Building solid business relationships with our clients so that we can provide the very best customer service is a key value at NAPCO. This month, our president, Dani Nichols and customer service and sales manager, Jackie Stuckert headed out to beautiful Savannah, Georgia to get to know the members of the Painting and Decorating Contractors Association (PDCA).

Question: What was your favorite part of the PDCA Expo?

Answer, Dani Nichols: The Painting and Decorating Contractors Association (PDCA) is passionate about building partnerships with the contractors they serve.  That resonated deeply with me because building partnerships is at the core of what we do every day.  It was exciting to participate in an event that brings together a community of likeminded painting contractors from all over the country that challenge each other to grow as business owners.  The Expo was chock full of seminars, panel discussions and roundtable breakouts on topics to help painting contactors get their businesses to the next level. We went to the Expo to expose attendees to the kitchen and bath refinishing industry, but we also took away many ideas on how to better serve our current customers.

NAPCO at PDCA expo

Dani Nichols and Jackie Stuckert at the PDCA expo

Question: Was there anything new/innovative that you learned about at the Expo?

Answer, Jackie Stuckert: One of the hottest topics at the Expo was kitchen cabinet refinishing. Painting contractors are waking up to the idea that refinishing kitchen cabinets can be extremely lucrative and a great way to grow their business.  We were obviously excited about this area of interest since NAPCO is in an excellent position to take a lead role in supplying both training and products for kitchen refinishing.  Our Kitchen Renew waterborne coating and our ongoing support and training classes are going to be a big hit with painting contractors who want to boost their revenues.  In our industry, smart refinishers already know that refinishing cabinets is a great strategy for growing their business. It’s a no brainer!  Based on chatter at the Expo, painting contractors are just beginning to get the idea that it can take their businesses to the whole new level.  There’s lots of demand for kitchen cabinet refinishing and NAPCO is happy to help professional refinishers make more money with kitchen work.

 

Question: What important tips did you learn from the keynote speakers?

Answer, Dani Nichols: The painting trade is competitive, especially when you aren’t a specialty tradesman like our customers at NAPCO.  Whether you are a brush and roll painter or use an HVLP sprayer, the same rules of business still apply.  Keynote speaker, Tom Reeber of Contractor Fight opened the Expo and had lots of great advice for motivating business owners.  He challenged contractors in attendance to stop playing by the rules of the industry and to recognize that success is a choice.  That same mindset is vital in the kitchen and bathtub refinishing industry as well.  Have confidence in your work, stand behind your product and charge what you are worth.  As Tom Reeber said, if your margins are low it’s because of your own self-limiting thoughts, so get out of your own way.  “Overdosing on discomfort” is the way to grow, according to Tom.

 

In summary, NAPCO is delighted to be a sponsor of PDCA and looks forward to bringing value to its members and learning how best to support its members with the growth and expansion of their individual businesses.