By George Joseph

ACCORDING to the old adage, “Knowledge is power.” But for the painting contractor, knowledge is so much more. Knowing your market, your customer’s needs—not to mention your product—can win you a job, earn you repeat business, and even save you from disaster. The bottom line? Your business will burst from the pack and run to win!

The power of knowledge is not a new con­cept to painting contractor Mario Guertin, owner of the award-winning firm Painting in Partnership. Mario entered the industry in 1989 and benefits from a solid business back­ground, having earned MBA, CPA, and BBA degrees. Even with this impressive resume, however, Mario saw the need to go “back to school” with regard to painting. “I came into the industry knowing nothing about it,” he explains. “But I understood one lesson from my previous business ventures, and it was this: If I was going to succeed as a painting contractor, I had better hook up to a network of professionals who knew their trade well and who took pride in their craft.”

The Value of Chapters, Councils, and Seminars
At the time, there was no chapter of the PDCA anywhere near Mario’s business in Il­linois. So in 1996 he set up the Schaumburg Chapter, and in 1998 he founded the Lincoln State Council. “With these two groups,” Ma­rio says, “I created an environment in which contractors could share knowledge with one another. Part of what I did was to organize seminars, to be held at least once a year. We would attract contractors from other states as well. Over time, I plugged into a network around me that shared my values, and that provided me with the knowledge I needed to make my business grow. Sharing knowl­edge with other contractors—that was a major source of my learning. And going to national conventions was an eye-opener. This type of education showed me how to handle my business in a different way. It really taught me what it means to run a painting company. It also helped me to train others within my company.”

Why Spend Time and Money on In-House Training?
Whether your company employs one or one hundred, ongoing training is vital if the busi­ness is to succeed. However, business owners commonly fear that if they invest in educat­ing their employees, these employees will promptly quit and set up shop for themselves or go off and work for a competitor. “I don’t have that fear,” Mario says. “I think people will stick with companies that are commit­ted to them. They’ll be loyal, they’ll be more skilled, and they’ll be happy to give more of their talent. In other words, they’ll be better employees.”
Morale is another payoff. An employee who sees that his company is committed to him—and eager to see him expand his educational horizons—will feel more valued. And that employee will, in turn, become even more valuable to the company.

Still, some employers fear that education ei­ther in the business or technical side of paint­ing is just too expensive. But a business that fails to invest in training its employees is not likely to remain in business for long. Timothy Crout, who runs Crout and Heller Painting Services in Arizona, explains why. “It costs money to replace staff,” he says. “Investing in education for the staff you have can re­duce turnover and so save you money. For example, if a 100-person company had a 25-percent annual staff turnover rate, it could cost that company in the vicinity of $100,000 a year.” That’s not a hit any company can af­ford to take.

What is the bottom-line benefit to the com­pany that invests in training its employees? The payoff is twofold. First, educated em­ployees will perform to a uniform standard. “You can have ten painters in a room with ten different ways of doing things,” Mario says. “Education prevents that.” As a result, the business owner can confidently offer cli­ents a consistent level of craftsmanship. “The training that my workers receive allows me to have the confidence that they can deliver on my company’s promises,” says Mario. “And when my workers deliver, that leads to re­peat business and referrals—big time. In fact, some 35 percent of my business this year is repeat business—not referrals, mind you, but repeat business!”

Mario points to the second aspect. “My workers have the incentive to bring in their projects under budget,” he says. “Over and over, they’ve done this. They take pride in the accomplishment.”

The PDCA offers its members access to the Craftsmanship Operating Procedures (COPs) that can help a contractor to achieve both of the above-mentioned goals. The purpose of the COPs program is to provide contractors with a practical, consistent method of training their employees. All the craftspeople working for a company learn the sequence required to complete a task in a standardized manner. They are taught what materials, methods, and safety procedures are required for each task. The result? Employees feel more con­fident that they can perform work that is of a satisfactory standard. And contractors who provide in-house training using COPs can of­fer their clients a uniform standard of excel­lence and craftsmanship.

What About Entry-Level Training?
Technical schools, such as the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute in Pennsylvania, of­fer three-year courses geared toward high school students. These courses closely follow the Wheels of Learning instruction manuals.
In the 1980s, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) organization developed the “Wheels of Learning” craft training cur­ricula. The PDCA makes the Wheels of Learn­ing instructions manuals available to members at a very reasonable cost. This competency-based, task-oriented training program com­bines instruction material classroom activities conducted by trade teachers.

Why should young people be interested in choosing painting and decorating as a ca­reer? Dr Hornberger, President of the Lehigh Career and Technical School, says: “A career in Painting and Decorating offers an individu­al great diversity of tasks and challenges each day. The field allows individuals to develop skills and expertise that are in high demand from both new home owners and those who own historic houses that need restoration. There is also a great need in the commercial and industrial field. A career in painting and decorating provides personal satisfaction be­cause you’re immediately rewarded by see­ing the visual impact of your work.” And what about job security?  “Craftsmen can look for­ward to highly competitive wages and full employment,” says Dr. Hornberger.

Timothy Crout, who is a member of the Arizona PDCA Council, says: “The most popular courses are the Brushing and Rolling Paints and Coat­ings, the Spray Painting, and the Low-Pres­sure Water Cleaning courses.”
Why these particular courses? Timothy ex­plains: “I believe they’re the most popular because they incorporate lab training where students have the opportunity to use and fully understand the tools of the trade.” The level one course costs $525 for 80 hours of training and the level two course $575 for 110 hours of training.

Of course, those already in the trade—of which there are some 500,000 in the United States—can also benefit from going back to schools such as the Lehigh Career and Tech­nical Institute. Dr. Hornberger says: “We also offer evening courses for adult students tai­lored to the groups interests. For example a contractor may need a course on installing 54 inch wall coverings. Our Venetian Plaster and Commercial Paper Hanging have been our most popular courses in recent times.”

Why should a contractor be interested in hir­ing a well-trained, entry-level employee? Dr.  Hornberger sums it up succinctly. “Ask any contractor,” he says, “and the answer will be the same: Well-trained employees make you money.”

The Benefits of Going Back to School
Contractors who are willing to invest in on-going training for themselves and their staff are setting themselves up for success. The staff will work cleaner, faster, and more safe­ly. Your company will gain a reputation for craftsmanship, quality, and ethics.

“If you don’t invest in educating yourself and your staff,” says Mario Guertin, “you’re very vulnerable to market conditions and to changes in product.” Mario’s motto?  “You can’t thrive—or even survive—without edu­cation.”