The National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association and the entire drug testing industry lost one of the all-time greatest of our profession when dear friend and associate Joe Plaia of Alabama passed away July 7 at the age of 72.
Joe worked for more than 30 years at the forefront of the drug and alcohol testing industry — a pioneering voice for its professional standards and the need for testing services to help ensure safe and drug-free workplaces. He served as a national director of sales and marketing for several major drug testing providers and as a past president of Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA). Throughout his career, Joe specialized in helping employee screening providers penetrate new markets, increase sales, improve profitability and launch new products and services. He was a talented presenter and frequent contributor to various publications.
NDASA member Bill Current, president and founder of The Current Consulting Group, where Joe served as a senior consultant of marketing and sales since 2014, wrote of his longtime friend and colleague: “He was a consummate professional who generously shared his wealth of experience and knowledge with others. He had a keen sense of honor and integrity, patience and compassion, and he taught many others the finer points of selling drug testing as a solution to problems rather than simply as a commodity. He was also a great leader who had the rare gift of being friends with those he led in the most genuine ways possible. He will be missed for sure, but his legacy will live on through the many years of memories and the success that will be enjoyed going forward by those whom he influenced for good in the drug testing industry. Until we meet again, dear friend.”
NDASA extends its sympathies to Joe’s family and friends — especially his wife Jackie and their four children. The family has asked for memorial gifts to be made to Catholic Charities or St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Birmingham, Ala.