Ron Houston and Tony Ippoliti were induced into the STI/SPFA Hall of Fame on Thursday, February 26, 2026 during the Annual Meeting held in Clearwater Beach, Florida. The STI/SPFA Hall of Fame Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the success of STI/SPFA and dedication to the future of the steel fabrication industry.
Ron Houston has dedicated his life to building up his family business and giving back to the surrounding communities. The 2nd generation owner joined his father at The J. L. Houston Co. full time in 1967 after graduating college with a degree in engineering. Ron was instrumental in turning the company’s main production to steel storage tanks seeing the potential of the tank industry. For over 30 years Ron has supported the Steel Tank Institute holding many positions within STI/SPFA. His vision for continued growth could be seen in the positions he held. Ron served on the Board from 2000-2003. He served as Marketing Committee chair in 2003. From 2006-2011 he served as Finance Committee Chair. Ron also served on the Board of Directors from 2006-2011 as Treasurer. Houston regularly attended STI/SPFA meetings collaborating and networking with industry peers with fun and humor.
Tony Ippoliti began his career with The Sherwin-Williams Co. in 1976 and retired in 2019. Throughout his career Tony was tireless in his promotion of the 100+ year lifecycle of steel tanks through proper coating selection and maintenance. Tony served many years on the Field Erected Tank Committee (from the early 2000’s until his position change in the late 2010’s) and was an author of the coating section of the Steel Tank Seminars. He was a frequent presenter at the seminars as well. Tony could always be counted on to volunteer for anything that needed to be done. Tony nominated projects for STI/SPFA awards every year including Tank of the Year award winners in 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2015 and other awards in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (2) and 2015. In addition to his steel tank promotion thorough STI-SPFA, Tony was active in both NACE and SSPC (now AMPP) and AWWA where he served on the D102 Coatings for Steel Water Storage Tanks committee. Tony has contributed protective coatings articles for the Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings, American Painting Contractor, Water & Wastes Digest, Environmental Solutions, OPFLOW, Public Works, Coatings PRO, and other industry magazines and publications. He is a Contributing Author for the AWWA Handbook on Potable Water Tanks. Ippoliti, and his wife Jane, were regular attendees at STI/SPFA Annual Meetings during his time in the industry.
Coby Hayes accepts the STI/SPFA Hall of Fame Award on behalf of Ron Houston.
Tony Ippoliti presented STI/SPFA Hall of Fame Award.
