arly in my sales career, I was told, “You’re never as good as you think you are when times are good, nor are you as bad as you think when times are bad.” In my 30-year career, I’ve had my share of wins and losses and have always tried to stay balanced throughout. The swings in business over the past four years have challenged the discipline of staying balanced. In the first three years (2020-22) the group grew 45%, which is unprecedented in any time. In 2023, there was a major reset that we had to work through, and business finished down -5.4% with the slide accelerating at the end of the year. At the beginning of this year, there was the optimism that a new year brings but given the business climate of the three previous months, there was guarded optimism. Then, like a light switch, the business felt different
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
and better starting January 1st. We fought through the first quarter and were up for the year slightly, even with the show two weeks later. And then in April, we had the single largest billing month in the history of the group. May’s numbers came in equally as strong with the group tracking up approximately 10% heading towards mid-year.
Aside from the numbers, there is optimism within the group that feels completely different from this time last year. As I knew they would, members spent last year working on their business in the face of margin and sales loss which seemed to depict 2023. They adjusted inventories, reorganized their business, and started this year determined to take back market share and win. This attitude was certainly felt at the ALLPRO Spring Show where numerous suppliers reported record sales. Members are expanding again and diversifying their business model to develop into new categories. My goal for 2024 was to at least get back to 2022 numbers, and now I am looking to move beyond that to true growth.
ALLPRO is doing its part to continue to expand and create value for its stakeholders. The Spring Show was a testament to our commitment to our investments in improving the show, helping to make it the largest to date. We also invested in bringing together many members at the ALLPRO U Member Roundtable in Chicago, Illinois. This included approximately 60
members and 100 attendees spending two days together with a robust agenda that included a presentation by worldrenowned health expert Chris Johnson (author of “Rest Eat Move”), morning and afternoon roundtable sessions where members were grouped with other members close in size to discuss strategies on how to handle many of the “blocking and tackling” subjects facing independent paint stores. Then we received a presentation from Mike Coffey on strategies for competing with Sherwin-Williams where several scenarios were discussed. This was in addition to an opening reception and closing power hour that resembled a small Stockholders Meeting in size.
The investments will continue as we are planning a NextGen event at the upcoming Stockholders Meeting in Austin, Texas. We are also looking to conduct a Women’s Only event at the 2025 Spring Show in San Antonio, Texas. Both events will include suppliers as well as members. We are investing in new products and expanded inventories for the distribution centers and adding new products and categories in the decorative finishes, industrial coatings, and lacquer programs, which seem to be driving growth. Our goal this year is to continue to invest in events and programs that have the maximum benefit to the greatest number of members within the group and that contribute to our foundational success.
Congratulations to the new additions to our ALLPRO family!
Welcome to our ALLPRO family! Please join us in welcoming STAR SCENIC PAINTS & COATINGS with one location in Orlando, FL, to the ALLPRO family of independent retailers!
Congratulations to the following members on their recent expansions:
ABOFF’S PAINTS added a new store, located in Lindenhurst, NY; AUBUCHON HARDWARE added 10 new stores: two in MA, one in MD, and seven in VT; CANPRO DECORATING PRODUCTS COOPERATIVE added FARGO PAINTS AND DÉCOR in Toronto, Ontario, and JW PAINTS in North Bay, Ontario; CINCINNATI COLOR COMPANY added their third store, located in Cincinnati, OH; GRAUER’S PAINT & DECORATING will be opening their fourth store, located in Mechanicsburg, PA; HARRISON PAINT CO. OF BATON ROUGE will be opening their third store, located in Lafayette, LA; JC LICHT opened a new store in Wauwatosa, WI; KOOPMAN LUMBER COMPANY added new locations in Sutton, Fairhaven, Dennis, and Pembroke, MA; PAINTPOURRI has opened their fifth store, located in Garfield, NJ; PRISM STORES 2 will be opening a new location in Chapel Hill, NC; RING’S END, INC. added two new stores, located in Middleborough and New Bedford, MA; RODDA PAINT added a new location in Woods Cross, UT; SPECTRUM PAINT COMPANY added a new store, located in Longview, TX; SPECTRUM PAINT EAST will be opening a new store, located in Clemson, SC; and TEXAS PAINT & WALLPAPER has added a new store in Tyler, TX.
SHARE YOUR NEWS!
If you are involved in a community event, special project, charity, or are celebrating a milestone, please share your news with Susie Fontana at susie.fontana@allprocorp.com
board president Mike Weber
Executive Vice President Mike Beaudoin
Vice President of Merchandising Scott Morath
Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Garrett
Marketing manager Susie Fontana
How to Reach Us
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.
on the cover: Rohan, shipping/ receiving specialist of Loconsolo Paints by Aubrey James Projects
ALLPRO Corporation
4946 Joanne Kearney Blvd., Tampa, FL 33619
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DOWN THE AISLES
What’s going on at the ALLPRO Distribution Centers?
Since virtually all ALLPRO members attend the ALLPRO Spring Show armed with backpacks full of “direct from supplier” purchase orders, you might think that this would provide the four ALLPRO distribution centers (DCs) some time to catch their breath. Think again!
Amazingly, members have continued to lean on the DCs for fill-ins while they wait for the direct orders they placed at the show. After five months into 2024, the ALLPRO distribution centers are up more than 30% versus 2023, and honestly, we do not see a slowdown as we move into the summer months.
If you did not know, the ALLPRO distribution center business itself is also a MEMBER of ALLPRO, and that means that like you, we walk the show floor and place orders with existing DC suppliers, but more importantly we are looking at potential new suppliers and new products from existing suppliers.
