Galvanizing Member Benefits
The AGA offers three key professional departments—Administrative, Marketing, and Technical—to support your needs. In addition, members gain access to a wealth of valuable resources and information. A summary of these resources is provided below. We encourage you to review the benefits to ensure you're fully utilizing the value of your AGA membership.
Summary of Galvanizing Member Benefits
The list of benefits Galvanizing Members of the American Galvanizers Association enjoy is impressive, but the true net effect of belonging to the AGA is presenting a unified voice and point of contact for the galvanizing industry, making each individual company stronger, durable, and profitable. The AGA staff is dedicated to assisting members in any way possible and enhancing their membership experience. Download the Member Benefits Flyer for a detailed explanation of AGA membership.
Referral of Specifiers & Fabricators to Members
The AGA fields hundreds of inquiries from architects, engineers, specifiers, and fabricators searching for a galvanizer. Additionally, thousands access the online listing of member galvanizers on our website. The AGA realizes the importance of not only promoting the industry, but also to generate solid leads and increase your business. We respond to all inquiries, and proactively distribute your information.
- Member Listing – All galvanizer members are listed on the AGA website’s Galvanizer Locator accessed by thousands of specifiers monthly, and in the GalvaSource publication distributed throughout the year at seminars, tradeshows, presentations, etc.
- Staff Referral – AGA staff members refer all inquiries to either the online listing or GalvaSource to avoid bias. Only member galvanizers are provided as an option.
Industry Liaison
The AGA has a leadership position on committees of ASTM International and is an active participant in influential groups such as American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI), Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC), NACE International, and SSPC Society of Protective Coatings. The AGA coordinates a consistent and strong industry position and response to issues developed by the EPA and OSHA, as well as national, state/province, and local authorities.
- Industry Image/Contact – the AGA serves as an authoritative and unified point of contact for the industry. Any concerns with the product, industry, individual members, etc., are handled by the association in a professional and unbiased manner.
- Affiliate Industry Liaison – the AGA maintains a professional relationship and partners with a number of associations and organizations related to the industry, including AISC/CISC, AISI, ASTM, IZA, NACE, SSPC, and many more.
- Legislative/Regulatory Monitoring – the AGA teams with International Zinc Association (IZA) to monitor legislation and regulations that affect galvanizing and zinc industries.
- Credibility – the AGA is seen as an authoritative and unbiased organization, and members are thus regarded with a level of credibility. Membership in the AGA is seen as a commitment to quality, growth, and success by others in the industry, and can sometimes be a factor in whether or not a galvanizer is awarded a job.
Member Education
The AGA has the industry's most extensive technical library, and utilizes it as well as the staff's collective expertise to produce a number of training tools for members. The AGA provides a Process Seminar series for plant personnel as well as ThinkZinc to help train members' sales/marketing personnel. Additionally, the AGA produces a number of process and safety videos and manuals, and produces technical bulletins, newsletters, and guidelines on cutting-edge technology and industry concerns.
- Safety Training – Safety Video Series, Safety Manual
- Process Training – Process Video Series, Master Galvanizer Training, Material Handling Guidelines
- Environmental Training – Environmental Manual, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Manual, EHS Lessons Learned, EPD/HPD
- Inspection Training – Inspection Seminar, Inspection App, Touch-up & Repair Video Series
- Sales/Marketing Training – Think Zinc, Think Zinc refresher courses
- Technical Education/Updates – TechNotes, Galvanizing Guidelines, Galv Notes, Environmental Health & Safety Notes, Member Newsletters
- TechForum – the annual technical conference where the industry’s plant and operations personnel and industry experts network and discuss current technological advancements
- Annual Conference – the industry’s annual meeting where AGA staff and members meet and exchange ideas about how to improve and expand the industry
Specifier Education
The AGA proactively works with all markets to expand the specification and consumption of galvanized steel. One component critical to expanding the consumption of galvanized steel is educating those who make corrosion protection decisions. The AGA offers a number of tools to help educate architects, engineers, specifiers, owners, and emerging professionals, including seminars, publications, a newsletter, an extensive website, and exhibits/presentations at tradeshows.
