ALLPRO Independent Magazine, May/June 2024

In dependent May/June 2024

ALLPRO GETS BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

AN HR PLAN

EAGLE PAINT AND WALLPAPER

N ETWO RK IN G WI T H N E XTG E N

STRUCTURED FOR GROWTH

From Washington, DC, to Kuwait, to

Get to know former sports

Strategically manage your workforce

London, and back to New York City,

journalist and NextGen retail

to optimize company success

Eagle Paint and Wallpaper has an

member Jason Greenberg

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THE GROWING SPRING SHOW

MI CHA EL B EAUDOI N Executive Vice President ALLPRO Corporation | 813.690.7985

S P O T L I G H T:

he ALLPRO Spring Show is growing, evidenced by the number of rooms that we are booking at our show properties and especially by the opening reception, which filled the entire Gatlin Terrace at the Shingle Creek Resort. The Spring Show, in many ways, is a testament to the strength of the group, but also to the strength of the independent channel which the group is part of. In years past (70’s & 80’s), the NPDA Paint Show was the focus of the painting channel and then later the National Hardware Show (90’s – early 2000’s) became the place where people gathered to focus on the paint industry. With the onset of the home centers, the National Hardware Show attendance declined and was eventually moved to Las Vegas in the hopes of rejuvenating the event. Today, the National Hardware Show includes paint, but isn’t focused enough to attract many independent paint retailers.

What is left is the Sherwin-Williams show, and the ALLPRO Spring Show where paint

6 SUNSET PAINTS Within just a few short weeks, Sunset Paints became a major success story, breaking even and breaking records 12 EAGLE PAINT AND WALLPAPER From Washington, DC, to Kuwait, to London, and back to New York City, Eagle Paint and Wallpaper has an international reputation for color

is the sole focus. Essentially, there is the ALLPRO Spring Show.

To further illustrate the growth of this event, during the 2019 ALLPRO Spring Show, we used 657 rooms at peak night and a total of 2,564 rooms for the duration of the show. In 2024, we used 832 rooms at peak night and a total of 3,280 rooms for the duration of the show. We booked these shows four years ago with a completely different matrix, so with every upcoming show, we try to adjust the room block.

In years past, the hotel properties would accommodate increased usage by expanding our block. Today, they are betting on a high demand of transient business at a higher rate or there are other events with room blocks that prevent the hotel from accommodating our additional attendance.

At this past show, we were fortunate to contract an overflow property.

More people are only part of the growth.

We also filled 35,000 square feet of ballroom space with an additional 5,000 square feet designated for breakfast, relaxing, and grabbing coffee, totaling 40,000 square feet. In the recent past, we used a total of 25,000 square feet of ballroom space. Booths are much larger; suppliers are bringing in more people and putting the focus on our show. This provides a more impactful experience for members as there are more people to engage with and more products in the booth to view. In addition to space, the suppliers are being much more creative in their approach by investing in new and more creative booths. For example, TriTech brought in a truck bed to demonstrate a new product, and I think everyone will remember the Graco booth that served Bloody Marys at 9 a.m. In a testament to our culture,

20 ALLPRO TALKS From working daytime shifts at Sarasota Paint Company to evening gigs playing music, David Jasik shares his history in the independent paint industry 24 SPRING SHOW RECAP Relive the magic of the ALLPRO Spring Show in Orlando, Florida

Graco also provided the cocktail for their fellow suppliers alike.

Suppliers are investing in peripheral activities for the group as well. We now have several suppliers hosting events throughout the show. Benjamin Moore’s Thursday event is similar in scale to the opening reception, and PPG rolls out the red carpet for their event on Friday. In addition, there are several other events such as a fishing event, NextGen event, golf event, and several dinner events going on throughout the show. This is in addition to the occasional seminars that are hosted in breakout rooms after exhibits.

To wrap up a spectacular show, we host a closing party complete with ALLPROsponsored live entertainment to punctuate the event. Other buying co-operatives (hardware co-ops) and distributors have been featuring live entertainment for their members/customers, but given the size of the co-ops, it is not as intimate as our event.

As a result of our growth, we can now offer our stakeholders a comparable experience, just much more intimate. This past show, The Fab Four gave us an amazing twohour Beatles experience. In addition to the entertainment, we provided plenty of open bars, a great selection of food, plus the investment in unique lighting to create a cool atmosphere.

As our shows continue to grow in size and focus on the industry, I welcome the opportunity to showcase the power of the independent channel and the great suppliers that partner with the group. I will always look for ways to produce the ultimate event that continues to attract more member and supplier attendees and to treat our group to something that cannot be matched by any other event.

34 HR PLAN Build an HR plan structured for growth and ensure your business goes the distance 38 RETAIL RECRUITMENT Position your retail paint company for success with a well-developed recruitment strategy

May/Ju n e 2024

42 NETWORKING WITH NEXTGEN Get to know former sports journalist and NextGen retail member Jason Greenberg

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 3

C o ng r a t ul a ti o n s to the n ew ad d i t i ons t o o u r A L L P R O fa mi ly !

Welcome to our ALLPRO family! Please join us in welcoming MAUMEE PAINT & SUPPLY with one location in Fort Wayne, IN; MELDRIM’S PAINT CENTER with four locations in NY and two in VT; and PAINTPOURRI with four locations in NJ to the ALLPRO family of independent retailers!

Congratulations to the following members on their recent expansions: FARRELL-CALHOUN CO., INC. will be opening four new stores, located in Birmingham, AL, and Georgetown, Cedar Park, and Kingsland, TX; H-I-S PAINT will be opening four new stores, located in Edmond, Yukon, and Norman, OK, and Abilene, TX; HPM BUILDING SUPPLY has opened a new location in Lanai City, HI; JONES PAINT & GLASS will be opening their eighth store, located in Payson, UT; MALLORY PAINT STORE is opening their 30th store, located in Spokane, WA; SOUTHWESTERN PAINT COMPANY will be opening their 13th store, located in Houston, TX; SURFACE PREP SUPPLY will be opening their fourth store, located in Gainesville, GA; TEXAS PAINT & WALLPAPER has added two new stores, one in Fort Worth and the other in Granbury, TX; YES PAINT will be opening their second store, located in Wasilla, AK; CANPRO DECORATING PRODUCTS COOPERATIVE added CENTRE DE DECORATION ST-LEONARD in Anjou, Quebec; CENTRE DE DECORATION ST-JEROME INC. in St-Jerome, Quebec; and PEINTURE ET DÉCOR DE MORTAGNE in Boucherville, Quebec.