Coming off the Spring Show in Orlando, we added six new suppliers to the DCs: the ALLPRO Epoxy Program, CTA/ Outlast, ESCA (lead paint testing), Meoded, PaintLine, and Romabio, and new products from 11 current suppliers, such as Aexcel, American Textile Mills, Blue Dolphin, CIC Coatings, Crawford’s, Crocodile, Hyde, ICP/Storm, Marshalltown, Rust-Oleum, Shurtape, Titan Tools, and WM Barr. Check them out on your ALLPRO distribution center website store.
With these additions, the DCs stock between 2500 and 3300 SKUs with the number varying due to supplier program depth, regional demand thus regional suppliers, and VOC laws requiring “duplicate SKUs.”
Rather than slowing down, the teams in each DC, in addition to managing the growth, have been working to create new “pick” locations for new products that we consider to be high velocity picks. That creates a domino effect throughout the DC’s floor plan. So, just like your stores, that means a reshuffle of the entire racking; something that none of us like, but it is necessary to maintain or increase productivity.
The DCs need to be flexible to allow you to manage the new lines and added items which fuel your growth, but there is a balance to adding new products, productivity, and mispicks. We are proud to share with you that the four DCs average a 98.0+ fill rate and a .0025 (yes, a quarter of one percent) accuracy rate. Those are incredible statistics, and they reflect the focus and culture of this business.
Pictured (L to R): Derek Stiles, Bob Minnick, Sean Thompson, Tony Proulx, John Cornell and Elijah Rahman
duval paint & decorating
amily is in the fabric at Duval Paint & Decorating.
Third-generation owner Sean Thompson followed the thread that his grandfather Dick Jurney and uncle Frank Jurney wove back in 1968.
“[Duval Paint] started as a TCO program through Benjamin Moore. They reached out to my grandfather, who at the time was working for US Gypsum, and they wanted somebody to open up a store in Jacksonville.”
So that’s what he did. In 1987, Thompson’s mom followed her father, moving from Birmingham, Alabama, and joining the business as interior designer, a role she continues to do from Duval’s Jacksonville Beach store.
“She still works three days a week, helping designers pick out colors and fabrics,” Thompson says. “She has a big following. They all love her.”
With Thompson’s family relocating south to Florida, it was just a matter of time before Thompson himself got the call to join the family business in 1994.
“I just got out of college. I went to Jacksonville State and got my degree in finance. At the time I was a sales manager at a large furniture store in Birmingham, and they asked me to come and be the outside sales guy.”
Thompson was familiar with the family paint store, having worked in the warehouse during the summer months while visiting his grandparents.
“So, I said, ‘You know what, I’ll come hang out with mom.’ And I moved down in 1994 and two months later, my fiance Donna moved down. She's still here. We’re still married. We have twin 19-year-old daughters, Brie and Tori.”
A little over 10 years later, Thompson became owner of Duval's Paint, adding two locations and hiring new and additional sales staff, eight out of 20 employees who have been with the business for more than 20 years.
“Bob Minnick has been with us for 40 years, our office manager Lisa Beams has been with us for almost 30 years, and my store manager in Jacksonville Beach, Derek Stiles, has been with us for 17 years,” Thompson details. “Lucy Rubero has been with us for 19 years and Phil Yoos has been our Mandarin store manager for seven years.”
Thompson credits the staff retention with the positive culture and supportive family atmosphere that he's worked to establish since taking the reins.
“We always put family first,” Thompson says. “If somebody says, ‘Hey Sean, I gotta take my kids on a field trip or whatever it is, I'm like, ‘good, you take care of your family.’ We’re big about that. We do the 401K match, we pay their health insurance, we try to make sure everybody's happy here because if employees are happy, everybody's happy. That's your number one asset. I learned a long time ago to hire good people, tell them what to do, and get out of their way and let them do their thing.”
Thompson's investment in his staff has provided Duval with a valuable return, especially when it comes to building relationships with customers and contractors who do business with the company on a regular basis.
“We know the families, we know their staff,” he details. “We know their processes, we know what they prefer and don't prefer and they don't get any surprises. That's one of the things I think we're better at than just about anybody on a local level.”
From providing exceptional service – whether it's walking products to a customer's car, delivering to job sites, or returning phone calls on a daily basis, Duval Paint goes the extra mile to meet and exceed expectations.
Another area where Duval has experienced more than they bargained for is with their membership in ALLPRO. According to Thompson, the connection with other members who have common goals and understand industry trends, markets, and the buying chain is important, as are the group savings.
“Just being able to network with other members and learn what works and what doesn't work, saves you a lot of time,” he shares.
“The fact you've got centralized billing is huge. Instead of having to write 50 checks a month to 50 different vendors, and having to negotiate each time you buy, the fact that ALLPRO organizes your purchases and gets you the maximum discounts is absolutely huge.
Duval Paint has been successful at expanding the product on their shelves and bringing in niche items that are not just paint. In addition to Benjamin Moore paints, Duval carries decorative stains, floor and deck sealants, indoor and outdoor decorative coatings, wallcoverings, and fabric.
“As we get into this day and age, you can drop in the middle of downtown anywhere, there's gonna be 50 options to buy wall paint.”
To diversify their product line, Duval brought in a high-end lacquer line, and a high-end epoxy floor coating. According to Thompson, they also sell a lot of Gaco silicone and Romabio mineral paints.
“If there's any kind of product we can get into that everybody else doesn't carry,” he shares, “we try to find the stuff that nobody wants. We put in the work to learn the new products, and then we go sell them.”
Thompson appreciates the working relationship he has with ALLPRO and how he can count on their support.
