Story of Castle Rock Painting

I started painting with my dad, a painting contractor in Illinois, during my summer break after 6th grade. That continued through high school, 5 years of seasonal work at an outdoor school, and then through college. He taught me that quality is first and repeatable quality comes through standardizing processes.

After completing my BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iowa and starting my career as a manufacturing engineer, it struck me that my dad developed that theory completely through trial and error. My education and work experience taught the same thing.

In January 2020, after 12 years working in Engineering and operations management, I decided to return to my roots and paint professionally. I was interested to discover my dad’s reaction when I told him I would leave my job as a process engineering manager and start a painting business. I explained to him that I was making this change because I miss painting, working directly with customers/neighbors, restoring/making homes look beautiful, and because I want to build flexibility in my family life (I have two boys in preschool). He said he was honored that I would make the decision to paint. Now, I have a seasoned professional to consult with who approaches panting with my same quality focus.

My goal is to be a friendly neighborhood painter who delivers high quality and value to my customers.

Jon Russell