Local Painting Contractor Chosen as "Who's Who" in the Painting Industry

Mario Guertin, President of Painting in Partnership, Inc., a Palatine-based painting contractor, has just been chosen as the Top Honoree for Residential Small Business in the 2007 First Annual Who's Who in the Painting Industry. The "Who's Who" was announced in the January-February issue of the American Painting Contractor magazine.

The American Painting Contractor magazine is a painting industry trade publication with a circulation of over 25,000 copies. The magazine has been in existence since 1923.

"To have this recognition is flattering and it also is an important recognition to the field of painting" says Painting in Partnership's President, Mario Guertin. "Painting is often viewed as a commodity and rarely receives the respect it deserves. I've built my company professionally with a team of craftsmen committed to delivering a painting experience that far exceeds the norm in the painting industry today. We are dedicated to the creation of living environments that inspire not just the owners, but our team of craftsmen as well. In the end, our mission is to elevate the consumer's view of painting," Guertin emphasized.

In 1989, Guertin left the corporate world to start his painting company. He understood that in order to prosper as a painting contractor and achieve his vision of developing a premier company in its field, he needed to surround himself with the best contractors and learn as much as possible about the industry and painting in general. He joined PDCA, the national association for painting contractors, and found it provided the perfect environment for learning what he needed to grow and develop his company. In 2006, Painting in Partnership became the first company in the United States to complete all the requirements for the newly created PDCA National Contractor Accreditation program. The company received several national awards over the years, including both of the 2007 National Residential Interior and Exterior Awards for mid-size companies.

Over time, Guertin realized that the lack of professional work standards for painters was hurting not just the painting industry, but the reputation of other contracting companies as well. Consequently, in 2000, Guertin founded the PDCA Craftsmanship Forum whose mission is to develop a set of standard "Craftsman Operating Procedures" (COPs) for the residential painting industry in the United States. The COPs describe the technical procedures a craftsman uses to perform quality work in a variety of painting tasks. A painting company can adopt the COPs and customize them to improve performance and strengthen its brand image in the market place. The first series of 20 COPs for Residential Interior work was just released in Dallas at the PACE Convention.

Guertin continues to be a leader within the national association and finds ways to share his knowledge with others. As founding President for both the PDCA Schaumburg Chapter and the PDCA Lincoln State Council, he seeks to attract painting contractors from the Chicago area who want to grow and develop professional businesses. As President of the PDCA Craftsmanship Forum, he has written over 15 articles on different aspects of craftsmanship, company management and leadership.