In industrial inspections, non-destructive testing has long been used to assess safety without damaging materials or structures. Early inspection practices relied on surface-based methods that could reveal visible defects, but as industrial systems became more complex, these approaches were no longer sufficient on their own. This led to the gradual adoption of techniques that could examine internal conditions, including radiographic imaging and ultrasonic testing, followed later by thermography for temperature-based analysis. These methods became increasingly necessary as industries began to engage in more challenging projects, such as offshore drilling and large-scale infrastructure construction.
Towards the close of the 20th century, inspections began to involve operations in harsh environmental settings like deep waters and high-risk industrial areas that called for experience and physical endurance. Advances in methods used in these types of inspections were developed more from on-site experience than from controlled laboratory environments.
In this context, experts who could integrate mechanical knowledge with professional diving skills became essential to adapting inspection equipment for operational use. During the 1970s and 1980s, commercial diving expanded beyond construction to include inspection, repair, and testing of submerged structures. Water depth, limited visibility, and strong currents posed occupational risks that restricted how inspection tools could be deployed. Much of the early progress in underwater inspection came through trial and error, modification of surface equipment, and cooperation between divers and inspection engineers working directly in the field. These efforts contributed to the early development of underwater testing practices that would later become standardized.
Gary Strahan entered this field after joining the United States Navy in 1978, where he served as a Hull Technician and Diver before being honorably discharged. Following naval service, Strahan worked as a welder and diver at Campbell’s Shipyard and later founded West Coast Welding in San Diego in the early 1980s. During this period, he was contracted to overhaul a barge for the United States Army in Stockton, California. His diving work included underwater welding, cutting with Broco rods, and inspection of ships, oil platforms, blowout preventers, and pipelines. He also completed mixed-gas dives in the Gulf of Mexico, reaching depths of about 640 feet using helium-oxygen mixtures.
While in Air and Mixed Gas Dive school in the early 1980s, Strahan participated in what has been described as the first underwater ultrasonic testing exercises conducted during training, working with ASNT Level III inspector Bill Schoenlau. At that time, ultrasonic testing was already established for surface inspections, but adapting it for underwater use required changes in probe design, coupling methods, and interpretation of signal returns. These adjustments were necessary to account for pressure, temperature, and movement in submerged environments. During the same period, Strahan also evaluated the use of electromagnetic and ultraviolet equipment by Birns Oceanographic Blackburn, which could detect underwater hydrocarbon leaks if the materials fluoresced under black light.
In the latter part of the decade, Strahan moved to Fajardo, Puerto Rico, where he managed the reconstruction of four landing craft for the Army National Guard and Navy. This was during the Reagan administration and during the military mobilization for the Grenada mission, where Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station was directly receiving injured military personnel. He worked for Mobil Oil Corporation as a Construction Inspection Engineer and later as an Inspection Manager from 1989 to 1994. While at Mobil Oil Corporation, he designed nondestructive testing methods for the company’s operations. In 1994, he joined Ameripol Synpol Corporation as a Mechanical Integrity Manager, focusing on inspections and health and safety matters, a role he held until 1995.
In March 1995, Strahan founded Texas Infrared, which later became Infrared Cameras Inc., initially operating as a manufacturer’s representative for AGEMA Infrared Systems. After AGEMA merged with FLIR Systems in 1998, Strahan worked as a district manager for FLIR until 2000. By 2005, Infrared Cameras Inc. began designing, calibrating, and manufacturing its own infrared cameras and software. The company’s thermal imaging systems were used for industrial inspection, gas leak detection, medical screening, and security monitoring. In 2008, the company’s thermal imaging systems received FDA 510(k) clearance, allowing use in certain medical screening applications.
Thermal imaging gained public attention during health emergencies when fever detection became part of screening processes. In 2014, during the Ebola outbreak, Strahan was interviewed live on CNN to discuss the use of infrared cameras for detecting elevated body temperatures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was quoted by The New York Times, The Washington Post, KCRA, and Reuters regarding the limits and uses of thermal screening in public and workplace settings. Infrared Cameras Inc. reported more than 82 million dollars in sales during its strongest year, driven in part by increased demand for thermal monitoring equipment in logistics and industrial facilities.
Beyond product manufacturing, Strahan also expanded into training and certification. He became president of the Infrared Training Institute, which provides certification programs in infrared thermography for technicians working in electrical, mechanical, and building inspections. He holds ASNT Level III certification in infrared thermography and has served as an instructor in the field since the 1990s. He has also been a member of the SPIE Thermosense Committee and previously served on ASTM E 20, which focuses on standards for non-contact temperature measurement. These roles involve technical review and participation in the development of industry standards.
Strahan also founded Infrared Inspections LLC, which provides inspection services using thermal imaging systems for industrial clients. In addition, he served as chief executive officer of MultiSensor AI, now publicly traded as MSAI, and was involved in the company’s Nasdaq listing. On Friday, October 31, the company recorded more than 206 million shares traded in a single day, a volume that exceeded reported single-day trading figures for several large technology firms during comparable periods. His broader business operations are managed through GS ICI Holdings, which oversees manufacturing, inspection, and training subsidiaries.
The professional record of Gary Strahan reflects a career built around field-based inspection, technical development, and the commercial production of imaging systems used in safety-related environments. His work spans early underwater inspection efforts in the 1980s, formalized industrial procedures in the 1990s, and thermal imaging applications in medical and security contexts in the 2000s and 2010s. Across these phases, Strahan has remained involved in both technical operations and business leadership, contributing to the application of non-destructive testing and infrared thermography in modern industrial inspection.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and editorial purposes only. Any references to company history, technical applications, business activity, media mentions, or performance metrics are based on available information and should not be interpreted as financial, medical, or professional advice. Metrics, results, and business outcomes may vary.
