Lubrizol, Lainey Liotta
Welcome back to The Burn, Beyond Firestop. I’m still your host John Zalepka. If you don’t know, this show is dedicated to life safety. So I’m on a mission to find the most interesting people in the space to get their unique perspectives. Now you can usually find me training people so that they understand where firestop falls in the whole life safety end of things, but the subtitle of this show tells you that we want to get beyond that. So our hope is that our listening audience walks away with an understanding of how our guests and their businesses also contribute to the promotion of life safety of whatever is being built.
Our show is brought to you by Specified Technologies, also known as STI Firestop. We are a global leader in the fire protective industry. We develop innovative fire protective systems that help stop the spread of fire, smoke and hot gases.
Our guest today is also knowledgeable on such things as she helps the fire protective industry, she’s responsible for setting marketing, product, sales, and innovation strategy for Lubrizol Advanced Material’s fire protection segment, which includes BlazeMaster(R) CPVC piping systems and freezemaster(TM) Antifreeze.
Key Takeaways
Lainey’s background
- Started a business at age 8, selling signs. Ran it for 4 years.
- Double Major at Penn State, Marketing & Spanish
Getting into Firestop
- Interned at Tyco
- Returned after graduation to become Associate Global Product Manager
Mentorship
- Led a committee while working for Chemours to start a mentorship program.
Career at Lubrizol
- Compatibility program called FBC System Compatible
- Lubrizol invented CPVC
- Multiple brands such as Corzan®, FlowGuard Gold®, BlazeMaster®, and freezemaster™
- Guidance on ingredients
- Not all CPVC are created equal
Additional Work & Committees
- Part of 5 different committees for NFSA, National Fire Sprinkler Association
- Future Leadership
- ITM Inspection, Testing, Maintenance
- Quality Assurance
- Residential
- Supplier Manufacturers Council
About Lainey:
When I was in second grade, I started a business creating and selling signs out of my basement. Granted, the only customers of my cleverly named “Sign Store” were my parents, baby sitter, and neighbors, but it was pretty legitimate for a company run by an eight year old — I had an office (empty storage closet), a cash register (thank you, Santa!), employee ID badges (complete with head shots from my iZone Polaroid), and even a monthly newsletter. I’m proud to say that I ran my little basement business until I got into the sixth grade.
Clearly, with my Sign Store as evidence, I am one of those people who is fortunate to have known from a very young age exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. I have always had a passion for business, a desire to lead and encourage others, and a knack for solving problems. I am self-motivated, incredibly driven, and ever curious; I strive to constantly learn and challenge myself in whatever I do.
In a prior role as Global Product Manager, Residential Products and Programs for Tyco FPP (now a part of Johnson Controls,) I was able to do what I love while continuously developing my business acumen. On any given day you could find me out in the field gathering customer feedback, in the office driving new product development projects, in the lab leading innovation workshops, or on the phone with cross-functional teams working to optimize processes. In my Market Development role at Chemours, I was able to not only gain exposure to a new industry (HVAC) but also further hone my marketing and business development skills. I’ve since returned to the fire protection industry as the Fire Protection Segment Manager at Lubrizol where I am in charge of setting the business and marketing strategy for BlazeMaster(R) CPVC Piping Systems and freezemaster(TM) Antifreeze.
Specialties: Marketing, Product Management, Strategy, New Product Development (NPD), Leadership, Problem Solving, Public Speaking, Spanish language
Lainey on LinkedIn
About STI Firestop
Since 1990 Specified Technologies, Inc. (STI) is a global leader in the firestopping industry. The company manufactures a wide array of products and technologies to provide passive fire protection. Headquartered in Somerville, NJ, STI has sales offices all over the globe. STI Marine is a Division of STI that specializes in marine fire protection in the cruise line, offshore oil and gas, and general maritime industry. STI Marine’s product line consists of a full range of products used for penetration seals and cable transits in fire-rated bulkheads and decks, including water-tight firestop sealants, firestop collars for plastic piping, and an innovative cable transit device. All products comply with the IMO FTP Code and are subject to various Type Approvals include MED, DNV GL, Lloyds Register, ABS, USCG, BV, RINA and more…