Steve Strand
Founder
Steve Strand was born in Chicago but grew up in Iowa. He left home to serve in the Army Security Agency during the Vietnam War and then to work in the computer field in Washington D.C. In 1973 he and his wife, Doris, purchased the Glidden Paint Store in Marshalltown, Iowa sight unseen. They moved their young family back to Iowa and renamed the store “Strand’s Paint”. The early days were challenging, but Steve’s value of honesty and a willingness to adapt to changing business climates resulted in a thriving company after forty-five years. In those years, Strand’s has grown from a small paint store into a full service industrial coatings distributor. The partially-retired Grandpa of five enjoys reading, magic tricks, and yearly fishing trips to Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada (current Muskie record = 54 inches).
Carter Strand
Carter Strand was only 3 years old when his father purchased a Glidden Paint Store and moved the family to Marshalltown, Iowa. He began his career at Strand’s at an early age: picking up painters’ cigarette butts in the parking lot for a nickel. After serving as a helicopter air crewman in the United States Navy, Carter earned a Marketing Degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He returned to the family business in 1996. Today, as the owner of Strand’s, he has gained experience working on successful coatings projects in a variety of industries around the world. These experiences include military, wastewater, chemical, nuclear, and OEM applications. Carter understands the importance of working directly with manufacturers to develop and maintain correct coatings procedures for their manufactured products. He is aware of the constant need to stay informed about advances in coatings technology in order to provide his clients with the most effective industrial coatings available. Carter is a NACE Certified Coatings Inspector Level 3 with a Nuclear specialty.
Sheila Finnell-Tomlinson
Store Manager
Sheila Finnell-Tomlinson grew up as the daughter of a gas pipeline facility manager, so she is familiar with industrial environments. Sheila worked her way through college as a maintenance painter. Since joining the Strand’s team in 2012, she has taken on many challenges. Sheila is a NACE Level 1 Coating Inspector and works closely with our customers on a continuous basis to problem solve any issues that might arise. Sheila has developed a loyal following of swimming pool owners who work with her when recoating pools with the RAMUC line of pool paints.
Whitney Perkins
Logistics Coordinator
Whitney Perkins is a 2010 graduate of Iowa State University and came to us in 2017 after a very successful management career in the hospitality/food service industry. Whitney has stellar customer service skills, both on the phone and in person. She has demonstrated a keen ability to complete demanding projects on time. When challenges arise, Whitney handles them as an opportunity to demonstrate the level of service that keeps customers coming back to Strand’s.
Jim Boelman
Outside Sales Representative
Jim holds a degree from Buena Vista University, where he majored in Social Science with minors in Economics and Psychology. What’s a guy to do with that combination of knowledge? Get into the paint business, of course. Jim started in as a store manager with Iowa Paint in 1978. He hasn’t seen it all yet, but he’s seen a lot.
Notable quote: “I used to know everything about the trade. Then I started my second day and realized that I didn’t know anything.”
Strand’s is very fortunate to have an experienced paint veteran like Jim on our team.