If you are involved in a community event, special

VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3

SHARE project, charity, or are celebrating a milestone, YOUR please share your news with Susie Fontana at NEWS! susie.fontana@allprocorp.com ALLPRO Leadership board president Mike Weber Executive Vice President Mike Beaudoin Vice President of Merchandising Scott Morath Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Garrett Marketing manager Susie Fontana

About ALLPRO Independent We are a bimonthly publication dedicated to strengthening the ALLPRO community with relevant stories and news. Your suggestions, opinions, and feedback are encouraged.

How to Reach Us ALLPRO Corporation 4946 Joanne Kearney Blvd., Tampa, FL 33619 Or contact us at 813.628.4800 or by email at allpro@allprocorp.com

on the cover: The Fab Four

by Aubrey James Projects

All publishing services provided by Gallon Creative www.galloncreative.com

Pictured (L to R): Maggie Trujillo, Eric Fernandez and Karen Bautista.

6 | May/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

SPOTLIGHT | SUNS ET PA I NTS

sunset paints ric Fernandez always dreamed of owning his own business, so when he heard about Benjamin Moore’s New Entrepreneur Program (NEP), he jumped at the chance to paint his own path. Together with his partner, Alex Hall, Fernandez went all-in, using his drive, dedication, and sales savvy to create the business he always envisioned. On June 6, 2021, Fernandez and Hall opened the doors to Sunset Paints in Atlanta, Georgia.

“We started from scratch,” Fernandez explains. “Alex had experience in high-end paint, so we started selling everything from high-end paint to contractor paint and paint for the DIY customer as well.”

As part of the NEP, Sunset Paints is an exclusive distributor of Benjamin Moore paint. In return, the manufacturer has come alongside the Sunset team to provide an extensive support system spanning day-to-day operations, advertising, training, access to financial consulting, and more. Within just a few short weeks, Sunset Paints became a major success story, breaking even and breaking records.

“It usually takes a store about two to three years to break even,” Fernandez says. “We broke even the second week. We were very lucky. We sold close to a million dollars in six months. So yeah, it was good. After that, we started growing; we opened another store in 2022 and then two stores in 2023.”

While the speed in which Sunset Paints rose to retail red was a surprise to Fernandez, he was confident that his sales plan was solid.

The store owner applies three principles to generate business.

Images: Nicole Everson

“[First,] you need to make a lot of calls from the store to bring people in,” he explains. “The second part is that you need to do face-to-face, meaning that you need to take people to lunch, and meet people in person to get the business. And the third part is lead generation.”

Fernandez and his team attract prospective customers to the business and increase interest in Sunset Paints by hunting for customers at big box stores, by looking online, using word of mouth with current customers, and via online platforms that provide trusted local business information and reviews, like Yelp.

“Those are the three secrets of our success, I believe,” Fernandez shares.

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 7

Another benefit, and perhaps a growing foundation for Sunset’s expansion, is their affiliation with ALLPRO. The business was growing so fast and needed accessories and sundries in large quantities, something they now purchase through their ALLPRO membership to reduce costs.

“It has given us a lot of alternatives for purchasing direct,” Fernandez adds. “But when you belong to ALLPRO, [vendors and suppliers] have more consideration for you. So, I can buy directly from a lot of large corporations that otherwise I would not be able to.”

Sunset Paints stocks and sells a variety of ALLPRO sundries, including the Pro Gun Plus, Quick2Coat, Pro Stretch, and Wooster brushes and rollers. Another ALLPRO advantage for the retailer is the relationship they’ve developed with fellow ALLPRO member Mike Coffey from Colorize, Inc. “That’s my mentor. They’re eight years in the business. And they are very, very good,” he shares. Colorize has been in business since 2016 and joined ALLPRO in 2018. “So, we tried to mimic their success.”

And success they’ve achieved.

“We were one of the fastest growing companies for ALLPRO last year,” he says. “There is an incentive for growing really fast. We met the target incentive two or three months ahead of the deadline.”

After their extreme acceleration, one might think Fernadez and his team might let off the brake and coast for a while, but Sunset Paints is far from slowing down.

“We have a commitment with Benjamin Moore for 10 stores,” he reveals. “Hopefully I can open six in the next couple of years and then we will be good. My target is about $20 million in total in the next couple of years.”

With his background in sales, a dedicated team behind him, an enjoyable workplace culture, and supportive networks outside the organization, Sunset Paints is poised for even greater profitability.

“Our employees have grown with us, and they are very dedicated to the company. Some of them didn’t come from sales, but they have learned how to sell. And then we also have a couple of champions in Benjamin Moore and ALLPRO. [They] guide us in the right direction very, very fast.”

Congratulations to Sunset Paints on their rise to retail success!

8 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

fast five : Q: what is your favorite color & why?

Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore OC-65 Q: What is the most popular paint color sold in your store?

White Dove, Benjamin Moore OC-17 Q: what is your go-to hotspot in atlanta?

The St. Regis is really good; there's a really great place called the Garden Room.

Q: have you had any bad paint spills?

Yes. We have a rule now that when you put paint in a box, you put it in according to the arrows on the outside of the box.

Q: what do you do in your free time?

When I have free time, I visit my daughter in South Carolina or play chess.

