Senior Research Associate at PPG Industries. Okerberg was honored for his efforts to augment and grow ACA’s flagship magazine, CoatingsTech.Okerberg serves as Chair of the Publications Subcommittee for ACA’s Science & Technology Committee. In this role, he has generously lent his technical expertise and passion for coatings to the association’s CoatingsTech magazine. Under Okerberg’s direction, CoatingsTech continues to highlight advancements in coatings science R&D and has expanded to shine a light on the real people behind the science.

Okerberg received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Virginia Tech. After completing a National Research Council Postdoc in the Polymer Division at the National Institute of Standards & Technology, in 2008, he joined PPG at its Coatings Innovation Center.

At PPG, Okerberg led the Physical Chemistry group and currently serves as a formulator in the Substrate Protection Group with additional responsibilities in the Sustainability Team. He has spent the past 18 years developing new pretreatment and electrocoat technologies, developing new measurement techniques, and solving field issues for customers. Okerberg has extensive experience developing relationships with substrate suppliers, collaborating with universities, and securing government funding to support R&D projects. He has co-authored over 10 academic publications and holds seven patents.

In addition to his service to ACA, Okerberg has been instrumental in organizing key industry key industry events, including the Detroit Society for Coatings Technology FOCUS conference for automotive coatings and the SWRI Automotive Corrosion Symposium and the SWRI Automotive Corrosion Symposium. He is also deeply committed to the future of the field, actively mentoring new professionals and supporting STEM initiatives.

Meika Vogel is Vice President & General Counsel at Diamond Vogel. Vogel was honored for her leadership efforts in advancing ACA and the industry’s PaintCare program. ACA created PaintCare on behalf of paint manufacturers to plan and operate paint stewardship programs in U.S. states and jurisdictions that enact paint stewardship laws.

Vogel has been a member of PaintCare’s Board of Directors since 2017, and served as chair of its Budget and Finance Committee for a two-year term. She served as PaintCare Board Chair from 2022 to 2024.

For nine years, Vogel has been a steadfast advocate for the program’s mission and a trusted voice on complex regulatory and policy matters. She helped ACA navigate stakeholder pressure to expand product stewardship requirements for coatings. During her tenure, aerosol coatings were added to the California program, and a broader national strategy was developed for responding to future expansion initiatives.

Vogel is also an active member of ACA’s Legal & Government Affairs Committee, on which she has served since 2014. She is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the American Bar Association.

Vogel earned a B.A. in Political Science and Writing from Bethel University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

John Vanderpool is Senior Vice President of True Value Manufacturing and General Paint Manufacturing. Vanderpool was honored for his enduring efforts to advance ACA and the industry’s PaintCare program. ACA created PaintCare on behalf of paint manufacturers to plan and operate paint stewardship programs in U.S. states and jurisdictions that enact paint stewardship laws.

Vanderpool is Chairman Emeritus of PaintCare. He has been an active and impactful member of the PaintCare Board of Directors for 10 consecutive years. He served as PaintCare Board Chair from March 2020 to April 2022, and thereafter as a member of its Budget & Finance Committee. He is a member of ACA’s Board of Directors.

Throughout his decade of service to PaintCare, Vanderpool has worked diligently to advance this critical paint product stewardship program. During his leadership tenure, the program launched two of its largest state programs to date, in Washington and New York. A staunch supporter of the program, Vanderpool worked closely with True Value’s network of independent retail stores, recruiting many to serve as drop-off sites for leftover paint collected by PaintCare.

Vanderpool is a paint and coatings industry leader with more than 40 years of experience building profitable growth strategies, strengthening operations, and advancing product and regulatory initiatives across retail, manufacturing, and national accounts. As senior vice president of True Value Manufacturing and General Paint Manufacturing, Vanderpool has overseen manufacturing and business development since 2015, with a focus on sustainable growth, operational excellence, and tight alignment of strategic priorities.

Before joining True Value, Vanderpool spent three decades at Benjamin Moore & Co., where he held multiple senior roles spanning market leadership and national account development. Earlier in his career, Vanderpool served as President of J.C. Licht, leading 31 retail stores and a 275-person organization.

Vanderpool is the past President of the True Value Foundation and a committed supporter of youth-focused community organizations, including the True Value Boys & Girls Club in Chicago. He earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Chemistry, and English from Augustana College.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes recognizes enduring service to ACA and the paint and coatings industry.

Ed Moore retired from RPM as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Senior Compliance Officer and Secretary. He was a founding member of ACA’s Corporate Counsels Advisory Group from 2007 until 2018, and served as its chair for many years. He worked diligently with ACA staff to develop the committee’s mission and recruit general counsels from member companies. Moore was integral to the committee’s development of antitrust guidelines that protect the organization as well as its members during group discussions.

When the Corporate Counsels Advisory Group became ACA’s Legal and Government Affairs Committee, Moore remained an active and contributing member until his retirement in October 2024.

Prior to joining RPM, Moore was a Partner at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, a Cleveland, Ohio based law firm. While at Calfee, he was a member of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Associates Committee, and Co-Chair of the Securities and Capital Markets Group.

A former member of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s Board of Directors from 2014 through 2019, Moore is an active member of the Parkside Church Westside where he teaches Sunday School.

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