- Publications – extensive supply of 50+ publications for you to use in your marketing efforts to educate specifiers, including the following topics: Design, Specification, Competition, Sustainability, and much more.
- Galvanize It! Seminar Series – educational seminars for architects and engineers offered in-person, as a webinar, or online. The seminars provide AEC’s required PDH/LU credits, while allowing the AGA and members to educate on galvanizing and make contacts at A&E firms.
- Galvanize Your Campus Program – the AGA is committed to educating emerging professionals about hot-dip galvanizing
- Inspection Course – online or in-person seminar to educate on the proper inspection techniques
- Galvanizing Insights – a quarterly e-newsletter sent to 8,000+ specifiers providing them with design ideas, technical assistance, innovative solutions, and new galvanizing advancements
- galvanizeit.org – thousands of specifiers visit the AGA website monthly, which contains extensive technical information, publications, member listing, etc.
- Project Gallery – online showcase of galvanized steel case studies as well as current and past winners of the Excellence Awards
- Life-Cycle Cost Calculator – online tool (lccc.galvanizeit.org) for members and specifiers to use to compare the initial and life-cycle costs of galvanizing and duplex systems to over 40 paint combinations
- Tradeshows – the AGA exhibits at 5+ tradeshows per year to educate specifiers on the many benefits of galvanized steel. The AGA regularly submits papers to present at the shows to spread knowledge of galvanizing even further.
Marketing/Promotion
AGA objectives include consistent representation and promotion of galvanizing as critical to your everyday life. The AGA acts as an industry and member marketing firm. The AGA pursues editorial placement, produces press releases, industry advertising, and assists members in their marketing efforts.
- Editorial Placement – AGA writes articles as well as press releases for various industry publications to promote positive messages about galvanizing, response to errant information, and addresses needs and educates the marketplace
- Advertising – the AGA conducts an annual advertising campaign collaborating with its members promoting benefits of galvanized steel to architects, engineers, specifiers, and/or owners.
- Social Media – the AGA is present on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube - which contains numerous Galvanized Steel Studies (video case studies), and instructional videos such as the Touch-Up & Repair Series.
- Excellence Awards – an annual competition amongst member galvanizers to determine the best galvanized projects of the year. Winners receive marketing tools for their individual use and exposure to the industry, specifiers, customers, etc., by the AGA
- Member Assistance – the AGA offers a number of tools to assist members in their individual marketing efforts such as: specifier contacts, consultation, market research, and marketing materials.
Technical Support
Galvanizing members of the AGA are afforded unlimited access to technical assistance from the staff. The AGA provides a number of technical resources for members, including an extensive library, staff expertise, mediation, and independent research. Non-member galvanizers do not receive any technical assistance from AGA staff.
- Research – the AGA has an extensive research library, cataloged by topic, for member use. The AGA also works in conjunction with the International Zinc Association (IZA) to conduct independent research to address needs and/or new markets.
- Committee Monitoring – there are a number of AGA technical subcommittees who monitor concerns and issues with the product or in the marketplace, such as cope cracking, high-strength fasteners, faying surfaces, and much more. The committees address concerns, research solutions, and provide support to members.
- Mediation – the AGA can act as a quasi-mediator between member companies and their customers when disputes about quality, appearance, performance, or specifications arise. The AGA also provides templates for members to create warranty guidelines, purchase order terms and conditions, and crisis management plans to lay the groundwork with how to deal with concerns before they arise.
- Staff Support – the AGA technical staff is available to interpret specifications, answer process, design, and application concerns, troubleshoot problems, and support members in every way.
- Position Papers – the AGA has a series of position papers to assist members dealing with sensitive issues such as lead in the coating, zinc runoff, welding galvanized steel, etc.