We’re excited to welcome Tom Wunderlin to the Induron team! His extensive industry experience and passion for solving problems and helping others make him an excellent addition to the Induron family. To learn a little more about Tom, check out this Q&A.
Q: Tell us about your background and how you came to work for Induron.
A: I have spent my entire 30-plus-year career in the paint/coatings and concrete repair/restoration industry. It has been very rewarding. I have been fortunate to work for many excellent companies and have been coached, mentored and trained by some of the best in the industry. With my history in the industry and ongoing relationships with many national and regional companies, distributors, contractors, architects and engineers, I look forward to new challenges and opportunities. My father worked in the industry, so I’m second generation to the industry. I witnessed his passion for sales and service and helping others solve problems throughout my youth. Because Induron is a third-generation, family-owned business, the culture and values are something that I share and admire. Being part of the Induron family and team will be challenging and rewarding.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about working for Induron so far?
A: Induron’s reputation is certainly a major factor. I am proud to work for a company with a 70-year history of leadership in the industry. The current culture supports teamwork, learning and development for all in the Induron family. There is a great energy with the company that starts with leadership. I feel that my values and skills align with the organization’s long-term goals and values.
Q: What’s the most challenging part about your job?
A: There are many competitors—most that are much larger than Induron. However, this provides the opportunity to improve the quality of each customer interaction and strengthen relationships. Managing conflict and dealing with those distractions can be challenging. Dealing with conflicts from clients, owners, specifiers and others must be dealt with quickly and with purpose. Whether the conflict is with a person or a process using resources, utilizing team members and communicating to find the right solution and overcome conflict is critical to demonstrating the ability to adapt and change.
Q: What’s your favorite part about what you do?
A: As a sales professional, I have the freedom, flexibility and the ability to improve people’s lives, in addition to the opportunity for daily learning and yielding rewards for results. The more I put into it, the more I grow personally and help the team reach its goals. I am focused on helping clients solve their business problems. I approach the process from the perspective of giving, not getting.
Q: Tell us about a project you’ve worked on that you’re especially proud of.
A: In a previous role, I was contacted by a large national general contractor to consult on a project at an international airport for a USDA Import / Export facility. The building was already constructed and scheduled to open but did not conform to the critical criteria needed to meet the bio security standards of the USDA. I was able to offer the solutions needed to address all issues and pain points for the corrective measures; prepare the specification for removal of all coating and substrate enhancements needed; and apply of all specialty coatings needed to meet the stringent requirements needed by USDA. The most rewarding part of the project was utilizing my network of contacts throughout the industry to solve problems and find the right vendors, equipment, specialty contractors and inspectors necessary to ensure the project was completed ahead of schedule, on budget and seamlessly.
Q: Are you seeing any new trends in the protective coatings industry?
The ongoing innovation and development in the industrial sector for improved and innovative products is always important because it directly impacts all industrial coatings manufacturers and suppliers. Self-healing products, functional coatings that provide unusual features and benefits, and smart coatings that address, sense and go above and beyond the normal function of a standard coating (i.e. color, corrosion resistance, waterproofing, etc.) are also new trends. Sustainability is also an industry need. The industry is attempting to minimize the environmental impact of products, manufacturing and emissions and allow for longer maintenance painting intervals.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
A: Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Q: If you could have dinner with any person living or dead, who would it be and why?
A: I lost my both parents almost forty years ago as a very young adult. I would like to share with them the values and lessons they taught and instilled in me such as tolerance, patience, understanding, honesty, determination, kindness, courage and respect, to name a few. These values enabled me to grow as a person, meet my wonderful wife, raise two wonderful children, be comfortable in my own skin and be contemporary and adjust to the world around me. I would so enjoy one more dinner with them.
Q: What person has had the biggest influence on your life and why?
A: I believe that my father had the biggest influence. He was a dynamic man of passion with boundless energy and a sense of humor. He was determined, patient, tolerant and selfless in his effort to help others. He was always there for his wife, family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and others who relied on him. He showed me the value of having a strong work ethic and the rewards of always doing my best. My father was always there for me and encouraged me to be there for others in my family and community. He never gave up. For these reasons, my father has influenced me in more ways than anyone else in this world.
Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “Tramps like us baby, we were born to run” -Bruce Springsteen
Q: Tell us a little about your family, pets and/or hobbies.
A: My wife Amy and I have been married for 30 years. We currently live in Baltimore, MD. We met in Lexington, KY. Our home is not a home without her. Our family is united because of her. We have two children, Grant (26) and Anna (24). Grant is working on his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at University of Maryland Baltimore County. Anna is an esthetician and lives in Philadelphia. We have a rescue dog named Bueller and a cat named Blink.
I enjoy attending various sporting events—especially the University of Kentucky and Baltimore Ravens. I’m also an avid golfer and have a long-standing passion for thoroughbred racing after spending numerous days at Churchill Downs and Keeneland in Lexington with family and friends growing up. Reading biographies and autobiographies is also a passion of mine. You can learn so much about the great values and habits people have, how they have overcome hardships and adversity, and remained humble in their successes.
Q: Where is your favorite place to be?
A: My home. It is a place of family gatherings. On any day—and especially holidays, it is always full of laughter and cheer. The comfort and peace it offers me and my family makes me feel secure. Enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal, a relaxed atmosphere, an open door for family, friends and neighbors is important and really makes each day and moment special.
Q: If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
A: I would really enjoy being a network sports broadcaster. I would be able to express my love and passion for the event, inform viewers in a creative and impartial manner and bring a historical perspective. It would give me the opportunity to witness a great and memorable event and share that with others.