Cindy Patton
STI/SPFA recently spoke with Cindy Patton, Regional Sales Manager at Seal for Life Industries, about her career in the steel fabrication industry.
STI/SPFA: Tell us about the history of your company.
Cindy Patton: Seal For Life, part of the Henkel Adhesive Technologies Group, offers the most diversified protection, maintenance, and repair solutions in the market. With fourteen distinct brands offering products from self-healing coatings to heat-shrink sleeves, anti-corrosion tapes to liquid epoxy coatings, cathodic protection to intumescent coatings, polymer floorings to pipeline logistic solutions, operating across the globe.
We work in a variety of industries including civil and infrastructure, renewable energy, water and wastewater, oil and gas, district heating/cooling and general industrial purposes.
STI/SPFA: How did you get your start in the industry?
Patton: I started at Tek-Rap, Inc., a tape coating manufacturer, in 1990 as an administrative assistant. Through various acquisitions, I have grown and evolved in the industry to my current position of Regional Sales Manager within the water and waste water treatment (W/WWT) market with Henkel. Proudly now representing LifeLast polyurethanes, Polyken tape coatings, Powercrete epoxies, Covalence/Canusa Heat Shrink Sleeves and Stopaq viscoelastics.
STI/SPFA: What do you like best about working in the industry?
Patton: I love how you never stop learning and there is always room for growth. The knowledge of my peers throughout the years have participated in my success and growth within the W/WWT market. The relationships I have forged in this industry will remain lifelong friends.
STI/SPFA: Who has inspired you in your career?
Patton: I have a few to note, but one that always comes to mind when I get this question is Sam Thomas. Most in the water market know him and have had the pleasure of working with him at some point. He has been a mentor for me my entire career. Someone to aspire to become, not just with his knowledge of coatings and linings (and it is extensive) but just the life he has lived is honorable and upstanding and a true pioneer in this industry.
Cindy Patton was recognized for outstanding service to AWWA and the industry as Subcommittee Chair for the completion of ANSI/AWWA C214.
STI/SPFA: What’s been your favorite or most memorable moment of your career so far?
Patton: I have several over my 30+ years history in this industry. But to go from an administrative assistant in the early 90s that just filed the new published standards for steel water pipe from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) at our company to this year being recognized by the organization for my involvement as the chair in the AWWA C214 standard that published in 2024 was exciting.
STI/SPFA: What advice would you give someone who is interested in working in the industry?
Patton: If you have a passion for this industry, stay on the course through all the peaks and valleys. The key is consistency and the strive to continually learn. Network with the previous generation, those close to retirement, they have knowledge of the history of this market that is invaluable.
STI/SPFA: What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing the industry in the next three to five years?
Patton: Those moving into retirement, our pioneers, and the current workforce have a huge gap. Knowledge of history on various projects, technologies and how the market has evolved in general, retires with them. It is important for us to step up to fill those shoes as best we can while maintaining that history.
STI/SPFA: How has STI/SPFA Membership helped you and your company succeed and grow in today’s marketplace?
Patton: I appreciated the opportunity to be a part of the webinars and workshops STI/SPFA have hosted as this is imperative for our industry in getting knowledge of technologies as well as procedures in various applications out to the market.
