Your Stories, AMPPlified

Five years ago, AMPP came together to create something stronger: a global home for professionals dedicated to protecting the world’s infrastructure. Today, that impact is visible everywhere - in safer systems, stronger standards, and a more connected, collaborative industry.

But the true measure of that impact isn’t just in what’s been built—it’s in the people behind it.

These are the voices of AMPP members, families,  and professionals sharing how this industry has shaped their lives and careers. From multigenerational legacies to first-time experiences, each story offers a glimpse into the passion and purpose that drive this work forward. 

5th Generation Story: Mark Byerley

Mark Byerley likes to say his story did not start with him. It started years earlier, in booths on show floors and in conversations that helped shape an entire industry.

His family’s connection to corrosion, coatings, and materials protection goes back to when Leo Tinker and John “Jack” Rasor joined the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, what we now know as AMPP. That decision did not just help build a company. It built a legacy.

Mark grew up surrounded by that legacy.

At just three years old, he told his parents he wanted to serve the company one day. At the time, it may have sounded like childhood imagination, but it turned out to be much more than that. His father, who started as a salesman before eventually purchasing Tinker & Rasor, built more than a business. He built a life centered around purpose, relationships, and pride in the work.

That stayed with Mark as he got older. It shaped how he viewed responsibility, leadership, and the importance of carrying something meaningful forward.

Years later, standing beside his father in a NACE Expo booth, the moment felt bigger than business. Tinker & Rasor had supported the Expo since the very first show, and now two generations of the same family had both served as President of the organization. His father served in 1974 and 1975. Mark served in 2009 and 2010.

Not many families can say two generations served as President of the same organization, and not many industries create those kinds of lifelong connections, but this one does.

At the heart of it all, the work matters. Corrosion prevention goes far beyond metal and coatings. It plays a role in protecting infrastructure, preserving resources, and helping keep people safe in ways most people never stop to think about.

Still, when Mark talks about why he stayed in the industry, he does not start with the technical side. He starts with the people.

“You will never find a field with more fantastic people,” he says.

That sense of connection is what kept him here. It is what kept his family involved for generations, and what continues to draw new people into the industry today.

He also carries a lesson passed down over the years. Change simply for the sake of change is not always the right answer. In an industry built on standards, trust, and experience, progress matters, but so does respecting what already works.

Today, as President and CEO of Tinker & Rasor, Mark continues to carry forward a legacy built on stewardship, relationships, and pride in the work.

And when he reflects on what organizations like AMPP have meant to his family over the years, his answer is simple.

In the end, what stands out most to him is not just the work or the industry, but the friendships made along the way and the legacy of connection carried across generations.

Read more about Mark Byerley and connect with him through LinkedIn

Have a generational story like Mark’s? Share it with us here.