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12 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

SPOTLIGHT | E AGL E PAI N T & WA L L PA P ER

eagle paint and wallpaper rom Washington, DC, to Kuwait, to London, and back to New York City, Joe Pisarri Sr. has made his color mark all around the world. His credentials include creating Melania Trump’s gold paint shade and the color for the ceiling in the Oval Office, working with high-end designers like Pierre Yovanovitch in Paris, France, and on Philip Johnson’s glass house in Connecticut, and tackling a current top-secret theme park project. Considering his global reach and incomparable expertise, it’s interesting that the color connoisseur himself doesn’t venture far from home.

On any given day, you can find Pisarri Sr. in his Color Factory lab, a branch of Eagle Paint and Wallpaper that ships paint all over the world, mixing paint and quite literally making color magic happen.

“Customers that have been coming in for 20 years have never seen me,” Pisarri Sr. says. “No one knows that I’m the owner. I’m just in my pit every day.” It’s Pisarri’s passion for color, and pride in colormatching expertise that make him and his store in Englewood, New Jersey, stand out from the rest. “I can pick any color, I can create any color, and I can see any color.”

While customers may not recognize Pisarri, they certainly identify his gift for understanding color. “The people I deal with are off-the-chart sophisticated. They know their stuff,” he says, referring to the global clients who come to Eagle for its color-matching precision. “And it’s up to me to be accurate and never make a mistake. You can’t have an off day. It’ll come back and haunt you. You can’t ever have a misstint.”

Images: Aubrey James Projects

Pisarri Sr. has had plenty of time to pursue his proficiency, with his Italian-born father, his uncle, and a partner founding Eagle Paint and Wallpaper back in 1948. At four years old, Pisarri Sr. was busy stacking rolling trays instead of building blocks, and in 1974, he started working at the store straight out of high school. While much has changed from the early days, offering the “best of the best” when it comes to paint has stayed the same. Eagle Paint was built on having a large and diverse product portfolio, which currently includes brands like Mylands Paint from the UK, Fine Paints of Europe, Donald Kaufman Color, and a vast selection of Benjamin Moore’s product catalog, among many others.

As much importance as Pisarri Sr. places on his global clientele, he is equally driven to serve the many homeowners, landlords, contractors, and designers who make his store their ultimate paint-destination, bypassing plenty of other independent dealers. Eagle’s excellent products and unparalleled color creation are only one part of the equation. The hallmark of the family-owned business is the service and the sense you get when you walk through the doors and feel like you’re among friends.

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 13

“The staff is what makes us who we are,” Pisarri Sr. explains, adding that he has 32 staff in total, split between Eagle Paint and Norton’s Paint in nearby Paramus, a store he acquired in 2014.

“They’re like the special forces.”

Eagle’s unit is highly trained in providing spot-on color matching, color advice, consulting, and paint and product advice.

When he’s not in his pit, Eagle Paint staff can find the owner in the company kitchen, whipping up pancakes before the store opens, baking fresh cookies for his team, or feeding the stray cats he unofficially adopted behind the building.

“I save everything that’s alive. I’ve been taking care of stray cats for 20 years. I’ve been raising turtles since I was 10 years old. And I feed deer at four o’clock in the morning,” says Pisarri Sr. “I even feed the birds - I have 20 parrots back there!”

As the father of Eagle Paint looks to the future, he’s got succession planning on his mind. “The ALLPRO group is something that I know will help my succession plan for my kids,” he says. “I know that the way [the group] is set up, it is very important for me to be involved so that my daughter and my son can learn from the company.”

While Pisarri Sr. doesn’t like to travel or leave his work at the store for long, he sees the benefit

Part of Joe’s daily routine includes feeding a flock of parrots that visit the back of the store and tending to Zombie, one of several store cats the team has taken in.

14 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

in being involved in ALLPRO and bringing and immersing his proteges in the paint industry.

Since joining ALLPRO four years ago, Pisarri Sr. has had nothing but good things to say about the group. “I don’t think there’s anybody in ALLPRO that I’ve ever met that hasn’t been open and kind,” he details. “They’ve stood by me to work with me and understand me.”

Pisarri Sr. knows that his store, the products on his shelves and the jobs that he ships out, are unique and he’s grateful for the industry support.

“I don’t have 100 stores. I don’t have 20. I don’t have $750,000 accounts. I only have what I can provide - the best quality products, and highest level of expertise and customer service.

And that’s what I’ve tried to do,” he shares. “Polyvine is unique, Mylands is unique, Donald Kaufman colors are unique, Modern Masters Theme Paint is unique. And people come from all over the country.”

fast five : Q: Favorite local spot?

My store.

Q: Early riser or night owl?

I burn the candle at both ends.

Q: Describe your team.

They're the best of the best.

Q: What music do you play in your store?

Whatever Diane wants.

Q: What did you want to be when you were younger?

Tennis pro.

18 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 19

DAILY MIX | A LLP R O TA LKS

ALLPRO

TALKS WITH DAVID JASIK, President, Sarasota Paint Company, Inc.

If there were an Academy Award for paint sales, David Jasik would be an Oscar winner. The president of Sarasota Paint Company has trained his team in the company’s core values as well as the theater of paint and his philosophy is getting five-star reviews. When he’s not on stage, ahem, in the store, you can find the former drummer and father of four out on his boat in the Gulf of Mexico with family, friends, even customers.

ALLP R O INDE P E N D ENT :

w h at i s yo u r b ac kg r o u n d a n d w h at l e d yo u t o w h e r e yo u a r e t o day ?

d av i d jas i k:

Well, I needed a daytime job because my hobby was playing music at night with a group of guys. So, I got a daytime job working at Sarasota Paint Company for $3.75 an hour back in 1983.

AI : Te l l us ab ou t y o u r hi s t ory i n t h e p a i n t b u s i n e s s .

DJ: My family bought the [Sarasota Paint] store in 1988. My dad was in sales all his life. And so, he bought the store and it became our family store. We were a PPG and Richard’s store. We struggled through a lot of business downturns, but we made it through.

We became Benjamin Moore retailers in the late ‘90s and that really helped us out a lot, having that national brand. That’s kind of where it took off. I bought the store from my family in 2001.