“They're amazing. Everybody we deal with is super professional. I have nothing but absolute respect and gratitude for those guys. They're good. Every time we have something that we need, they're Johnny-on-the-spot and that's rare these days.”
fast Three:
Q: What is the most popular paint color sold in your store?
We do a lot of Benjamin Moore, Revere Pewter HC-172, we do a lot of Benjamin Moore, Gray Owl 2137-60.
Q: what can't you live without?
My family. My daughters just went to college so my wife Donna and I are empty nesters. We’re the kind of family that eats dinner at the same table every night. Most nights they’re on the couch watching TV, scratching backs, combing hair. I miss that.
Q: When you're not at work, what can we find you doing?
I like to play my acoustic guitar.
Pictured (L to R): John Cornell, Tony Proulx, Elijah Rahman, Bob Minnick, Lisa Beams, Sean Thompson and Derek Stiles
Hard-working. Long-lasting.
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Pictured left, Paul D'Auria, vice president, and right, Jonathan Chiaro, president
loconsolo paints
In the fast-paced and ever-changing environment of New York City, Loconsolo Paints is on the right track. The fourth-generation familyowned and operated paint and decorating multi-store distributor is continuing to expand and excel because of its community-focused strategy and diversified approach to business.
Jonathan Chiaro’s great-grandfather Jack and grandfather John Loconsolo first opened Loconsolo Paints in the early 1950s to source paint products at a more competitive price for their painting contracting firm. “It was a cheap source of supply,” Chiaro says. “They didn’t think it would ultimately be the surviving business for future generations.”
The Loconsolo’s were Italian immigrants who started out as painting contractors and then officially opened a firm in Brooklyn in the 1920s. In their heyday, they employed more than 250 painters working on a variety of projects including churches, subways, and bridges throughout New York and up and down the East Coast. They were the first painting contractor to paint the Verrazano Bridge and also painted and hung wallcoverings in some of the original casinos in Las Vegas.
“My grandfather had eight daughters and no sons,” Chiaro explains, “and women were not generally involved in painting, contracting, and estimating during the time at which there would have been potential for a transition,” Chiaro says, explaining that his grandfather decided to sell the contracting company and keep the store. “What was left was this retail paint store, which I had worked in since I was eight years old, performing every job including mopping floors, unloading trucks, and stocking shelves.”
Now, Chiaro and his cousin Paul D’Auria are carrying on the Loconsolo legacy and ushering in a new wave of growth, progress, and diversity.
“We’re a ying and a yang,” he tells, explaining his relationship with D’Auria. “We each wear different hats and it works very well together.”
Chiaro is the President and CFO and responsible for hiring the teams, developing the strategy and processes, managing the sales, and expanding store footprints and locations. D’Auria is the Vice President of Operations, CTO and everything in between. Since joining the family business over two decades ago, Chiaro and D’Auria have expanded the scope of their business, adding four new stores to the original flagship and increasing their staff and customer base. With locations in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, Loconsolo Paints caters to a wide range of communities.
“Every store focuses on the local community which can be identified by the languages spoken in the store and other cultural representations,” Chiaro explains.
To not only accommodate but to welcome and reach the multi-ethnic communities in which Loconsolo Paints are located, Chiaro intentionally hires team members who live in the community and can best connect with the residents. “They speak more languages than I can remember, come from diverse
Pictured (L to R): Charlie, Marco, Oscar, Danny and Rohan, the warehouse team
fast four:
Q: What is your favorite color & why? Red, because it not only invokes energy but intensity. Anyone who knows me would agree that is part of my personality.
Q: What can't you live without? My family.
Q: What is your go-to hot spot in New York City?
Columbus Citizens Foundation, a 501C organization financially supporting Italian American students with their scholastic endeavors. There is a beautiful townhouse with an interior that cannot be recreated today due to the lack of tradespeople and cost. The food is the best in the city and it maintains a formality that has been lost probably starting in my generation.
Q: When you're not at work, what can we find you doing?
At the Knights girls flag football field as an assistant coach or with my children at another event/sport.
backgrounds, and everyone works well together,” he says. “[Our team] is truly representative of America I am proud to be part of.”
With staff speaking more than nine languages and representing nationalities in the double digits, customers feel comfortable doing business at Loconsolo Paints. As more consumers come through the doors, staff members meet their needs – fluently speaking their language and providing top-notch customer service.
“We’ve continued to just adapt that way at our newest location in Astoria,” details Chiaro. “We’re proud to add another language to the mix which we haven’t had before, which is Greek. And 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.”
According to Chiaro, the more diverse Loconsolo is, the better for the community and for the company.
“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,” he shares. “It’s really important to embrace the community and the culture when you move into a new location. That’s something that’s always been part of the fabric of what we do.”
Loconsolo continues to connect with the local community by supporting projects like beautifying a local landmark, contributing to a school play in Williamsburg, or repainting a museum in Coney Island.
As Loconsolo Paints looks toward the future, including finishing up their fifth location, Chiaro says they’re focused on growth in all areas of the business.
“Certainly physical locations, and other opportunities that the market will present, but it’s the journey itself,” he says. “We’re enjoying the growth process while managing many challenges.”
According to Chiaro, Loconsolo’s affiliation with ALLPRO has given the store an advantage in overcoming everything from worker strikes and economic impacts to the COVID-19 crisis. The store initially became a member for the financial benefits but Chiaro says the knowledge sharing and friendships formed are fun and exciting.
“There’s a financial benefit that awaits any member and it definitely varies, based on size and product and portfolio. There’s the ability to interact with new vendors and to be exposed to other products that you wouldn’t know of in your market which could be an addition to your product portfolio. And then there’s the ability to interact with other members and learn about their markets and some of the things that they’re facing, and how they’ve overcome them.”
