A Conversation with … LaVaughn Daniel
When she’s not racing motorcycles or perilously climbing the sides of steep mountains for fun and excitement, LaVaughn Daniels is the environmental and safety manager for Danco Metal Surfacing in Arcadia, Calif., as well as president of the Metal Finishing Association of Southern California (MFASC).
When she’s not racing motorcycles or perilously climbing the sides of steep mountains for fun and excitement, LaVaughn Daniels is the environmental and safety manager for Danco Metal Surfacing in Arcadia, Calif., as well as president of the Metal Finishing Association of Southern California (MFASC). Danco also has California operations in Ontario and Santa Ana, as well as in Warsaw, Ind., where it specializes in medical coatings. Besides metal coatings, the company also performs powder coating. We caught up with LaVaughn while she was standing still and picked her brain on a few topics.
As the environmental director for Danco, tell us about keeping on top of all the regulatory issues in the plating industry, especially since you are located in California, which has its own stringent standards.
LD: Once the initial compliance programs are put into place and people are trained, things run pretty smoothly; it’s then a matter of being thorough and keeping current. It helps that I have strong support from owner Dave Tatge and GM Ross Tiamson. And our people are top-notch. My philosophy is to do what is right and keep the regulators happy, but not let them take advantage of us. The MFASC does a great job keeping me informed of changes in regulations. I take care of compliance for our Indiana operation, and the differences are not as great as they used to be.
You were recently named to the NASF Government Relations Committee. What are your main goals in the coming year working with that group? What lies ahead in regulatory matters?
LD: My goal is to bring a different perspective to the committee, not as an owner, but as one who deals with compliance on a daily basis. Currently, we are battling with EPA over the new lower chrome emissions limit; Nickel will be an issue very soon. With Lisa Jackson stepping down, it will be interesting to see who takes over and what his or her focus will be going forward. With this administration in its second term, we are likely to see more activity regarding environmental regulations.
The three California plating associations make up about 20 percent of the overall industry. What type of clout does that bring to the table when working with the national association and environmental regulators?
LD: It certainly gives us a stronger voice here in California. We are very active in developing relationships with agencies and legislators, and we have seen that pay off time and again. I see our associations as a support function to NASF and we will continue to assist Christian (Richter) and Jeff (Hannapel) in their efforts with regulators on the national level.
How did you get into the coatings industry?
LD: After obtaining my civil engineering degree from Virginia Tech and a brief hiatus where I pursued a possible career racing motorcycles, the “real” career hunt began. My goal was to land a job with one of the big environmental engineering firms, Fluor or CH2M Hill, but at that time, Danco was looking for an environmental and safety manager. I met with Ross and Danco, and 15 years later here I am. Honestly, I didn’t even know what anodizing was, and now I love this industry and Danco. It’s something different every day.
Your company also does other coating processes besides plating, so you see all kinds of operations. What do you see coming as hot topics in surface coatings in the next few years, and what concerns do you have?
LD: There are some daunting regulations coming out of Europe related to product safety. Manufacturers will be re-evaluating the materials and coatings they use, which could have a significant impact on our industry. We have to be ready to make changes to our processes and the way we do business. Danco has an active R&D lab ready to turn out the next best thing, like our proprietary coatings for the medical industry. Stay tuned!
Personal Info:
Family: Married, no kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat and a chicken.
Favorite hobby: Riding off-road motorcycles
Favorite movie: Dirty Harry
Favorite book: “One Second After” by William Forstchen.
Best advice you were given, and by whom?: “It’s only an issue if you make it an issue.”-Mom
What’s playing in your car CD/radio: Jamie Cullum
Related Content
Novel Wastewater Treatment Targets Micropollutants
Swiss wastewater treatment technology provider Oxyle specializes in advanced wastewater treatment for removal of highly persistent micropollutants such as PFAS.
Read MoreNASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #122: Electrochemical Approaches to Treatment of PFAS in Plating Wastewater - 10th Quarterly Report
The NASF-AESF Foundation Research Board selected a project addressing the problem of PFAS and related chemicals in plating wastewater streams. This report covers the 10th quarter of work (April-June 2023). Here, we examine the effect of surface fluorination of Ti4O7 anodes on PFAS degradation performance in terms of energy performance as well as formation of chlorate and perchlorate when chloride is present in the solution. The full paper on this work can be accessed and printed at short.pfonline.com/NASF24Feb2.
Read MoreDefoamer Designed for Waterborne Coating, Printing Ink Formulations
Evonik’s Tego Foamex 812 exemplifies the company’s sustainability strategy for the paintings, coatings and inks industry.
Read MoreNASF/AESF Foundation Research Project #121: Development of a Sustainability Metrics System and a Technical Solution Method for Sustainable Metal Finishing - 15th Quarterly Report
This NASF-AESF Foundation research project report covers the twelfth quarter of project work (October-December 2023) at Wayne State University in Detroit. In this period, our main effort focused on the development of a set of Digital Twins (DTs) using the Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) technology with application on parts rinsing simulation.
Read MoreRead Next
Masking Solutions for Medical Applications
According to Custom Fabricating and Supplies, a cleanroom is ideal for converting, die cutting, laminating, slitting, packaging and assembly of medical-grade products.
Read MoreA ‘Clean’ Agenda Offers Unique Presentations in Chicago
The 2024 Parts Cleaning Conference, co-located with the International Manufacturing Technology Show, includes presentations by several speakers who are new to the conference and topics that have not been covered in past editions of this event.
Read MoreEpisode 45: An Interview with Chandler Mancuso, MacDermid Envio Solutions
Chandler Mancuso, technical director with MacDermid Envio discusses updating your wastewater treatment system and implementing materials recycling solutions to increase efficiencies, control costs and reduce environmental impact.
Read More