AI : Te l l m e abo u t y o u r pos i ti on w i th S a r a s o t a P a i n t C om p any and wh a t a d a y o n the j ob looks li k e f o r y o u .

DJ: I pretty much start each day working with the executive leadership team and

making sure that the sales teams, the store managers, and the staff have everything they need to care for their customers so that they can handle anything that comes around.

I’ll handle everything from auto repairs to transferring inventory from store to store and just meeting with the staff. There’s a lot of training that needs to happen, so I spend time with staff on the front line.

A I : W h at has b een t he key t o y o u r s u cces s ?

D J: My philosophy for success, it’s one day at a time, number one. And my success is represented by my company’s core values which are thankfulness, relationships, diligence, and consistency. And if you serve the customers with selflessness, and you give of yourself, you’ll be rewarded. And when you do the right thing, good business will follow naturally.

A I : W h at is a car eer- r elat ed o r s t or e goal you ’ r e c u r r en t ly wor kin g t owar d s ?

D J: We’ve got a new POS implementation.

Years ago, I put in an ERP system to have my accounting, my customer relations, my inventory management, my point of sale, and my ecommerce all on the same platform, which is NetSuite. Everybody is live using the new POS system that we implemented, and it’s going well. So, I think once I get that

20 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

under control by the end of the year, my goal is to have automated inventory to where I only have one person [my purchase manager] in the company that orders all the paint for all the stores. And it’s all done by data. That frees up the store managers to really focus on sales and growing relationships.

AI: T ell me ab ou t training s t af f on you r f ro nt l ine.

D J : There’s a lot of psychology to selling paint. My famous speech to them is the theater of paint: When you’re selling paint, it’s like going into the theater. A customer walks in and the curtains open and you’re onstage. Really, it’s up to you to perform and give them an experience that when they leave, they go, ‘Wow, I can binge-watch this place. I want to come back here and buy all my paint here.’ And they can’t wait for the next episode. I want my guys to deliver that type of performance and that comes with experience. You know your best actors - they spend a lot of time studying and training and some of them are more talented than others.

AI: T ell me ab ou t Saraso ta Pain t Compan y’ s histo ry wit h ALLPR O. Wh en did the s t or e b ecome a member an d wh y?

D J : In 2011, my main distributor was in financial desperation and we were having difficulty stocking our shelves. I had no sandpaper, no stains, no caulk. I couldn’t get anything. So, we had an amazing opportunity, with [ALLPRO] being right up the road in Tampa, it was very convenient to have them come down and meet with us.

AI: H ow h as you r majo r pain t man u fact urer s u ppor t ed you r business and con t r ib u t ed t o y o ur success over t he year s ?

D J : Richard’s really supported us over the years, as an independent, when we didn’t have Benjamin Moore. They really worked hard, and they put up with us and stuck with us when we struggled. I can’t say enough about the quality and the character of that manufacturer. Benjamin Moore opened things up when we were struggling badly.

And they worked to help us get on our feet and grow from the one store to the six stores.

I can’t say enough about how much everyone has worked with us – Richard’s for their help in the niche markets and Benjamin Moore has helped us go up against the big 800pound gorilla.

AI : H ow h as i nvo lv e m e n t i n the g rou p be nef i t e d t h e busi ne ss?

DJ: One of the greatest benefits of our ALLPRO membership would be the confidence and security that you get knowing that you’re not alone. When you’re facing the day-to-day challenges of the ever-changing paint industry, you’re surrounded by a family of like-minded retailers, many of whom have become good friends.

AI : W h at i s your f a vo r i t e AL L P RO brand e d p r o d u c t ?

DJ: It’s the ALLPRIME Problem Surface Sealer. We sell to a lot of high-end residential homes, and they use a level five finish. And ALLPRIME Problem Surface Sealer just locks it down and seals it amazing. And not everybody knows how to sell that. That is our go-to product that’s really a niche thing.

AI : T e l l m e abou t t h e c onn e c t i ons or r e la t i o n s h i p s you h av e c re at e d t h r o u gh t h e pai nt busi ne ss.

DJ: There’s one guy who walked into my store probably 25 years ago - Vern the handyman. He invited me to church and

when I went to church with him, it changed my life. I currently have about 16 employees from church. We’re like-minded, like-hearted people that I’ve had [working with me] for 20 years. That was the greatest moment. I could look back and say, ‘If Vern hadn’t walked in, things would be different.’

AI: What do you like to do in your free time? If you’re not at work, where would we find you?

D J: I’d be on my boat. I’m fortunate because I love taking customers out. So many people have mentored me over the years and helped me along the way and I like to pass that on.

So, when we’re not talking about paint, we can talk about fishing. I love to take people offshore and teach them how to catch really big fish and watch them get the experience of a lifetime. We see whale sharks; we see big schools of dolphins jumping. We’re 50 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and there’s nothing else around but beautiful blue water.

SARASOTA PAINT COMPANY’S CO RE VA LU ES

According to David Jasik

y moment.

Thankfulness: We appreciate ever e for good, Relationships: We make a differenc one life at a time. the hard Diligence: We persevere through t. righ it get we things until tain Consistency: We establish and main us. on rely standards so that others can

Fast Five: F avor it e t h in g abo ut S ar as ot a? Gulf of Mexico N ight on t h e t own o r even in g in ? Evening in.

B es t advice ever received?

Start every day with prayer.

A I : What is you r f avor it e p a i n t color ?

D J: Chantilly Lace. It sells a ton, and my competitor can’t make it very well.

Las t b ook you r ea d? The Bible.

B as eb all or f ootbal l ? Baseball.

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INDEPENDENT | S P R I NG S HOW

H e re Co m es th e Su n He ALLPRO takes their Spring Show to the Sunshine State for a packed show floor, parties galore, and a closing concert that transports attendees to The Beatles' eras gone by.