While Loconsolo has accomplished many of their goals over the last two decades, Chiaro and his team have their sights set on growth while fostering the diverse and positive company culture they’ve come to be known for.
TITE PATCH
Elastomeric Patching Compound
• Paintable
• Excellent adhesion
• Permanently repairs cracks
• Interior/exterior
DESIGNED TO PATCH NON-STRUCTURAL CRACKS
TALKS allpro
WITH MIKE ST. PIERRE, President, Lewiston Paint
Mike St. Pierre stands by his philosophy to treat people like he wants to be treated. The Golden Rule, along with quality products, excellent service, and competitive pricing have allowed Lewiston Paint to remain open while other neighboring independents have closed their doors. St. Pierre, his staff, and his store continue to set the bar for giving back, contributing to community initiatives and overcoming the unthinkable: Maine’s deadliest mass shooting.
ALLPRO INDEPENDENT:
what was your first job ?
Mike St. Pierre:
My first job was pumping gas at my dad’s gas station. This was back in the old days, when there was no self-serve. I’d pump the gas for people and wash the windshield.
AI: What is your background & what led you to where you are today?
MSP: Believe it or not, I went to vocational school for heating and air conditioning. I did that for a few years, and at the same time, my wife and I bought a couple of apartment buildings. From there, we bought a 50-bed assisted living facility. We had an older historic building and over a couple of years, we rehabbed it all. We were doing a ton of remodeling and painting and talking about the fact that we’d done so much, we should open our own paint store and it developed from there.
AI: Tell us about that experience.
MSP: At the time in our community, there were four other independent stores - we were the fifth. This was before Home Depot and Lowe’s, which came in after us. We’re the only independent left out of those five - everyone else has gone out of business.
AI: What has been the key to your success?
MSP: We have quality products, very good service, and competitive pricing. We treat people like we want to be treated.
AI: What does a day at Lewiston Paint look like for you?
MSP: Everything and anything. As the owner, I do all the ordering, all the payroll, payables, billables, tinting paint, interacting with customers, putting orders away, everything that it takes. There’s four of us here - I have great staff, very long-term staff, so I have been very lucky in that regard. And we have great relationships with our contractors and with our homeowners because they come in and they see the same people all the time - people that they know are knowledgeable and have dealt with just about every situation.
AI: What is a career-related or store goal you're currently working towards?
MSP: Our plan this year, and it’s actually going to be starting in the next couple of weeks, is to try to revamp our website and our Facebook page. That’s just not something my generation grew up with, and it’s not something I’m very good at. And so we are getting involved with someone who’s going to help progress that a little bit.
AI: What has been your proudest workrelated moment?
MSP: We got involved with Rebuilding Together about 20 years ago. It’s a national organization, started in Texas by a few communities and a few local colleges, where students volunteer to help mostly elderly people or people on fixed incomes that have homes that need repair. They don’t have the funds to paint, build a new porch and new deck, or fix problems. And so some of the local college students do it with some adults, some other businesses, contractors and so forth. We have been donating the stains and paints, providing paint brushes, everything they need for whatever project they’re doing.
TALKS
AI: Tell us about Lewiston Paint's history with Allpro.
MSP: We joined in the spring of 2012. The decision to join came from one of my paint companies. I always had the understanding that I needed to have multiple stores to join ALLPRO, so I had never pursued it. And he said, ‘Oh no, you can just be a single store as long as you meet their criteria.’ My wife and I felt it was definitely something we wanted to be part of.
AI: How has involvement in the group benefited the business?
MSP: Best move I’ve ever made. Just networking with other dealers throughout the country, learning from each other, becoming friends with several of them, and being in touch throughout the year. There’s also better buying opportunities, which is wonderful, but the networking is the best part. Even though we’re in different parts of the country, we’re all in the same situations for the most part.
AI: Tell us about the connections or relationships you have created through the paint store business.
MSP: Well, one just happened at the Spring Show in Orlando this year. The wife of a couple from Michigan that we’ve befriended over the years talked to my wife about biking trips she does every year with a group of people. They were looking for an extra person, and she asked my wife to join. And so my wife is going to go to Austria in September with her and some other people, and do a road bike trip for eight days. So I think that’s pretty neat.
AI: What do you like to do in your free time? If you’re not at work, where would we find you?
MSP: We have eight grandchildren, so we go to their activities. And I’m a sports person, so I play hockey and golf. And in the summertime, we go to the lake a lot. We love boating and being on the lake.
AI: What is your favorite paint color?
MSP: My favorite paint color is Benjamin Moore, Calm OC-22.
Overcoming the Unthinkable
Lewiston Paint moves forward after a mass shooting by providing support to the community
It was a Wednesday night in October and Lewiston Paint’s Mike St. Pierre was packing to go to the ALLPRO Stockholder Meeting in Denver, Colorado.
“My wife hollered to me to come downstairs,” he tells, explaining how he first learned that an active shooter was on the loose in Lewiston, Maine, a city of 38,000. “I stopped packing and went to watch the news. They were saying there was a mass shooting.”
The gunman opened fire first at a bowling alley, just before 7 p.m., where a youth league was underway. Next, he ventured to a nearby bar where he continued his shooting rampage, killing a total of 18 people, and making Lewiston the location of Maine’s deadliest shooting.
“One of my best customers plays in a pool league at that pool hall all the time,” St. Pierre says. “So I texted him immediately and he got back to me and said he plays on Thursday nights, not Wednesday night.”
