Credit: Cincinnati, Ohio -- With the opening of their new Fresh Coat Painters franchise , Chris and Donna Lebling say they look forward to working together to bringing professional services to Mason, West Chester and other communities north of Cincinnati.
Chris and Donna Lebling have launched Fresh Coat Painters of West Chester, Ohio, to serve that area as well as Mason, Springdale, Beckett Ridge, Wyoming, Woodlawn, Kenwood, Hyde Park, Mount Lookout and other communities north of Cincinnati.
Married for 31 years, the couple had wanted to do something together in business for some time, Donna said, and Fresh Coat seemed ideally suited to a merger of their respective talents. Chris managed operations in the home-building industry for many years. Donna used her artistic background to create glass-beaded, ornate flatware for her own small business.
"When my company decided to stop building because of the decrease in demand, we decided it was time to look at our options," Chris said. "I explored buying a company, then I looked at franchises, and I was drawn to Fresh Coat . Since its founding, it has been growing rapidly because it is raising the bar in the industry through its professionalism. I saw it as a unique opportunity to fill a niche because it's something that is needed. We've all called painters who didn't call back or we've known someone who hired people they weren't sure they could trust in their houses. Fresh Coat 's system offers real peace of mind - work done well on time and on budget."
Donna concurred.
"Our process does offer great peace of mind, especially for young mothers with young children," she said. "When I was a young mother, I worried about the people who came into my home, so I get it on a personal level."
Bernie Brozek, president of Fresh Coat , said that the company's business model does promote a level of professionalism not always seen in the industry.
"Like our other owners, Chris and Donna understand that painting isn't just about doing quality painting ," he said. "It's about the client's experience from the initial phone call throughout the job and into the future. It's about the relationship."
Because Fresh Coat hires its employees, and doesn't use subcontractors, "it's easy to be professional," Chris said, because all the workers must pass background checks, meet hiring standards, and follow company policies.
What the Leblings have found is that better quality painters appreciate that level of professionalism, too.
"Our painter enjoys painting ," Chris said. "He's happy to let us manage the marketing."
Brozek said the separation of responsibilities benefits not only the members of the Fresh Coat team, but also their clients.
"Our owners spend their time promoting and growing their franchises while the client service managers and painters focus on the projects. With that commitment to quality, the client gets the best skills of each person," he said. "At Corporate, we support our franchisees' success by complementing each owner's inherent abilities and offering them professional support through our marketing, training and resource materials."
Among those are several client assistance programs, such as a 24/7 call center, proprietary EPIC estimating system, Paint Now-Pay Later 12-months-same-as-cash financing, Automatic Touch-Up for businesses, and fund-raising opportunities for charities.
"One of the biggest variations in the level of professionalism has to do with the bidding process," Chris said. "Most do not have the tools we have to give accurate quotes. With EPIC, we can gather some facts about the job, input the data, and give the client solid numbers with regard to costs as well as time. The clients don't have to worry about suddenly being told they owe more."
The support services offered by the corporate offices were selling points for the Leblings, Donna said.
"We asked a lot of questions," she said, "and everyone at corporate exceeded our expectations. Their priorities are in the right place - helping franchisees help their clients."
She said she is looking forward to being able to assist their children's high school in fund-raising endeavors, especially the sports teams. Their younger son is still in school, but their daughter and older son also had participated in high school sports.
Chris said that because Fresh Coat is "set up well, designed well, with not a lot of overhead," he and Donna were able to start promoting their business even before they hired their first employee.
"We talked with friends and family," he said, "and Donna had one friend who was looking for a painter. She had called three and received no return phone calls. After hearing about our new business, she said she would wait for us. I've also talked with real estate professionals from my previous career and asked about whether they knew painters they would recommend. Most did not, so they're eager to learn more.
"We know that professional painting services are needed for homes and businesses, so our mission is to provide peace of mind to every client through quality workmanship, excellent service and accurate pricing."
To learn more or to schedule an on-site quote for residential or commercial projects in West Chester, Mason, Springdale, Beckett Ridge, Wyoming, Woodlawn, Kenwood, Hyde Park, Mount Lookout and other communities north of Cincinnati, call 513-618-8181 or visit http://www.freshcoatwestchester.com.
Founded in 2004 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fresh Coat Painters provides services for residential, commercial and governmental customers in more than 100 major cities across the United States and Canada. Fresh Coat is part of the International Franchise Association, the Small Business Association's Franchise Registry, VetFran and Minority Fran. For more information, call 866-708-9355 or visit http://www.freshcoatpainters.com.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