24 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

Images: Aubrey James Projects

T

he ALLPRO Spring Show in Orlando, Florida, was one of the happiest places on earth from March 20-23. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from Walt Disney World and right in the heart of all the action on Universal Boulevard, the ALLPRO family of members, vendors, and dedicated staff arrived at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel with excitement and anticipation, ready to take in the annual event. The neighboring world-famous attractions were secondary to the magic captured as longtime colleagues and newfound friends caught up, descended on the show floor, and danced the night away to old-time favorites.

Along with connecting with suppliers over a round of golf, playing beach volleyball with other NextGens, and attending evening soirees courtesy of Benjamin Moore and PPG, attendees took advantage of a show floor full of buying specials, supplier spiffs, and product demos.

In true ALLPRO fashion, the show wasn’t complete without recognizing new members and congratulating ALLPRO’s 2023 distinguished members – companies reaching the One Million Dollar Club all the way to the One Hundred Million Dollar Plus Club.

In 2023, ALLPRO purchases finished down 5.4% at $1.36 billion, but the group is budgeting a 4.5% increase for 2024. ALLPRO distribution jumped to $30 million, up 11% from last year, and the ALLPRO private label finished flat at $37 million.

C o me T o gether Save the date!

Images: Aubrey James Projects

Event: ALLPRO's Fall Stockholder Meeting Location: Fairmont Hotel, Austin, TX Date: October 24-26, 2024 Slip on your cowboy boots and giddy up to Austin, Texas, for our annual Stockholder Meeting, where we’ll feature a keynote speaker, NextGen event, breakout sessions, and highly anticipated trade show floor.

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 25

Can Y o u T a k e Me B a ck ?

Whether swinging a club at a world-renowned golf course, rolling the dice at the PPG party, being a part of the the vibrant energy of dueling pianos at the Benjamin Moore party, experiencing a luxurious spa treatment at The Spa at Shingle Creek, or celebrating a successful 2023 with your extended family at one of the area’s many amusement parks, ALLPRO Spring Show attendees squeezed in a whole lot of adventure out of the magical city.

The PPG event was top tier like they usually are. I have become quite the expert in “sneaking” in, which entails me walking up to the sign-in desk and asking if I can come in and attend. There are many photos of us at our very hot blackjack table and some great content caught by the ALLPRO team. Nice to see Stephanie grab a win at their prize table too! My best friends in the industry were winners too, with Brandon Donahue going home with a PS5!

As for the real reason for the trip (joking Mike!), I got to spend my birthday at the Magic Kingdom! Does it get more magical than that?! It’s crazy, every cast member says, ‘happy birthday’ and the Starbucks on Main Street made me a magical birthday drink and put ‘Queen Katie’ on my cup. I almost burst into tears. People always ask me why I love Disney so much and after trips like this, it just seems so bloody obvious. ~ Katie Prus, Benjamin Moore - Abbotsford Paint and Decorating Center My favorite highlight is seeing and talking to fellow members, getting information on how we are all dealing with the challenges of running retail paint stores.

Hearing different solutions from each of them is always so helpful! The ALLPRO show is always a great time! – Barbara Pruden, Creative Paints

26 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

Images: Aubrey James Projects Images: Aubrey James Projects

It was a wonderful four days. It is always so much fun to catch up with my peers/friends from across the country. A highlight for me at this year’s Spring Show was the General Session. Everything you needed to know about ALLPRO and why it is so important to be a member, happened in that hour. I loved that Mike Beaudoin acknowledged the new members and their importance to the future success of our group, celebrated the winners who grew their business with ALLPRO, despite a very challenging year, and looked to the future with optimism. I especially liked Mike Weber addressing the very real threat of our collective competitor and that we are all in this together. Whether you have one location, or many, everyone in that room is facing the same challenges (maybe just on a different scale). - Sharon McGuckin, J.C. Licht

Eight Day s a We e k One Million Dollar Club

ALLPRO recognizes 2023’s distinguished members One Million Dollar Club

Five & Ten Million Do

llar Club

Twenty Million Dollar Club

• Armistead Paint & Supply Atlanta, GA – Kristy Smith • King’s Paint & Paper Scotts Valley, CA – Tom King • Knoxville Coatings & Supply Powell, TN – Lee Payne • Adelaide’s Paint & Décor St. Simons Island, GA Walter Rafolski • NAL’S Paint Center Worcester, MA – David Santora • Prism Paint & Design High Point, NC - Umar Khan • Hill Country Paints Waco, TX – James Anderson • Yes Paint Anchorage, AK – Jason Smith

Five Million Dollar Club

he Paint Place LTD T Nassau, BM – Alex Maura • Florida Paints Winter Garden, FL Jeff Grasty • Kazalas Paint Supplies, Inc. Jackson Heights, NY Chris Kazalas •

Ten Million Dollar Club

• Repcolite Paints, Inc. Holland, MI – Dan Altena

Twenty Million Dollar Club • Home Décor Group Peabody, MA – Jonathan Tapper • Helm Paint & Supply New Orleans, LA – Joe Helm

Forty Million Dollar Club

• Ring’s End, Inc. Darien, CT – Scott Herling

One Hundred Million Dollar Plus Club

• Spectrum Paint Company Tulsa, OK – Travis Detter • Canpro Decorating Products Cooperative – Edmonton, AB – Ken Morton

Images: Aubrey James Projects, Alex Karas

Twenty & Forty Million Dollar Club

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 27

Goodbye

The momentum of the event built all the way to Saturday night, when California tribute band The Fab Four paid homage to The Beatles.

“We do live entertainment because it creates a memory,” explained ALLPRO’s Executive Vice President Michael Beaudoin. “That’s what you’re going to remember when you go home. You’re going to remember special moments. And this is going to be a special moment. There’s nothing more nostalgic than The Beatles.”

Transporting attendees to a time when The Beatles rocked the world, The Fab Four played all their hits, including “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and “Hey Jude.”

And just as quickly as we said “Hello, hello, hello,” we said “Goodbye.”

28 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

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INDEPENDENT | H UM A N R ES OUR C E S

BUILDING AN HR PLAN STRUCTURED FOR GROWTH Whether your paint store is a one shop wonder or you’re managing a fleet of locations from a corporate office, the largest expense and greatest asset in the paint dealer world is your workforce.