St. Pierre’s relief soon turned to grief when he found out another friend that he played hockey with was one of the victims killed at the pool hall. “I had just skated with him on Sunday night.”
With the suspect still at large, and the authorities conducting a massive manhunt, Lewiston and surrounding areas were ordered to shelter in place.
“Needless to say, I emailed ALLPRO on Thursday morning and told them I wasn’t going to the show,” St. Pierre details, adding that the community completely shut down. “We didn’t open the store. We sheltered in place for two days. And then they lifted the shelter on Saturday, but I told my three workers to stay home and not get in harm’s way. We paid them even though we were closed and we reopened the following Monday.”
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, Lewiston’s residents and businesses (and people all over the world) have banded together to support victims, their families, first responders, and the businesses affected. Knowing that the bowling alley - the scene from the first shooting - would need a complete renovation and overhaul (“they wanted to give it a whole new look”), St. Pierre donated all the paint and supplies to help with the remodel.
“They ripped up the flooring and, of course, the police had cut holes in a lot of the walls where things had been shot. So, they did the patching and fixing and then we gave them about 70 gallons of paint in whatever colors they wanted,” he explains. “The Professional Bowling Association donated some stuff and it’s just amazing how people step up to the plate. We just felt we needed to be part of that.”
On May 3, Just-In-Time Recreation reopened, as both a way to honor the victims and heal the hurt.
As everyone in Lewiston looks to find some sense of normalcy, St. Pierre says the community will be forever changed from this senseless tragedy.
“It was a shock,” he shares. “Like anybody else, you see it happen so many times in other communities on TV, and you never think it’s going to happen to yours. And, you know, Lewiston is big enough but yet small enough of a community, and I was born and raised here, so I know a lot of people. It was very difficult.”
Sending our heartfelt condolences and very best wishes to Lewiston Paint and the people of Lewiston, Maine.
ALLPRO University
MEMBERS MEET ON CHI-TOWN’S MICHIGAN AVENUE TO EXCHANGE IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES
During the fall of 2016, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile was the location of two noteworthy events – the Chicago Cubs World Series parade and the ALLPRO Fall Stockholder Meeting.
“This room is a little bit infamous,” explained Mike Beaudoin, ALLPRO Executive Vice President, referring to the room at The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago that hosted the annual event while the parade erupted mere yards away. “In 2016, we held our Stockholder Meeting in this room… The only problem was that there was also a World Series parade that was going on.”
Not to be outdone by one of the biggest celebrations in the sporting world, ALLPRO was back in the same room for ALLPRO University on May 9-10, 2024. Approximately 100 member attendees joined together for a keynote presentation from Michigan’s own Chris Johnson, bestselling author of "On Target Living" and "Rest Eat Move," presentation from Mike Coffey on competing against Sherwin-Williams, and roundtable discussions on topics varying from compensation, training, and HR functions to marketing, distribution, and inventory management. We were fortunate to have several people from the Benjamin Moore sales, ops, and marketing teams join the event and help make it a
success. They coincidently had a sales meeting nearby at the same time as ALLPRO University and offered to attend and participate.
The event kicked off with a reception and dinner where new friends and longtime colleagues in the industry reconnected before a full day of learning and sharing.
“Last night our culture was on full display. It’s nice to see you guys embracing the concept of the ALLPRO University,” said Beaudoin. ‘We use this as a vehicle in between shows to really focus on a category or a specific function within the group. Everyone’s asked, ‘let’s do a roundtable, let’s do a roundtable.’
And I get the value of it – knowledge sharing is really, really important. The fall shows are now too large to logistically bring people together in roundtables and do it in a way that it needs to be done. This is a perfect venue for roundtables.”
During the roundtable activity, members discussed hot topics, areas of concern, and goals for the future. At one table attendees discussed the importance of an employee handbook, the optimal length, information to include, and how it sets the stage for structure, accountability, and the culture within a store. Following the topic discussion, table members shared their contact information in order to further the conversation and collaboration.
At other tables, the topics jumped around from POS systems and the rise of a new provider (“the all-in-one software for paint and hardware”), to commission structures for an outside sales rep (“commission should be on margin”) and generating “a barber shop feel” at the store. Members provided suggestions for creating a warm and welcoming culture, including customer appreciation events and painter breakfasts where customers receive a percentage off regular prices.
Members also had plenty of fun social media and marketing suggestions to increase brand awareness – everything from putting money into quality merchandise - shirts, hats, and hoodies - for customers (“they’re walking advertisements”), to Instagram posts and contests (“I put more money into online marketing than I do into print ads”).
THE RISE OF THE ROUNDTABLE
On Friday, attendees were placed in two different roundtable groups - one in the morning and a different group in the afternoon. We asked attendees their highlights and hot topics from the roundtable discussions.
“In all seriousness, this group – the peers in the industry – are the best people in the industry. So, any amount of time that I get to spend with the best people in the industry is time well spent. For us, we are talking about onboarding and training because we are potentially thinking of hiring and promoting somebody to just do that. So, I’d like to know what other people are doing about that.”
– Anthony Ward, Farrell-Calhoun Paint
“Just the culture of ALLPRO is probably my favorite thing about it. I feel super comfortable talking to everyone here about confidential things that you wouldn’t share with people at home. I’ve had a fantastic time talking with people, sharing new ideas and struggles and seeing that everyone has and goes through the same exact things that you go through. Sometimes you feel like maybe you’re alone when you’re working day in, day out, and whenever you come together, you see that everybody deals with the same thing and we’re all working towards the same goal.”
