Valspar

part of the

2015
STEM Careers Tour

Valspar is a global leader in consumer paints and industrial coatings. For more than 200 years, their leadership in technology and innovation has enhanced the beauty of homes, improved the durability of industrial products and protected what we eat and drink.

While Valspar hires and needs people from a variety of corporate, leadership, and human resource backgrounds, our tour will focus on the research, development, and product testing that chemists and applications engineers are focused on. For example, one advertised opening at the firm today is a Polymer Application Technology Manager (imagine getting to play with all the new plastics that are being synthesized and testing how they interact with people and the environment!). To apply for this position, a student would need a Master’s Degree (or PhD) in chemistry, polymer/materials science or related technical discipline. In particular, Valspar needs someone with experience with polymer synthesis or thermoset table chemistries.

This is a great opportunity for students to see the relevance of the basic chemistry concepts they are struggling with in high school and begin to imagine what fun can be had once they are mastered.