This resource, like any other in your business, must be managed strategically to optimize your company’s success.

Prime your people for growth with an HR plan that goes the distance.

An HR plan is a series of documents and processes that comprise a strategy relating to the people in your organization—from recruitment to retention and compensation to performance. It helps to establish how everyone’s roles fit to serve the greater purpose of the company.

It also functions as a form of risk management for employers when drafted in line with relevant legislation.

PRO TIP: Before developing your HR plan, touch base with employees to get a feel for their goals and desired areas of improvement. Depending on your number of locations and employees, you could do this through casual conversations or an anonymous employee survey to welcome candor.

34 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

Q: Do you need an HR department to have an HR plan?

A: Oftentimes, smaller businesses skip the HR department, instead passing these responsibilities over to owners or managers—a practice that is certainly tenable provided the roles have been clearly identified, documented, and communicated.

ELEMENTS OF AN HR PLAN:

MEMBER INSIGHT:

The development of the following materials benefits both you as a store or organization, helping to clarify roles and goals, and your employees. They can be grouped into two categories:

RECRUITMENT & FOUNDATIONS JOB DESCRIPTIONS: A well-written job description will set expectations, create accountability, and identify duties and responsibilities. All too often, job descriptions are discarded after hiring is complete, which can create ambiguities within the structure of your store or company. In fact, Adam Nalepa, a Senior Business Advisor from BDC Advisory Services suggests companies draft new job descriptions for everyone in the company as an exercise to identify gaps, redundancies, and areas of improvement.

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK: An employee handbook consists of a series of

documents that employees and managers alike can refer to that demonstrates an equitable approach to all employees, while clearing up any administrative “housekeeping” items—an integral aspect of any HR plan that acts as a master list of company policies.

“ Our regional managers

lead store managers in measuring job performance through quarterly employee reviews. It gives everyone a chance to discuss areas for improvement and to praise a job well done.

This is important because it provides structure and encourages our team to keep growing their skills.”

Sarah Ross, Brand Manager — Mallory Paint Store

ORGANIZATIONAL CHART: Take time to visually represent the internal structure of your company, demonstrating the hierarchies, relationships, and communication flows within it. This is a great resource to provide to new hires as they familiarize themselves with their new role and understand where to direct communications as they arise.

RETENTION & GROWTH TALENT MANAGEMENT: Create an onboarding and integration plan to help

new employees quickly acclimate to the workplace. This plan should include the employee handbook, their job description, an organization chart, any relevant equipment for their job, introductions to coworkers, and training materials.

Many ALLPRO members have new hires shadow existing employees to help them get a sense for the pace of the business.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: Implement regular review periods where

employees and managers review their performance in alignment with specific personal and company goals. These review periods are a great time to reflect on the current job description to identify any gaps, update as needed, and define what success looks like in relation to the duties outlined. Managers should take this as an opportunity to ask employees for feedback as well.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT: People are wired to continue seeking out growth,

and companies who understand this and support their employee’s desire for development will see the best retention. This could mean adjusting roles to cater to employees’ areas of interest or skill-building to ready employees for new positions within the company.

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 35

TIPS FOR DRAFTING YOUR EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK In the unpredictable paint dealer industry, we deal with unknowns every day, from adjusting to supplier costs to fluctuating revenue. But the employer and employee relationship doesn’t need to be one of them. Although there are certain unforeseen circumstances that cannot be accounted for, a thoughtfully drafted employee handbook can be extremely effective for setting everyone’s expectations and limiting the surprises that can put a strain on a store’s culture. Whether beginning at square one or updating an existing manual, use the following tips to create an employee handbook you’ll be glad to have on hand.

KEY COMPONENTS TO INCLUDE: • • • • • • • • •

Welcome Statement Organizational Chart Hours of Work Dress Code Workplace Policies Performance Management Procedures Employee Expectations Compensation & Benefits Vacation, Sick Days, and other Leave Policies

CONSIDER YOUR HISTORY: In order to know where you’re going, you’ve got to understand where you’ve been.

The creation of an employee handbook is the perfect time to evaluate what kind of company you’ve been in the past and what kind of company you’d like to be in the future. Think about what you love and would like to see more of, and what you’d like to see change moving forward. This should encompass everything from current and previous practices to employee culture. Take notes to keep track of frequent areas of confusion, common questions, or situations that required difficult decisions to be made. Having your company history fresh in your mind as you begin this process will help you in drafting relevant and effective material.

CLARIFY YOUR CULTURE: An employee handbook is a place where you can illustrate your company’s values and demonstrate the culture you’re hoping to cultivate in your store(s)/corporate offices. Provide a brief outline of your store’s history, define your longtime goals to help align new hires with your ambitions, and explain your core values.

CONSULT THE STANDARDS: In many states or provinces, there are laws stipulating specific policies or information that companies are required to maintain in writing. These policies often relate to harassment, discrimination, time off, and health and safety rules. Seek out these mandatory inclusions from the appropriate government resources and ensure to have a section for them in the final draft of your employee handbook. You’ll also want to have a place for other musthave policies, like an at-will statement (with the exception of the state of Montana), employment classifications, compensation and timekeeping, meal and rest periods, employee conduct, attendance, and punctuality.

CREATE AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM: New and existing employees should be required to sign and date a form acknowledging that they are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the employee handbook and complying to its policies. This form should explain that the handbook is not an employment contract, and that management has the right to interpret policies, and make revisions at any time.

REVIEW, REVISE, & REPEAT: After an initial draft is complete, open up the document for feedback to identify any potential blind spots. You may also want to have legal counsel review to ensure compliance with any applicable laws. Once a final draft has been created, set a plan for regular annual review and revision periods to future-proof your handbook and ensure any changes to company practices, circumstances, or laws can be captured.