– Boone Kroenke, Dugan’s Paint
“Chicago’s my adult hometown and ALLPRO’s amazing, so it’s pretty much amazing getting to catch up with colleagues, old friends, new friends, and being back in the city I love. For me, one of the key rules I live by is if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. So, just learning from other owners. There could be one way where it makes the best sense in my head, but when I’m training and teaching other people, it may not translate to them. But having someone else explain their version, it just really gives me another angle. It really grows on mentality and mindset. And we’re so fortunate to not only be an industry where we can help other people, but also learn from others. So, I think that’s why it’s always great to just expose yourself to new information on different ways and just learn new things.”
– Huong Luu, Luu Color Center
“A key takeaway from this event is that no matter the size of business, it seems that everybody shares similar issues or similar problems.”
– Kyle Hansen, Canpro/West Hillhurst Paint
“I want to understand the thinking from the dealer perspective. I’m also here to understand the market from the dealer perspective. And I also have my opinions.”
– Gino Fillion, DFM
“What was interesting was getting the chance to talk to some of the people who have even more stores. We were at a table of people with 26 and 62 stores. It’s really nice to hear that perspective and appreciate that they have the same problems we do. I always thought that if someone has 60 stores, they have it all figured out.”
– Shane Hubenig, CANPRO/Pacific Paint Centre
“We talked about a lot of different things. I can pick up on some advice that I received, including different ways of marketing, different ways of revenue.” – Cristian Contreras, Royal Lane Custom Paint & Supply
“My biggest takeaway is that we’re all individuals but there’s strength in numbers in ALLPRO. A lot of the concerns, a lot of the challenges we face, we’re all facing the same thing and it’s nice to have different perspectives on how everybody handles it. Everybody’s concerned about efficiency and being competitive. We spent a lot of time talking about training and employee retention, too.” – Mike O’Donnell, Harrison Paint (OH) C1054
“I would say overall, the camaraderie of the group. We’re not the only ones that are facing some of the issues – we’re a community and they have the same issues we have and being able to talk through it. Finding help, hiring; I would say that’s the one hot topic for everybody – everybody’s struggling there.”
– Tony Hornak, Flanagan Paint & Supply
REST. EAT. MOVE.
Internationally renowned public speaker and healthy living guru Chris Johnson was back on the ALLPRO stage for the first time since 2019, sharing his unique approach for unleashing human potential and creating transformation with three simple steps: Rest, eat, and move.
Johnson got the morning moving by encouraging attendees to get up and squat, stretch, and bend before enlightening them with small steps toward healthier living for you and your team.
TIPS FROM CHRIS:
REST:
Sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours per night. Turn the room temperature down to 65 F.
Breath: Breathe from your belly, taking deep breaths from your belly rather than your chest. Reduce stress by practicing 5-10 deep breaths each day for reduced stress and better sleep. White space: Schedule white space, or time for planned recovery, whether you’re reading, traveling, playing, getting a massage, or making time for self-care. Johnson also suggests turning off all devices and screens one hour before bedtime.
PRO TIP: Want to feel extra energized? Finish your shower with cold water for 30-60 seconds to rejuvenate your body and immune system.
EAT:
Water: Drink 50 ounces of water every day. Add a slice of lemon to your water to help balance pH and improve digestion.
Healthy fats: According to Johnson, “95% of people are deficient in omega 3 fats.” Incorporate 1-2 tbsp. cod liver oil daily.
Whole foods: “What’s the source?” Johnson asked. Eat more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, ancient grains, oats, and lean meats.
PRO TIP: Fast overnight for 12-14 hours.
MOVE:
Micro breaks: Incorporate movement during your workday by standing up and stretching, taking a short walk, or doing a few minutes of yoga.
Strength training: Get toned and stimulate fat burning and sex hormones while you’re at it. Johnson says to aim for 15-45 minutes of strength training, 2-6 times a week.
Play: “Motion creates positive emotion,” Johnson said. Find an activity that you love and get moving! A round of golf or a game of pickleball is a great place to start.
PRO TIP: Practice good posture whether sitting or standing.
WHAT’S YOUR ONE THING?
Johnston encouraged attendees to build one habit at a time. We asked ALLPRO members: What’s your one thing?
“Prioritizing sleep. I feel like I don’t really prioritize my sleep. I always wake up feeling not very well rested. It messes me up as far as energy at the gym and my performance. So that’s a key point that I need to incorporate into my life.”
– Cristian Contreras, Royal Lane Custom Paint & Supply
“The highlight today was that white space matters a lot. So don’t shrink the white space because they’re probably the only memories you’re going to remember.”
– Antonio Contreras, Royal Lane Custom Paint & Supply
“I won’t supplement my protein intake as much through protein powders and I’ll try to eat food that’s going to have the equivalent value.”
– Kevin Contreras, Royal Lane Custom Paint & Supply
“Honestly, white space. That’s it.”
– Huong Luu, Luu Color Center
“I [already] get my 10,000 steps a day. But I have to develop better sleeping habits. It means that I have to turn off my devices at a much earlier time of day.”
– Mike Weber, Hirshfield’s
“Definitely the breathing because I’m a mouth breather. That’s why I snore. Or the super foods. I haven’t decided which one, so I need to do both.”
– Patrick Olson, Maumee Paint & Supply
“In 2019 I was diagnosed with RA and then [Chris Johnson] came here, and he started talking and everything he said was exactly what [doctors] were telling me to do, except for the cod liver oil. So, I’m starting [to take cod liver oil]. I’m ordering from him because it’s an anti-inflammatory.”
– Barb Pruden, Creative Paints
PAINTWORKS IS GOLDEN TO THE FINISH.
