Hi, I'm Mary and I'm either on the phone or out of my office, but if you leave me your name and telephone number ..." 

Quite often I'm the person that customers will talk with when they call Sutherland Welles Ltd.on the phone. I'm also Frank Welles's business partner (not his wife - he is married to his work!). The story of how I came to be a partner is similar to the way the guy with the razor company came to own it. He bought the razor, loved it, and given the opportunity, he became part of the company.

There are few people who have a true "passion" for finishing wood. I am one of those people. Frank Welles is the only other person I have met who shared that same passion. It is a Zen. For most people, finishing is a necessary evil. They would much rather create the piece than finish it. The reason for that mind set is largely due to their lack of knowledge of the finishing materials they use and the poor quality finishing materials available to them. This inhibits the creative process that validates finishing - at least in my mind - as an art form!  To be sure, wood presents itself as a "fixed form," but using Sutherland Welles Ltd ® Polymerized Tung Oil products permits an enhancement of that fixed form that is absolutely spectacular both in its presentation and its performance as a coating.

I was a regular customer of Sutherland Welles Ltd.® when I was a partner in Vermont Furniture Works, a reproduction furniture company in Stowe, Vermont . Using Sutherland Welles Tung Oil products, I routinely hand-finished all the pieces produced by our five cabinetmakers! Buying directly from Frank was always an experience in sharing the "Zen of finishing'' as we talked about various projects we both were involved with. Eventually, I started my own finishing company, Phoenix Finishing, and continued to use Frank's products. We both continued to talk about our respective companies - the difficulties, joys and dreams we held for ourselves.

At the time, Frank was trying to launch his Millie's™ formulation and needed help. Knowing that I had a degree in business administration with a  marketing focus, he solicited my help. I began as a consultant to Sutherland Welles Ltd. and Millie's™ came to market as our first joint venture. Soon to follow was Frank's request that I take on Sutherland's customer service - probably because of my hands-on finishing knowledge and experience with his products. Anyway,  that's how I came to be the "Woman on the Phone''  - I am always on the phone answering your questions!

Having terrific products to sell is the beginning of customer satisfaction. We believe that our extensive technical product knowledge and good support is vital to that customer satisfaction - and we provide it!

I look forward to meeting you on the phone, helping you select the best products for your finishing project, and answering all your relevant technical questions.

Send mail to webmaster@tungoilfinish.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: September 26, 2007