WHAT TO AVOID: While it’s crucial to know what to include in an employee handbook, it’s also a good idea to keep in mind what’s best to leave out. Here’s a list of common policies to avoid, as they could put you in a vulnerable legal position: • Overarching statements relating to criminal convictions • Policies relating to employees discussing compensation with one another • Policies that prohibit or restrict off-the-clock conduct •

Probationary/introductory periods

•

English-only language requirements

• Policies that discuss withholding pay in relation to company property • 36 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

Policies regarding refusals to pay overtime

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DAILY MIX | R E C R UI T M E N T

1. ASSESS YOUR COMPANY’S CULTURE As an independent paint retailer, chances are you are familyowned and operated and pride yourself on the approachable customer-service culture you’ve developed over generations. As you aim to hire top talent to join a tight-knit team, it’s crucial to understand the needs of your company and what kind of individuals align with its culture. What values does your store uphold? What mindset is integral to success within your company?

Recruitment Plan for Retail Paint Businesses As the seasons shift and winter turns to spring and spring to summer, so do your plans for retail success.

With more customers coming through the doors and contractors increasing their orders, you may be looking to add new members to your team. When filling a position, it’s crucial to identify the candidate best suited for the role, whose skills and knowledge will contribute to your company’s growth.

Before you go and base everything on that allimportant interview, let’s back up a bit. The process of making the appropriate hiring selection commences long before the candidate enters the room.

Effective recruitment hinges on proper preparation and promotion of the job opportunity, coupled with thorough applicant screening. This approach ensures that during the interview phase, you encounter only the top candidates closely aligned with your needs and culture.

Are you adding front line sales associates, managers, office staff, or delivery drivers? Wendy Hofford, Owner at WH Strategic Drive and professional workplace consultant, helps us hone in on our recruitment strategy, enhance the possibility of securing the ideal candidate, and position our retail paint company for success.

38 | M ay/J u n e 2 024 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT

“I always say that for people, they can be really good at their job, they can have all the skills, but if they don’t fit the culture, they’ll never be successful,” says Hofford. “The culture sets people up or destroys them. If you don’t fit [in with] the culture, it doesn’t matter what the opportunities are. Imagine rose plants. You take one and you put it into a pot of gravel and sand. And you take the sister one and you put it in rich fertilizer. Which one’s going to thrive? Now, if you had a cactus, and you put a cactus in the rich soil and you put [another] cactus in gravel and sand, it’s going to do better in the sand, right? Because a cactus loves that. Humans are the same. We either thrive in the environment we’re in or it makes us lose our energy. It’s very much the same analogy. So, culture is the number one thing. I’ll hire for skill, I’ll look at the resume, but the biggest question I’ll always ask is, what kind of culture do you thrive in?”

According to Hofford, an organization’s culture is set by senior management and identified by staff. Look to evaluate potential candidates through a broader lens and assess how well they resonate with your company culture and values.

2. CREATE DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTIONS For a paint retailer, it’s essential to define the roles and responsibilities of each position within the company to facilitate effective hiring. Craft detailed job descriptions outlining the specific tasks, necessary skills, and required experience for each role. The more accurate the description, the better fit the applicants will be.

“It needs to be measurable enough that the candidate knows what they will be responsible for,” Hofford explains. “What are those key skills that they need to bring? What are you willing to teach?

What do you need in that role?”

In addition to an accurate job description and a position title that the general public will understand, include a few lines about your business and why applicants might want to be part of the team. Include desired qualifications and attributes that the ideal applicant would bring to the position and don’t forget to add how you’d like to receive applications, as well as the application deadline.

3. GET RECRUITMENT RIGHT Once you’re happy with your job advertisement, it’s time to promote it effectively. The best approach depends on your company’s budget and the profile of the desired candidate. And of course, utilizing multiple channels enhances your visibility.

From social media avenues like LinkedIn to online job boards like Indeed, the opportunities are almost endless. It’s determining the best way to acquire ideal teammates that is most important.

“It depends on the role. It depends on the demographics you’re looking for,” Hofford suggests. “Where are your people? A lot of

people will either use social media, but if you’re looking for somebody that’s in a management role, or a professional, you could use a recruiting agency.”

Hofford’s favorite way to find your next top candidate is by referral.

“Getting out in the community where people start to know who you are and are interested and curious, that starts well before you start to recruit,” she says. “Let your employees have a referral program. The good employees that want their friends to come – that says a lot about your culture.”

Once you’ve heard back from applicants, track how individuals discovered your company or heard about the job opportunity. Over time, this data will aid in identifying the most effective recruitment tools for your store.

confirm their fit for the role and compatibility with workplace culture by asking them both behavioral and situational questions.

Behavioral questions dive into past behaviors and predict how they’ll handle future circumstances. When you pose these types of questions, you’re able to gain insights on the applicant’s selfassurance and problem-solving prowess. Situational inquiries present hypothetical scenarios relevant to the role they’re applying for. This will help you evaluate whether the candidate has the knowledge and skills to handle situations they’ll likely deal with while working.

To aid in the interview process, consider creating a scorecard to grade the candidates answers and abilities. And invite other team members into the interview, such as the candidate’s future manager or HR personnel, to provide further feedback on the applicant.

4. ASSESS QUALIFICATIONS

5. PROVIDE ONBOARDING

Before you even interview a candidate, screen the applicants and ensure you won’t be wasting time with an in-person interview. You might need to give the candidate a call to get a bit of a read on who they are and if they’re genuinely interested in the position.

After selecting your front-runner, secure their full commitment by providing top-notch onboarding. Studies show that providing a robust orientation program can boost new employee retention rates by up to 40%. In addition to thorough training, consider assigning a seasoned staff member to mentor and walk alongside the new hire during their first few weeks.

“You could also do an assessment, you can do competency tests,” Hofford says, adding that one of her clients was hiring an accountant and tested the applicants on their competency in Microsoft Excel.

Once you’ve weeded out the strong candidates from the weak, it’s time for an in-person interview. Validate their qualifications and

“Where’s the onboarding?” Hofford challenges. “You go through so much work trying to hire, and we do all this upfront, but if we don’t set them up for success when they first come in the door, it’s all out the window.”

