b'in the canFormulatingsucces intheTechnologyofSurfaceCoatings(FTSC).ThesearentofA lot of the sort of chemistry we do starts off as just that:One example of something others perceived as being too hardbut it is one of the most respectedand were thankful to have titles many 30 year old immigrants without a university degreean idea. Youre doing mental experiments and wondering aboutwas when the New Zealand supplier of galvanised steel changedearned that sort of reputation.can boast to hold. But then again, most people arent like Colin. putting things together. Sometimes it can be novel, and youtheir finishing process. It was a move that meant the paint systemsFor those who are considering a similar path, Colin offers up New Zealand was certainly a land of opportunity for me.go to the lab bench, and then it worksand the excitementbeing used no longer operated the way they were supposed to. this astute advice.Im sure I never would have been able to occupy a role such asthat is just the best. You think of something, and then itWeweredefinitelyundersomeconstraintsthere,saysFirst of all, Id point out that being a paint chemist is addictiveI do now had I stayed in England. Resene was my first job in thebecomes something. Colin. The rest of the industry were able to fix the issue byand if you take the right attitude into it, its pure excitement. Get to After more than 50 years working for Resene,paint industry, and I worked hard. I did have ambitions of goingButColinsunendingthirstforknowledgeandcontinuousswitching back to a lead-based primer, but I didnt want us to doknow the basics, but allow your mind to jumble them upand your to university, but it didnt work out that way. I was able to takeimprovement cant be overlooked, either. Its not a skill that canthat. I conceived a possible solution, and I made it, and it worked,mind will do some nice things in that interaction. People talk about Technical Director Colin Gooch is living history. a tertiary course through a professional organisation on paint,be learned at university; its a quality you either have or you dontso we put it out on the market as Resene Galvo One. Whenintuition, but I think the mind is just making connections between and it lasted about three years. They were only able to run thatthe barrier came down on lead and chromate, other companies W henColinGoochmovedtoNewZealandfromin Resenes history, and the team was small, so it wasnt long afterprogramme once, but I was fortunate to be able to do that.one thats practically fused into Colins DNA. it. There are sofloundered. Resene Galvo One is still around today and popularstuff you already know. And be prepared to get dirty. in a smaller No one really goes into chemistry thinking that theyre goingBut he also recommends sticking to a medium-sized private Sunderland,Englandin1963,itwasntwiththethat Colin took on the role of Chief Chemist. Colin will always bring up the calibre of people hes been ableto be a paint chemist. You just sort of fall intoas a galvanised primer. company, like he did. The freedom that you get intention to take on a niche role as a specialised chemistThere was just a sales manager at the time, an accountant,to work with over the years as key to his advancements. many disciplines involved, all the things that you really need toFrom conception to getting it right on the first try, and thencompanyisfantastic.Ineverfeltanytechnicalconstraints for a groundbreakingly innovative paint company. His first jobTony and Iso it was a pretty lean machine, says Colin. I wasIve made a career out of cultivating smart people, he says.know. It isnt just the paint itself. We have something like 1,200having it go on to such strong successI have always had suchwhatsoever. Thats a wonderful freedom to be given. Ive never after arriving in Auckland was for a resin manufacturer, Polymerthe sole chemist until we added a night shift, and then of courseAs the sole chemist, I knew that I needed to be exposed to otherraw materials at Resene. The challenge that I gave myself is thataffection for that product. had to be confined to learning our companys knowledgeIve Corporation, in technical service and sales. Resene, which at thewe had to find someone else to man those hours. minds and other people, especially people in highly technicalI would like to be able to specify each and every one of them. IColin says that its also the company itself and the things thatgotten to make it. time was known as Stipplecote, was one of his clients until TonyInJune1973,hisroleevolvedfurtherandhewasnamedroles. And by working with good, smart people, the meeting andhavent achieved that, and I dont think I ever willbut its a hugemake Resene unique that has made his path a successful one.Nightingale offered him a job in 1970. These were very early daysTechnical Director. Just months apart, he was also made Fellowexchanging of ideas is always exhilarating. challenge, though. Someone might know slightly more about aWhen I was hired, the company was hungry. We wanted tostyle Laura Lynn Johnstoncertain substrate than I do, but Ive got to be the one who knowstake on the worldand nothing has given us greater pleasureimages Bryce Carletonthe second most. than doing something better than others.Colins favourite colour, chemically speaking,Even if I knew everything I know now back when I started, IdThere are companies that single Resene out to have blue is chrome green oxidea compound youllstill only know 10% of what I want to know. The complexities thatsky talks with usand there are not too many companies of thisResene Colins Wicket, described on the reverse of Resenefind in Resene Fern. Its incredibly durable; itsReseneare revealed as you work just show how little we as humans know.level around. They set aside time to talk to us and they tell us howResene paint chips as a clever ochre green with a warmColins Wicketinert and kind so it never gives me any worriesFern Even the simplest of things are far more complex than you think. much they look forward to doing it. Its amazing how much a smallpersonality was named after Colin. The hue itself was whatsoever. Plus, its a pleasant colour. There is always a reason something works or doesnt work,company can establish being such a strong colleague to majorchosen because Colins favourite cricket wicket is a and I have to find that reason. institutions. Resene is not one of the biggest paint companies,slow wicket, which is captured in the colour.According to Nick Nightingale, Resenes current ManagingResene ReseneDirectorand the grandson of the companys founder, Ted FlaxZen Colins contribution to Resene and the New Zealand paint and buildingindustryisimmense.Colinhasbeenthebackbone of our technical team for over 50 years and is responsible forColins insatiable desire for quality and continuous improvement has had a themanytechnicaldevelopmentsandinnovationsthathaveprofound impact on Resene throughout his five decade long tenure on the helped set Resene on the path to success based on quality andcompanys technical team. He has played a role in formulating nearly all of innovation. He and my late father Tony Nightingale challengedResenes products, including specifier favourites like Resene SpaceCote, Resene each other in way that I can only describe as creative tension.Lumbersider and Resene Colorwood. Wall in Resene Zen, tabletop in Resene Flax.The challenges of innovation and the desire to be the best drove them, both had a love of colour.We would not be what we are today or even here were it not for Colins efforts. On a personal level, I have relied on his sage advice and expertise for my tenure at Resene.left: Despite his abundance of knowledge about paints, coatings and colour,I believe my title should be security blanket, Colin says. A Colin says, I can always learn something from everyone. No matter who theylot of my role now is in three areas: mentoring, looking at blue are, theres got to be something they know better than me that I can learn fromsky opportunities and being the basket that things get thrown them. Wall in Resene Zen and tabletop in Resene Flax. into when they become a bit too difficult.18 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 19'