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SEO: From Content to Conversion
Featuring expert advice from SEO specialist and consultant Julia Bocchese.
It’s been nothing short of remarkable to see the way our members have adapted over the last decade to an increasingly online market. COVID-19 shutdowns encouraged us all to take a closer look at our websites to ensure they were informative and accessible—from telling our stories to showcasing our product offerings. An effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy can maximize these efforts by increasing your web presence’s visibility.
“Once you set up the SEO foundations, you don’t need to be nearly as active as you do on places like social media to get the same or even better results.” – Julia Bocchese, SEO Consultant
While social media is a wonderful tool for community building and increasing brand awareness, people who are searching on the web for businesses are further down the funnel in terms of their readiness to buy—they are seeking out practical information in real time as they prepare to make a purchase. Investing in your visibility to these customers is a high-ROI endeavor. By creating a viable SEO strategy, you are increasing your rank within relevant searches and improving your odds of being seen and visited by these users.
Julia Bocchese is an SEO Consultant and Pinterest Strategist with a specialized interest in targeting local demographics and nearly a decade of experience in the field. She has also recently become a guest lecturer at Drexel University. We consulted with her to discuss the do’s and don’ts of an effective SEO strategy, which we’ve broken down into two essential steps.
With Google owning 91.54% of the Global Search Engine market (its leading competitor, Bing, holds a mere 3.19% in comparison), it’s no surprise that they set the terms and rules of any SEO strategy.
STEP ONE: COLLECT DATA
MANUAL SEARCH
Type some relevant terms (try something simple like “City Name, Paint Store” to begin) into your search bar and take note of where your website appears on the list of results. You can also use the search bar’s predictive function by typing in a word or two and seeing common phrases that appear in the drop-down suggestions. This will give you a good indication of what phrases, terms, or words people use. As a small business dealing with a local market, you’ll always want to keep your location involved. If you’re a store with multiple locations, you can do this multiple times with each unique neighborhood, as well as a search that focuses on the wider service area (ex. “State, Paint Store”) to see how you’re ranking amongst other bigger players in your industry.
GOOGLE SEARCH CONSULT
This free service will offer you in-depth data to help you understand potential areas of improvement on your website, identifying which searches you’re ranking for, how often your site appears in these searches, how often users are clicking through to your website, and more. It will also notify you if Google has encountered indexing or spam issues on your website.
GOOGLE ANALYTICS
This free tool will provide valuable metrics about your website like engagement rates (how long people are staying on each page) and drop off rates (at which point users leave your website), helping you improve page experience and lower bounce rates.
INVEST IN A KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL
A quality keyword research tool is a highly effective resource in the world of SEO. Not only will it generate lists of relevant keywords for you, but it will also give you valuable insight into the search volume of these terms (how often people are using them) and the competition score (how many of your competitors are already using these keywords). There are free trials available for many of these programs. A few that Bocchese recommends are Ubersuggest, KeySearch (which will actually give you feedback on potential blog posts!), and Ahrefs.
PRO TIP
Have someone unfamiliar with your industry and website go on a “scavenger hunt” on your website to find specific information. See how long it takes them. You could also compare this information with the data you collect from Search Engine Consult to determine whether a drop-off point is related to inaccessible information.
STEP TWO: TAKE ACTION
OPTIMIZE YOUR WEBSITE
Google reads your website much like a human would, from top to bottom, so it will consider the way you’ve organized your information as a statement of its importance and relevance. You’ll also want to ensure your address is on every page so potential customers can easily find it and have a simple, easy to navigate main menu—here, it’s better to be generic than experimental.
INCLUDE KEYWORDS
After completing your keyword research, however extensive or informal, you should have a list of relevant search terms you’d like to implement within your website. Bocchese recommends having keywords comprise 1-5% of all website copy for best results, and a minimum of one to two keywords on each page. If you have multiple pages dedicated to different services or product offerings, include the relevant keywords so these specific pages will rank for related searches (for example, your window treatments and sundries pages will have their own unique keywords).
“Google won’t know what keywords you’re trying to rank for if you don’t actually use them.” – Julia Bocchese
INCLUDE CTAS
Set a goal of having at least one call to action on each page to help you achieve your business goals, whether that’s conversion, email acquisition, or in-store traffic.
UPDATE YOUR BACKEND
On the back end of your website, you’ll be able to adjust your “title tags” and “meta descriptions” to better illustrate what your business has to offer to potential searchers. Title tags are the underlined blue text that appears in search results, and meta descriptions are the black text underneath, intended to add more context. Bocchese recommends having this copy specific, so rather than having a simple “Home” as your title tag, you might want to change it to “Paint Store – Home.”
CREATE A FOOTER
According to Sistrix, an SEO software company, upwards of 60% of searches are carried out on mobile phones. To enhance the mobile user experience, Bocchese suggests having a comprehensive footer that includes links to social media pages, your phone number, your address, and a quick about us statement.
UPDATE A BLOG
Quality, long-form content that is regularly added to your website will provide more opportunity to organically include keywords. It also shows Google you are “active,” which is a further boost to your ranking. Bocchese says a 500-word blog post once a month is an effective cadence for SEO purposes.
“You don’t have to optimize every little piece of your website in a day; spread out the steps over a few weeks or months to help make it more manageable.” – Julia Bocchese
DON'T
KEYWORD STUFFING
When SEO technology first came into the mainstream, some websites would “stuff” keywords into embedded white text on their webpages in an attempt to improve their ranking. Google developed algorithms to detect these tactics, and as a result, will flag your content if too many keywords are used in your copy.
DUPLICATE COPY
Google will flag your content if your copy is duplicated throughout your website. Basic information like your address or a relevant tagline won’t hurt, but identical paragraphs that appear on multiple pages will.