(Continued on page 38)

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| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 39

(Continued from page 37)

Fostering Diversity in the Workplace Workplace diversity is good for business Embracing workplace diversity isn’t just the right thing to do; it also makes good business sense.

As a small business, it’s imperative that you mirror the diversity of the community in the people you bring on board. Hiring team members based on their range of interests, backgrounds, experiences, as well as language, culture, gender, and race, not only showcases your company as an employer of choice, but it helps to connect with your current customers, taps into new markets, and expands your reach.

As more baby boomers retire and small businesses try to fill the gaps left by seasoned staff, it’s increasingly challenging to find good long-term employees. To overcome this issue, independent paint retailers need to prioritize diversity and be on the hunt for varied talent to remain current and competitive in the industry.

Jonathan Chiaro, Loconsolo Paints, knows a thing or two about diversity in the paint business. At his six New York stores, from the Bronx to Brooklyn to their newest store in Astoria, he’s intentional about reflecting the surrounding communities with the staff he recruits.

“Every store focuses on the local community which can be identified by the languages spoken in the store and the other cultural representations,” Chiaro says. “They speak more

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languages than I can remember, come from diverse backgrounds, and everyone works well together. It’s truly representational of the America I am proud to be part of.”

At Locosonlo Paints in Astoria, Chiaro recently welcomed a new hire who speaks Greek. “If you were to stand in that store, what’s amazing about it is the clients that are walking in, I would say less than 20% are speaking English. It’s just a great example of how, depending on the market, you have to address those local needs.

And sometimes it’s a language preference. Sometimes it’s just an ability to relate to a culture. So, it’s really important to embrace the community and the culture when you move into a new location. That’s always been a part of the fabric of what we do.”

Another thread of that fabric at Loconsolo Paints is giving back and supporting the local community, whether by donating supplies for a school play in Williamsburg or repainting a landmark museum in Coney Island.

" If we’re only looking for the standard that we’ve always looked for, we’re never going to change or grow..." ~Wendy Hofford Wendy Hofford, Owner at WH Strategic Drive and professional workplace consultant, says that for small independent businesses to succeed and grow, they’ve got to follow Chiaro’s lead and foster a more diverse and inclusive team.

“It goes back to the challenge of hiring,” she says. “If we’re only looking for the standard that we’ve always looked for, we’re never going to change or grow, right? There’s so many skill sets out there and people can bring so much more if we just look at their abilities and allow them to be who they are. It just opens up the doors to your customers to fit in that demographic, and now that you have representation, it’s really about people being the best version of who they’re meant to be and creating a place that fosters that.”

Increasing the diversity of your team is proving to boost the bottom line. According to numerous studies, an ethnically diverse workforce produces more profits compared to a more homogeneous staff. On top of that, research indicates that these diverse teams have higher levels of engagement, produce better work, and are more effective overall.

Don’t believe us? Just ask Chiaro.

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INDEPENDENT | NEXTG EN 1. HE WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED SPORTS JOURNALIST Greenberg’s first job came as a high school sports reporter for a newspaper in the Atlanta area, an occupation that evolved past post-secondary.

“I eventually became an editor for a group of newspapers and wasn’t writing anymore,” he says. “Since I was in management at that point anyway, I figured it was a good time to join my dad in the business and live closer to my family.

My dad also did a good job of selling me on why I would enjoy moving to Chicago and working for him, and he was right!”

During his newspaper career, Greenberg won first place for Sports Coverage and Sports Feature Story in the Georgia Press Association’s annual contest for best sports section.

2. HE’S FOCUSED ON GROWTH Currently in charge of the home fashions department, Greenberg is intent on expanding the window treatment and wallpaper business, while managing the daily operations for J.C. Licht stores and in-home services.

“I would love to grow our window treatment business, especially in the city of Chicago,” Greenberg says. “We are currently very strong in the suburbs, but I think there is a lot of opportunity to gain market share inside the city.”

3. HE’S PASSIONATE ABOUT PEOPLE

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“It’s all about the people,” Greenberg enthuses. “I truly believe that the best people in the world work at J.C. Licht, which makes it a joy to come to work every day and interact with them. It is an important responsibility to make sure our business grows so we can continue to offer our employees opportunities to better their careers. I enjoy that responsibility.”

4. HE’S MAKING LIFELONG FRIENDS THROUGH ALLPRO As an avid NextGen retail member, Greenberg is excited at the opportunity to build connections with like-minded individuals and be part of a thriving community.

Get to know former sports journalist and NextGen retail member Jason Greenberg Jason Greenberg has put his pen and notepad down, folded up the sports section, and joined his father in the Windy City. As Vice President of Growth & Innovation for J.C. Licht, the son of Elliot Greenberg left his career in newspapers and now spends his time managing the company’s home fashions department before shooting some hoops, doing CrossFit, or lacing up to run a race.

Here are four other things you might not know about our NextGen retail member now living in Chicago, Illinois.

“I attend every event I can. I didn’t realize when I joined the business two years ago there were so many people at ALLPRO like me who were working in their family’s business, and there was such an encouraging community to be a part of,” he says. “My dad always told me I’d meet lifelong friends through ALLPRO. I see him with people he’s known for 40 years and the bond they have, and I can definitely see myself developing those types of relationships with members of the group. I’ve already called countless members for advice.

Even though I’ve only known most people in the group for two years, it feels like visiting old friends every time I go to an ALLPRO event.”

WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The Book of Basketball WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY IN THE STORE? Bubblegum pop rock.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PAINT COLOR? Twilight Blue, Benjamin Moore 2067-30

WHAT MIGHT OTHER NEXTGEN MEMBERS BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU? Through my sports writing career, I’ve gotten to interview a lot of famous athletes. My favorites I had the chance to interview were Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Johnson, and Kristine Lilly.

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN? Be quick but don’t hurry.

May/Ju n e 2024

| ALLPRO INDEPENDENT | 43

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