Tegrey

Go Bucs!

We put a theater room in when we rebuit our home. We painted a 8' X 55" screen on the wall. An avg. projector and a DVD-CD player which holds 400. We buy used DVD's from the rental places as we don't have alot of time to go to the movies anyways. The price comes down fast when we pop corn and buy pop for .25 / can. Plus we can bring in beer and make as much noise as we want. We also answer phones if we want & talk loud! LOL LOL

Scott, Thank You.

Thank You. What really makes a veteran proud is when they see people getting together and singing the National Anthem and being proud to be an American. Remember 9/11? People put flags all over their vehicles and ran them around till they were torn and dirty. What happened to those flags? Where is the patriotic gesture now? We all thought we were GOD's gift to the world. No we are Americans making a living growing our familys. My children growing up knew what to do when we played the National Anthem. They stood proud, put their hand over their heart, did not speak, and by all means never wore a hat while being played. Next time your at a playing of the Anthem, watch who wears their hat, talks consistantly and acts like a fool. Show your pride in America. Thank You.

The year of our PW business is coming to an end. It is getting colder and wet. I hope I have a few more weeks to finish what needs to be done though. My thoughts are we went from 10% to 16% of our business in PWing. We bought a new rig, new chems, new life for our company. The many thoughts and ideas we all share here, made us a better contractor. You alll should be commended for the unshelfish sharing of this information. I am not your competitor or going to steal your photos. I welcome ideas and friendly chat. I will share our coatings business ideas, with anyone. The "trunk slammers" will always be there. The guys starting out new will take awhile to grow their business as we did. They are tommorrows elite companys. Our goals are to increase our PWing business into 25% + of our business next year. Buy another new rig, use better chems and be a better contractor. You all should be proud. You make things like this happen. You are the individuals who make our business safe and profitable. When some one ask hows business, Tell them you are growing and helping others grow. You share ideas that make us what we are. Thank You.

Thank You. I am not talented enough to carve this monster! LOL

We feel if we use the word restore, it means to bring the wood back, replace it, repair it, rebuild it. We only "strip, clean, refinish it" I know too many customers that if you say you restore it, you better replaces broken or damaged boards. They wil expect it. Thank You.

"Deck Refinishing". Since 1997. I felt we were not restoring the deck, because we did not replace wood. The carpenter does that. We are specifically " Tegrey Family of Coatings inc."

Rich, Very simple. BINS (Zinnzer product), everything that has a spot and all the floors. This will cover the smell. It is a shellac based product. In fact, the only true schellac based product. You will be glad you did.

Nat, Very nice site. I am wondering if you specilize in rope work. I see you have dedicated all your pictures to large buildings? I agree that it is a very busy site. Thank You.

FYI, I bought the mosmatic at a special internet rate of $249.00. Appreantly I did not read the fine print. It contained a base, side handle and gun. All the advertisement videos,shows someone cleaning sidewalls, etc. All using the tool at an angle. However the model I purchased did not come with the swivel / angle connection. That was probably why it was an internet special? Of course if you want to angle the tool at any angle you need the swivel. The gun handle that comes with it is directly connected to the base. I guess you could use it that way if you want to hold it against a substrate. It would be tough going on steps, walls, etc. I requested to buy the swivel connector for it. I did not know there were different Sun Brite companies. After I was sent to the correct company, I found other interesting information. The threads are not american, and the part would cost me $175.90! If I would have bought the complete package it would have only cost me about $70.00 more. I also will have to pay a restocking fee of 10% plus freight cost of $14.23. So now I'm out $39.13. Not too bad for a poor decision on my part. Or I could pay the $175.90 for a swivel connector. What would you do?

Customer Service, has to be the most important part of our association with any vendor. If I cannot rely on them, don't bother calling. I sell service and I expect it. Bottom line. We are in the process of looking for different vendors for our business as I don't believe we have the quality of customer service we want for our business now. That could be a $50,000 hit for someone. Thank You.

Does anyone know where to buy the swivel anywhere else? Thank You.

