Feb. 1, 2009 — When Wally Bostwick first entered the business of painting things for cash in 1985, he had no idea what a paint sprayer was.
Bostwick is tall, blond, not really lanky, slender and relaxed, with a comfortable smile. He has an easy familiarity with the island he's made his home for the last 35 or so years. And he's happy to chat about his life on the island and about his company, First Resort Painting.
The painting business was sort of thrust upon him, he says.
"In 1985, a couple friends had a painting business they were selling, and Chris Rosenberg and I decided to give it a try," he says. "We were sailing buddies, young, late 20s."
He laughs.
"Neither of us knew squat about painting. In fact, we were trying to figure out what this machine was supposed to. We were both pretty smart guys, and we discovered it was a paint-spraying machine."
Bostwick explored other avenues before settling into the business: "We formed the partnership, CFR Painting Contractors, but about a year later, I basically sold my interest and went back to CVI (now the University of the Virgin Islands), where I studied chemistry."
Following that, Bostwick worked in construction-related fields, inventory control and management of electrical and plumbing distributors, until 1999, when Rosenberg asked his old partner Bostwick to return and manage the office side of his growing business. He wound up as general manger.
"I was crunching numbers at first," Bostwick says, "but in about four months, I was in the field running jobs. It had become a large business, and I found myself running a quarter-million dollar renovation of Sapphire Beach Resort."
In 2006, it was time for Bostwick to try his own wings. He was on familiar turf, working with professionals he'd known for years. And he was intimately aware of the responsibility that lay ahead.
"We are painters," he says. "We are not masons, or steel workers or carpenters or plumbers. We are what people see when they walk in the door, even though it's maybe 5 percent of all the work that's been done. Whether it's a store, a hotel or a new house, we have to make them look good. A sloppy paint job would indicate sloppy work inside, work you don't see right off like plumbing."
It's a team effort.
"We're used to working with electricians, plumbers," Bostwick says. "There's a coordinated dance between the different trades, to get things done. We work with most of the professionals on the island."
Painters, whether applying house paint to a wall or sophisticated oils to an easel, see color differently than most of us. Bostwick is attuned to the nuances of the colors he makes his living applying.
"For instance," he says, "certain colors or sheens will reveal mistakes, like in concrete, or sanded plaster. If you put a glossy finish, it looks hard and nasty. Any time the sun shines, you see a mistake, and it's an unfriendly finish. You'd want to have a matte finish."
Then, there's the deadlines.
"Stores want to open, hotels want rooms ready to rent in season," Bostwick says. "I don't want to be the person they blame."
To meet those deadlines, he brings in the right people for the job.
"I have a responsible crew," Bostwick says. "I've known most of them for years on different projects. We range from four to about 10 workers. Generally, it's about three to five on a job."
First Resort has painted high-end shops at Yacht Haven Grande such as Gucci, private homes and, most prominently, the Enid M. Baa Library on Main Street in 2008.
Bostwick takes special pride in having given the grand dame of Dronningens Gade a new life; her fading coral coat had become threadbare more than 10 years ago, Bostwick says.
Why First Resort?
"People used to ask me that all the time," Bostwick says with a laugh. "Why not last resort? I tell them that was my last job. Truthfully, I hang out with all these witty, literate people and I wanted something with a little tweak to it."
Bostwick was born in Georgia and moved all over with a father in the service — England, France, South Carolina, Puerto Rico.
"People ask me why I stay here," he says. "Number one, because I decided when I was old enough and didn't have to move anymore I wouldn't. Number two, because I like it."
Bostwick has strong community ties. First Resort is a St. Thomas St. John Chamber of Commerce member. He's a prominent part of the local sailing scene, an avid surfer, a columnist for sailing publications, radio show host and public-relations chairman for the International Rolex regatta for the last five years.
Contact Bostwick and First Resort at 690-2829 or via email.
Editor's note: Bostwick is married to Shaun Pennington, publisher of the V.I. Source.
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