After joining the ACA as president and CEO in 2024, Mike Johnson has spent the past 18 months listening, learning, and building relationships throughout the coatings community. Through visits to member companies and facilities across the country, he has gained firsthand insight into the industry’s innovation, impact, and importance.
In this Q&A, Johnson reflects on what he’s learned from meeting and speaking with members, attending the American Coatings Show and Conference (ACS/ACC) for the first time, and what’s next for ACA and the industry.
Q: What has the transition into the coatings industry been like for you and what have you learned?
A: The transition has been incredibly rewarding. ACA’s members have been exceptionally warm and welcoming, and one of the most enjoyable aspects of my first 18 months has been visiting member company headquarters and facilities across the country.
What has stood out the most is the passion people have for this industry and the pride they take in the products they make. The more people I meet and the more I learn about the remarkable breadth of coatings applications, the more impressed I become with the industry’s contributions to the economy and impact on everyday life.
From protecting critical infrastructure and enabling advanced manufacturing to driving sustainability and improving quality of life, coatings play an essential role in ways most people never realize. That has made me even more enthusiastic about serving as an advocate for and telling the story of this innovative and indispensable industry.
Q: Where do you see opportunity for industry growth or innovation?
A: Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of what ACA’s members do every day, and the coatings industry has an extraordinary story to tell. Coatings help structures last longer and operate more efficiently. They protect bridges, roads, and other critical infrastructure from the elements. They improve the performance and efficiency of aircraft, automobiles, ships, and countless manufactured products. By extending service life, improving performance, and reducing the need for replacement materials, coatings are a powerful sustainability solution.
The impact extends far beyond what most people associate with paint and coatings. Coatings keep food fresher, make pharmaceutical delivery systems more effective, and make an amazing array of products that consumers rely on every day better.
The greatest opportunity for ACA is to ensure that policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders fully understand that story. Every person, every day, benefits from the products our industry produces. By increasing awareness of the industry’s contributions and advocating for sound, science-based policy, ACA can help create an environment that supports continued innovation, investment, and growth.
Q: Where does the member-driven strategic plan stand, and how is it guiding ACA’s direction?
A: We are more than half-way into the first year of implementing our three year strategic plan, and I am pleased to say we are on or ahead of pace in achieving our year-one objectives.
The initial phase has focused on aligning the association’s governance, resources, member engagement opportunities, and value proposition with the mission, vision, and strategic priorities established by our members. That foundational work is well underway.
We are especially excited about our upcoming Fall Committee Meetings and Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., from September 15-17. These meetings will mark the first in-person gatherings of our new Standing Committees, which were specifically designed to align the association’s engagement and governance structure with our strategic priorities.
Just as importantly, Advocacy Day will give members the opportunity to engage directly with policymakers on Capitol Hill to help tell the industry’s story. Effective advocacy is a central pillar of our strategic plan, and these meetings represent an important initial milestone in bringing that vision to life.
Q. What feedback from members has most influenced your thinking since stepping into your role?
A: Every member visit over the last 18 months has provided valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Those conversations have been instrumental in helping me better understand both the business of coatings and the people who make it successful.
Beyond those visits, the development of our member-driven strategic plan provided perhaps the clearest picture of what members want and need from ACA. The message was remarkably consistent: members want ACA to elevate awareness of the coatings industry, communicate the essential role coatings play in everyday life, and be a strong and effective advocate in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals across the country.
That feedback directly shaped the strategic plan. Members made it clear that effective advocacy is the most important service their national association can provide, and that focus now guides much of our work.
Q: How has ACA’s advocacy approach evolved, and what issues are most pressing for ACA members?
A: ACA’s advocacy approach is becoming increasingly proactive rather than reactive.
Guided by our strategic plan, the Executive Committee has identified a focused set of priority issues centered on both marketplace growth and sound, science-based regulation. We are actively advocating for policies that support housing and commercial construction, infrastructure investment, and domestic manufacturing—areas that directly affect demand for our members’ products.
At the same time, we are working to ensure that regulatory requirements are aligned with legislative intent, are reasonable and grounded in sound science. Our goal is not simply to respond to regulations after they are proposed, but rather to engage early and constructively in the policymaking process.
A key part of that effort is strengthening PaintPAC and building meaningful grassroots relationships with elected officials, particularly in communities where ACA members operate and the people who power this industry live. Those relationships will be essential to advancing the industry’s priorities and ensuring policymakers understand the importance of the products our members produce.
Q: What are your takeaways from your first ACS/ACC and how do you see it growing?
A: I came away from my first ACS/ACC extremely impressed.
With more than 540 exhibitors, nearly 9,000 attendees, over 136,000 square feet of exhibit space, and a conference program focused on cutting-edge science and technology, the event already has a very strong foundation.
What excites me most are the opportunities ahead. We are actively evaluating ways to increase attendance, drive even greater engagement on the show floor, and expand participation in the conference program. As the industry’s premier event in the United States, the ACS/ACC has tremendous potential for continued growth.
We are especially enthusiastic about the opportunities that hosting the show in Denver present for 2028. With the momentum from the success of our 2026 event and plans already in the works, we are well positioned to deliver an ACS/ACC 2028 that will be an even larger, more impactful, and more valuable event for exhibitors, attendees, and the industry as a whole… in short, a cannot miss event! Start making your plans now to be part of the ACS/ACC 2028 which will reach new heights in the Mile High City!