Tony Ippoliti was inducted into the STI/SPFA Hall of Fame in 2026. We recently spoke with Tony about his journey into the steel fabrication industry, the experiences that shaped his career, and the lessons he learned about work, family, and giving back.
STI/SPFA: How did you get your start in the industry?
Tony Ippoliti: My dad and his brother, my uncle Nick, had a men’s clothing and uniform manufacturing company in Philadelphia. I was graduated from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, looking to have a career in the clothing business.
When I got out of the army in Europe, I came home and discovered that the clothing business in Philadelphia was disappearing, so I went looking for another career.
Sherwin Williams gave me that opportunity, so I started taking classes in metallurgy and organic chemistry and things like that to build a second career. That’s how I got started.
STI/SPFA: What was your biggest challenge?
Ippoliti: My biggest challenge, I find myself thinking I might not answer that question the way you would expect me to because, two things come to mind: work related travel and work hours versus family time.
I was on the road traveling in this new job, this new career, maybe 120-150 nights a year, and that can be a clear and present danger, if you will. I saw many friends and associates lose their families to divorce because of those two things.
And yet it wasn’t a problem for me because of my wife, Jane.
STI/SPFA: What is the proudest moment of your career?
Ippoliti: The proudest moment of my career, actually, is this, and it’s right now to receive this award from the Steel Tank Institute/Steel Plate Fabricators Association.
Through my career at Sherwin-Williams, I’ve had promotions and awards and so forth and benefits and so on. It seems that it’s always followed up with an annual performance review, which no one is able to overcome, it seems.
So this particular award is exceptional because it’s given by outsiders, if that’s the right way to say it.
STI/SPFA: What do you want your legacy to be?
Ippoliti: Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you’re working with the Lord and not for men, and you will receive an inheritance which is your reward.”
I certainly am not perfect, and yet I have tried to, live, in regards to this.
STI/SPFA: What advice would you give to the next generation?
Ippoliti: We only get back what we put in. Our ROI is based on our investment. So whatever it is we do, I’m saying this to the listeners at large, you have to participate to get anything back. You have to give. So to the degree you give, you get a return, but if you don’t give and your expectation is that you’ll get something back, it’s misaligned.
So my final thought would be participate and give and you’ll be, equally rewarded and very much surprised at the return that we do get. Tens and hundreds and so on in volume.
