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INDUSTRY NEWS

New American Petroleum Institute Certification Could Mean Greater Opportunity For Refractory Inspectors The American Petroleum Institute recently announced that their new API - 982 - Refractory Inspector Certification is available for qualified applicants with the first test date scheduled for August 2024. This is exciting news for the industry. My application is complete and I look forward to being one of the first to test! Additionally, we will soon announce our first training dates for our new course “The 8 Key Elements of Refractory Inspection (T8K).” Our new course will help prepare for the API 982 test and will include tons of refractory inspection techniques and knowledge from my 42 years of experience in the industry. Currently, you are required to hold your API 936 Refractory Personnel Certification for three years in order to on the fence about earning your API 936 Certification now is the time to take action, and we are here to help! Our flagship course “The 8 Key Elements of Refractory Quality Control (T8K)” will help prepare you for the API 936 Refractory Personnel Exam and take you to the next level in your career! Completing our courses and earning your T8K Certification will help elevate you above the “test passer pile,” boost your credibility in the refractory industry, expand your work opportunities, eliminate roadblocks, and allow you the freedom to choose where you work. Completing our courses and earning your T8K Certification will help boost your credibility and expand your work opportunities. qualify to sit for the API 982 exam. So, if you’ve been sitting

BET ON YOURSELF By Tony Sims Early in my career I decided to take personal

responsibility for my refractory career and my life, and decided to bet on myself. Betting on myself meant investing in myself and not waiting for a company or anyone else to invest in me. I figured if I wasn’t willing to invest in myself then why would I expect anyone else to. A mentor of mine, Paul Martinelli once said “there comes a point in life where you must be willing to walk into the casino of life and place all the chips on YOU!” I find that to be true by evidence in my life. Andrew Carnegie, who founded US Steel played a big role in helping to develop refractory materials suitable for the steel making industry. Did you know that Mr. Carnegie was also responsible for one of the most successful practical personal success programs in history? That’s right, Mr. Carnegie chartered a man named Napoleon Hill to develop “The Laws of Success” curriculum shortly after the great depression because Mr. Carnegie, of limited formal “education” himself, knew that practical knowledge backed up with action is the key to success! You see, Mr. Carnegie valued education, but he knew that the flaw was in most people’s definition or interpretation of the word “education.” The word “educate” is derived from the Latin word “educo,” meaning to educe, to draw out, to DEVELOP FROM WITHIN. An educated person is not, necessarily, one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. An educated person is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others. Why am I sharing this little tidbit of wisdom with you? Because what is needed in the refractory industry is more practical knowledge for technical people, balanced with more technical knowledge for practical people. We are bringing exactly that to the refractory industry, following tried, tested, and proven methods demonstrated by some of the most successful people in history, many who happened to have had very little “formal” education. What does this mean? It means that we have all been sold a bad bill of goods when it comes to what amounts to real education. Stay tuned as I share more on this topic in future issues of Lead the Field , or follow me on LinkedIn.

Visit CoastalRefractory.com, scan the code, or call 409-267-7818 to register for the upcoming API and T8K Certification training.

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