A new organization sounds very interesting. I belong to a couple and it is always nice having an organization that supports its members. One for and by its members. I believe the best way to get started is finding exactly who and what the organization is and about. As far as peticulars, just look at other sucessful organization around you. What do they do and how do they do it. That would save many years of learning through the learning scale. That is what we did for our company. I know we speak and act like a 30 yr. + company, even though we are only ten years old. Folowing the example of sucessful organizations and people is an asset. Leadership should never be drawn from the buddy system. It needs highly motivated, educated folks to do the right thing. Picking leaders by vote of membership and turning the reins over to them is the way to go. Associates (Vendors) should not be the leaders as you said, but they must be involved daily as they know our business better than we do. They are propbaly one of the best assets of an organization. Just my thoughts. I'm looking forward to a viable represative in our industry. Thank You.

Gutter Squad, I live in Canton. Ohio is a Joke when it comes to requirments. All you need is Workman's Comp and Liability insurance. Guess what? Most Painters, PW'ers have none of these. I'd say 80% + don't carry insurance, pay employees under the table and cheat us all out of our Soc. Sec. Life sucks when we try to compete against them. My friend, pay your insurance, get real employees and do the right thing. You will build your business and sleep better at night. If I can help you anyway, Please let me know.

The main problem is Americans are lazy. We don't want to do any physical work and want to get paid for it. That is why we have newbies in the painting business all the time. They don't have to have a license or any requirements in Ohio. Anybody out of work or needs a few bucks, they become painters. They do inferior work and do not work smart. As soon as they find out htere is work involved they jump ship to another trade. PWing is easy in their minds. Spray water on as powerful as they can and collect the $$. Not good for our trade. They work for BEER $$. Thank You.

Apple, Sounds like the unemployment rate is up? Usually when other things slow down here the painting crews increase. It bothers me, but knowing they will only last a few weeks or months is refreshing. By building our business for tommorrow we out last this problem. We grow slower in the bad times, but continue to grow. The old Bait & Hook routine works for the gullible. The intelligent folks know they get what they pay for. I think a business could be started, even in that environment, if done slowly and correctly? Too many people figure a college business degree an old truck a few hundred in equipment is the way to make alot of money. We do know better. That is why we do what we do. We have to educate the consumer and let them know we supply Quality-Service-Price. One thing we don't have problems with in Ohio right now is a lack of Water! I'm sure some folks here would love to send you a few Billion gallons. Thank You.

Pete, I believe after so many years, we do the best and that's it. I know your feeling, not quite sure or maybe we could have done something better. This leaves you with an empty stomach. Best to get over it and go on down the road. Do your best and go away feeling good. If they call you back, fix it and make everyone happy. My 2 cents. Thank You.

Pete, We have had Visa & MC for over four years. It has paid for itself. Not making alot of extra money on it. You have to think of it as a service you supply to your customers. The cost is expensive ($4,000.) for our machine and a monthly service charge. Many folks like the charge so they can build up their air miles. It cost us, so we have to add a little on to all jobs to cover it. The benefit, We are a full service company, offering charges. The drawback, you won't make much more than you would without it. Hope this helps.

John, I'm a history buff. Unfortunately what you say is true. Their are many other facts that are just as weird. History does repeat itself. Thanks for sharing.

We are fairly new at roof cleaning. I did one today, using Applesauce. It clean up OK, but I cannot get rid of mold streaks. I don't believe more pressure will help. Certainly not for asphalt roofs. I used the right receipe, temp was about 80 and nice weather. Any suggestion so we can clean roofs clean? Thank You.

Here is a before. Stronger chems? Thanks for the replys.

Adrian, Various methods may be used for qualifying a customer. By giving a min. price, asking if they have a budget, what is it? Are they getting other estimates, by who, when. What has been their past experience with contractors. How soon they want their project completed. Any question which eliminates a low baller or someone just shopping around. The bottom is will they accept your bid on the spot if acceptable? Know their neighborhood. Is it fitting in your price range? One way is have your questions written out by the phone you answer. Anyone can ask the questions and be ready to react. Thank You.

Lunatic, After that, I'm all decked out!

Our formal training of business plans came from the PDCA. I was Certified a few years back, now changed to Accreditation. Part of the requirement is for a business plan. Having one makes sense. It gives you a guide to follow. Let's you know if your goals have been realistic and or met. Educating ourselves is important. Knowing where we start, travel to and finish is what every sucessful business knows eventually. By knowing where you will be next year in business will help you get there this year. Example: If I know I need a new truck next year, I can save this year. Writing it down will let me know how much to save and when I need to have the money available to buy. Changing the plan is always an option. You must change, but you need to ask why. Is it because the business slowed or maybe you didn't save the money for the truck as you said you would. This is a thermometer for your business. Thank You.