Austin Ilsley

Austin Ilsley is more than a house painter. He is a leader and developer of people who happens to own a painting business.
For Austin, every morning starts with strong black coffee and a meeting with the leadership team at Ai Painting Plus. The team discusses the daily schedule and team logistics and coaches each other on leadership strategy. Once the team disburses to the field, Austin prepares for the client meetings and consultations on his schedule for the day and fields any emails or messages the office staff has ready for him.
Any additional time is spent building new systems, networking, strategizing for the future, and working on ways to improve and develop the culture and community impact. He typically commits to a hard stop of all work activity by 4:30 p.m. to make time for exercise and family.
“A common misconception about what I do is that I simply paint houses. In actuality, it is much more than that,” Austin says. “We like to say at Ai Painting Plus that we are a customer service and team development company that just happens to paint houses.”
Painting is simply the vehicle Austin and his team use to pursue their larger mission, which is to create a place of work that provides opportunity for growth and professional advancement for everyone involved, especially those who feel stuck in life and have no clear direction.
Austin continually strives to provide opportunities for his employees and finds the most enjoyment doing the things he loves such as visioning, leadership coaching, and improving company culture.
Austin was the front man for a local band, The Last Kings, for many years and has a deep love for the arts.
Fun Fact: Austin is an introvert and often uncomfortable in social situations. “I’m successful at it,” Austin says, “but it’s draining.” This should make dancing in front of crowd of people very interesting!