Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Chris Nace, grew up around a prosperous business owner and three brothers who operate their own contracting businesses. Their success must have rubbed off on him.
Based out of Catskill, Nace’s business, Painters Plus, opened in 2000 and does everything from painting a front door to working on multi-million dollar homes.
Nace also takes pride in giving back to the community and giving his clients an opportunity to donate a portion of the labor costs to a charity of their choice.
“Basically what we do is, if a customer would like, we can donate 5 percent of the labor cost to a charity of the customer’s choice if the bill is $500 or more,” said Nace. “I think it gives people a little more of an idea that I’m a down-to-earth person. By choosing me, maybe they are able to make a slight difference in someone’s life.”
Nace said he tries to give back to community several times a year.
“If the community has projects going on like a school concert, I’ll donate materials or donate money. If kids need lumber or paint for a set design, I’ll give them that. As long as I have it, they are welcome to it,” said Nace.
Since the climate in the Northeast isn’t conducive to working outside year round, Painters Plus offers discounts throughout the year on labor for advanced scheduling when the client puts a deposit down. There are potential discounts for repeat customers and a 10 percent discount for senior citizens.
Although the company started strictly as a painting business, it has evolved to meet the demands of the seasons and the customers. That’s where the “plus” part of the name comes in.
“I came up with Painters Plus knowing how the weather is here, and in the winter, things slow down so you need to find other ways to keep busy,” said Nace. “We can do anything from landscaping, barns, sheet rocking, windows, doors, siding, framing — basically anything that you could think of or need.”
Nace’s father was also a contractor so he’s had a lot of experience in all aspects of construction and home repairs. There is also no job too big or too small.
The Painters Plus crew of six EPA-certified employees can handle most jobs thrown their way, and in the event the job is too big, Nace and his brothers combine forces to assemble a larger crew.
One of the most important ways to run a successful contracting business is to offer quality work and maintain communication with the customer to ensure they are more than satisfied.
“The quality is what counts to us. We don’t want to do something that isn’t done right the first time. I’m usually getting a call from someone that has had a bad experience with another contractor. There are a lot of people out there doing this that make mistakes,” said Nace.
He said it is important for him to gain a customer’s trust.
“First impressions are huge for the customers and me,” he said. “We treat everyone’s home like it’s our home. We treat the home like our family is going to live there.”
Visit Painters Plus online at www.paintersplusny.com or call (845) 706-9988 for more information.