Sand Faster, Leave a Better Finish
HYDE® 9-inch Radial Sander plus a complete line of Abrasive Sanding Discs & Sheets
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HYDE® Net Abrasive Sanding Discs and Sheets are made with an open weave structure that minimizes “loading up” of the material, all but eliminating clogging even when preparing painted walls. Unlike sanding screens, the variable net-like structure leaves no sanding pattern or uniform scratch lines that show up after finishing. The pre-cut abrasive sheets can also be used with HYDE® dust-free sanders. The result? A cleaner, safer worksite environment. Now, more than ever –For a Better Finish, Start With HYDE®.
Networking with
Get to know NextGen retail member and all-around nice guy Chad Newcomer
Chad Newcomer knows a few things about hard work. Growing up on a farm, Newcomer went from doing farm chores as a kid to bussing tables and bagging groceries as a teen. After studying business administration in college, and building his business skills with his own paint contractor company, Newcomer joined Grauer’s Paint, a business his parents had acquired after leaving farm life behind. Now he’s anything but a newcomer in the industry, as general manager of three Grauer’s locations.
Here are four other things you might not know about our NextGen retail member from Pennsylvania.
1. HE’S GOT GREAT WORK ETHIC
Newcomer spent the first decade of his life on the farm, where he developed a strong work ethic contributing to regular farm chores.
“When I was 8 years old, I was shoveling the walk and sweeping the shop,” he explains.
But at age 10, Newcomer’s parents pivoted in their profession, leaving the farm and acquiring Grauer’s Paint.
“That’s kind of what I knew. [From then on], I grew up in the paint industry,” he says, explaining that even though he knew lots about the store and the industry, he wanted to go to college to “learn things for myself and get out from under the wing of my parents.”
Newcomer studied business administration to add accounting and general business operations to his paint store acumen.
2. HE HAD HIS OWN PAINT CONTRACTOR COMPANY
Before joining the retail realm, Newcomer had his own paint contractor company.
“I was estimating jobs, I was in the field painting, I had employees,” he details. “I was learning how to manage a business before stepping into the family business.”
Now as general manager of Grauer’s, Newcomer’s role differs every day and includes leading meetings with managers, overseeing payroll, HR, pricing, and new products, and looking at opportunities to grow and expand the business.
“I love the variety. The variety is really fun,” he details. “I enjoy seeing projects that come to completion. It’s fun when you hear customers talk about what they’ve done and get inspired. That’s a really fun and rewarding thing. You see them satisfied and happy and you get to walk alongside the process.”
3.
HE HAS PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS
“We want to be a successful business. We want to grow our businesses. I would say for me, my goal is to get another store and to grow in that way - that would be great,” says Newcomer, adding that his personal objectives are just as important as his professional goals. “It’s also to be able to provide for my family and to take care of my family.”
Newcomer and his wife are foster parents to both a two and a three-year-old.
“I just really enjoy spending time with them. They’ve been with us for about a year now and just seeing how they have come to life has been a really cool experience. It’s such a rewarding thing to do.”
4. HE’S A TEAM PLAYER
“For me NextGen is about relationships,” Newcomer explains. “It’s been a cool thing to meet people who are in the same shoes as me. It’s been cool to step out of my marketplace, out of my territory per se and rub shoulders with people who are working on the same problems - good or bad problems - and address them as a team. I can hear other creative strategies and it’s just a refreshing resource. I’ve really enjoyed the friendships that I’ve developed across the country.”
WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
“The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY IN THE STORE?
Typically, it’s Christian music.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PAINT COLOR?
Benjamin Moore, Salamander 2050-10
WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN? Work hard. Keep your promises.
WHAT MIGHT OTHER NEXTGEN MEMBERS BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
I enjoy baking and gardening. And I love to play [strategy] board games like Settlers or Acquire.
INTRODUCING MAD DOG PAINT PRODUCTS
Our Story: Mad Dog Paint Products was founded in 1998 by a Minnesota based paint contractor looking for a waterborne primer to extend the life of an exterior paint job in a climate with harsh extremes: winters of lip cracking, brain freezing, dry cold averages of 14 deg °F to temps in the 80s °F at the height of summer twinned with moist, sweaty average dew points in the 60s.
He found a manufacturer in Merrifield Paint Company of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, who specializes in aviation, architectural, and commercial, coatings. Doug Merrifield developed the patented formula for all Mad Dog’s primers. His father, who founded Merrifield Paint Company, taught Doug to exceed expectations and over deliver at every turn. A key reason why our flagship primer, Dura-Prime, is the best exterior acrylic primer for substrates in four season climates and leads to a 20-year paint job.
Permanently flexible and breathable, Dura-Prime bonds like grim death on substrates and, with 55% solids, provides the best foundation for top-coat cross-linking and adherence. Mad Dog Dura-Prime also holds back rust and tannin bleed with two coats.
Since our market launch 25 years ago, we have proudly sold our paint primers to independent paint dealers and hardware stores. And we intend to build on that tradition now that we are in the ALLPRO family. ALLPRO members will never have to compete with big box retail or corporate paint stores for Mad Dog Paint Products.
We are bursting with pride to be part of the ALLPRO family and look forward to many years of sustainable growth with you.
Independent retailers are proud and loyal supporters of our neighborhoods. Whether by supporting first responders, youth sports, frontline workers or others in need, there is no greater reward than giving back to the people and communities who support us.
Inside our ALLPRO community we also support and nourish each other. Camaraderie, shared ideas and ideals. Open ears, open hearts and open minds.
