Business Spotlight
Staying Local
Pat Virnig’s varied career path led him to St. Cloud and an appreciation for community. By Gail Ivers
At A Glance Virnig Painting Company 65 43rd St. NE Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 (320) 259-5411 Business Description: Commercial/industrial painting, wall covering, epoxy flooring, metal roof coatings Owner: Patrick J. Virnig Opened: 1991 Number of employees: 9 Chamber member since 1997
Timeline 1974 Virnig attends St. Cloud State University. 1976 After guiding in the Boundary Waters during the summer, Virnig takes a 180 day position working for the U.S. Forest Service.
PERSONAL PROFILE Patrick Virnig, 60 Hometown: Blue Earth, Minn. Family: Wife Karen; two sons ages 32 and 25; three brothers and three sisters; 89-year-old mother
Business Central: What did you do for work when you moved to the Twin Cities? Pat Virnig: I worked at a machine shop. I didn’t know anything about machining. So I read up on the machines that the company used, then I read about a business that was a competitor and had gone out of business. In the interview I told them I was from that company and they hired me.
BC: How did you get started in painting? Virnig: I saw an ad and went in and applied. Back then, when 58
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Hobbies: Fishing. Travel: “It’s impossible to take a two week vacation, so we do long weekends and look for little hotels or B&Bs.” Eating out: “We like to watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives then go to the restaurants that are featured and check them out.”
newspapers were printed the ink would turn into a mist and float everywhere and created a fire hazard. Newspapers were required to clean and paint their pressrooms regularly. My first day I was cleaning the walls and was covered in ink. I thought, if I had a dollar in my pocket I would quit, but I didn’t so I stuck it out. At the end of the job he handed me $7,000, keys to a van, and said go to Boston, hire local people, and do it again. That was pretty much how it worked from then on. He always said “Don’t tell me why this job can’t be done,
tell me how you’re going to do it.” He was a good boss. That was a good lesson. BC: What has been your biggest business challenge? Virnig: It was hard getting started. I was new to the area. I could stay busy in the summer, but winter was slow. Bills came, but the phone didn’t ring. I joined the Builders Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce and I was able to get business that way. Now my biggest challenge is getting quality employees. Once I get them, I hang on to them. BC: What do you like best about business ownership? Virnig: Meeting people in the community. Developing business relationships. I buy local, hire local, and support local charities. I believe very much in strong communities.
1976 Virnig takes a position in the engineering department of U.S. Steel in Mountain Iron, MN, near Virginia. October 1981 U.S. Steel does a massive layoff, going from 5,000 employees to less than 2,000 employees. Virnig is among those laid off. 1982 Virnig moves to the Twin Cities. “If you want to be successful, you hang around successful people. If there are no jobs, you go to where the jobs are.” He takes a job as a machinist. 1984 Virnig begins working for Mark’s Pressroom Coatings. His work takes him to every state except Vermont and Alaska. 1990 The level of travel interferes with Virnig’s family life. He quits, and moves to St. Cloud. 1991 Virnig incorporates Virnig’s Painting Company.