Frequently Asked Questions
What is the American Coatings Association (ACA)?
ACA is a voluntary, nonprofit trade association—established more than a century ago—and the preeminent organization in the United States representing paint and coatings manufacturers, raw materials suppliers, and distributors. ACA’s primary role is to serve as the industry’s ally and advocate on legislative, regulatory, and judicial issues at the federal, state, and local levels.
What is grassroots?
The term “grassroots” describes groups of individuals with shared concerns communicating their opinions to elected officials. As your representatives in the state and federal legislatures, your legislators look to their constituents—people like you—for help understanding how the issues they are asked to consider affect the communities they represent. Grassroots communications are essential to ensuring good representation in the halls of government. By communicating your concerns to your elected officials, you are providing information that will shape their final decisions on the issues that affect your life.
As an industry, ACA strongly believes that grassroots actions are vital to good government. We encourage our members and their employees to become actively involved in the issues that affect them not only personally, but as members of the paint and coatings industry.
What is CoatingsConnect?
Because so many different issues in their local, state, and federal governments affect members of the paint and coatings industry, ACA has launched CoatingsConnect, a grassroots program for our members and their employees. CoatingsConnect provides a way for everyone in the paint and coatings industry to come together to promote our collective interests on the issues that affect us. The better we communicate our concerns in the public policy process, the better we’ll be able to strengthen our industry, increase our competitiveness, and ensure our ability to grow and innovate.
The CoatingsConnect grassroots program is designed to give member companies and their employees with the tools they need to get involved in the public policy process. CoatingsConnect will keep you informed about the issues that affect your company and will make it easy for you to communicate your concerns to your elected officials, especially when they are faced with a critical public policy decision and need to hear from you the most.
How does the CoatingsConnect program work?
As its name suggests, the role of CoatingsConnect is to help our members and their employees connect personally with public officials, giving our elected representatives a more tangible understanding of how legislation and regulation impact the individuals, families, and communities represented by our industry. Participating in the program is easy, and you have the flexibility to participate at whatever level you are comfortable.
When a key issue arises that will affect your company, you will receive an “action alert” that provides you with information about the issue and gives you the opportunity to send an email to your elected officials. By responding to these action alerts, you will be making your voice heard in a clear and effective way on the issues that affect you, your company, and the economy.
I've sent an email to my elected officials, but I want to do more. How can I get more involved in CoatingsConnect?
Sending an email is the most basic way to participate in the CoatingsConnect program and an important way to make your voice heard. We are always happy to help people get more involved, however. If you are interested, ACA and CoatingsConnect will provide you with opportunities to do more—phone calls, personal letters, meetings, town halls, press events, site visits, and so on. Feel free to contact us at [EMAIL] to learn more.
Why is my personal participation in CoatingsConnect important?
When legislators make decisions that impact paint and coatings businesses, they make decisions that ultimately impact your job, your community, and your life. Your participation is critical to helping ensure that the decisions elected officials make are the decisions that make the most sense not just for the paint and coatings industry, but for you, as well.
Every voice that speaks out on behalf of our industry makes a difference. The more our members engage in the process, the more successful CoatingsConnect becomes. As we grow in our efforts to work together as an industry on the issues that matter, we become more effective at educating our elected officials and promoting a positive public policy environment for our industry.
Will my personal information be shared with anyone outside of ACA?
All personal information you provide as part of enrolling the grassroots program and participating in grassroots activities will remain strictly confidential within ACA and will only be used for purposes of the CoatingsConnect program.