Get to know your IPF crews: Paint Shop
Back row: Mike McPherson, James Leonard, Dennis Wilcox, Front row: Pam Hebeler, Deb Russell, Jessica Partain
Anthony Yuhasz
August 10, 2020
(Note: All photos were taken prior to COVID-19 outbreak)
The view from the top of the Spartan Stadium goalposts is a beautiful one that few people are privileged enough to experience. But for Mike McPherson, IPF painter II, it’s an annual ritual.
“The goalposts are painted with a special fluorescent paint chosen by Athletics that is easy for players to see, but unfortunately does not wear well against sun damage,” McPherson said. “However, it does offer a unique opportunity that I’m fortunate enough to experience every year.”
McPherson, along with fellow painters Mark Denda, Pam Hebeler, James Leonard, Jessica Partain and Dennis Wilcox make up the crew of the IPF Paint Shop, led by skilled trades supervisor Deb Russell. Together, this team has over 175 years of combined painting experience. They are often specifically requested for the more difficult jobs on campus due to the diversity of their experience and the quality of their work.
“It’s hard to fathom just how many square feet of finished surfaces there are on campus – interior walls, exterior building envelopes, athletic facilities, farm buildings and so much more,” Russell said. “With the small crew that we have, we often have to contract out the larger jobs.” She added, “Our folks are in demand and have so many small-to-medium-size jobs, many that are time sensitive, that they cannot get hung up on those larger, time-intensive projects.”
Besides the huge number of classroom and office space jobs they do, this team also tackles some uniquely challenging projects.
“We’ve painted the entire Indoor Practice Field building at Duffy; all of the stairs, handrails, Sparty heads and the touchdown bell at Spartan Stadium; the building and bridge at the 4-H Children’s Garden; the inside of the incinerators at the Power Plant; and the pole barns at the Farms,” Russell said. “We even painted the campus art installation at the Stadium’s South End Zone, as the artist was afraid it would get damaged during shipment.”
This summer, they assisted Plant and Soil Science staff in spraying greenhouses with their annual coat of shading concentrate. "It was an educational experience for both our staff and the greenhouse staff," Russell said.
The years and breadth of experience this team possesses makes them a formidable talent, and their attention to customer services has their campus partners coming back time and time again for their expertise. “We normally work first shift, but we do adjust our hours to meet campus customer needs, sometimes working overnight to accommodate research and administrative demands,” Russell said.
In addition to painting, this team is also responsible for staining the beautiful woodwork, doors and furniture on campus.
“There is a lot of wood on campus that is very old and has yellowed with age, so matching stain is really an art form, hand tinting to match until you get it just right,” Hebeler said. “Our carpenters will often bring in a small example of the wood that needs refinishing so that we can do some test staining before we tackle the job.”
The shop maintains a database of all the finishes that have been used on campus so that they are able to precisely match areas that need touch up or repair. This database also helps them identify products that may not be performing as expected.
“The products we use adhere to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for sustainable practices,” Russell said. “Our vendors are required to have all products independently tested to ensure they meet our demanding specifications.”
However, sometimes it’s not applying paint that is the objective. The team is often called upon to remove graffiti from buildings, doors and interior surfaces...even from The Rock.
“We use specialty products that help us remove graffiti without damaging the underlying finish,” Russell said. “But sometimes we have to bring items into the shop to do the removal.” She added, “We do the best we can to try to bring things back to original.”
Rest assured, whether they’re painting, staining or repairing damage, this team takes pride in all that they do. “We rely on our reputation – getting the job done right and representing Team IPF with dignity,” Hebeler said. “I love the satisfaction of immediately seeing what I’ve accomplished and how I’ve been able to positively transform campus.”
Along with that immediate gratification, team members also cite the variety of projects they get to work on, the ability to demonstrate their craft and expertise, and interacting with customers as their favorite parts of the job. And the MSU community appreciates them in return.
“Last summer, I was working on the exterior doors at the Union on one of those 90o+ days,” Leonard fondly recalls. “A student saw me and thought enough to give me a bottle of water and a snack.”
He added, “I thought that was the kindest thing a student could do – positively acknowledging and respecting what we do.”