Ghaster Painting and Empire Southwest: A Visibility Project

Phoenix, AZ, July 2008.

Dear friends and colleagues:

Empire Southwest is a family owned business founded in 1950 as Empire Machinery, an Eastern Oregon Caterpillar and John Deere dealership. When founder Jack Whiteman was awarded Caterpillar's Arizona territory in 1959, the company relocated and began building partnerships with Arizona's construction and mining industries that endure today. Empire Southwest was looking for ways to increase overall lighting and visibility of their main shop/warehouse in which their team of mechanics perform most of their maintenance operations. To aid with this task, Ghaster Painting & Coatings was contracted to complete all the surface re-paints inside the warehouse.

During this project, Empire Southwest shut down one half of the main shop that tears down the large Caterpillar equipment frequently used in mining and major construction projects. As part of the preparation, a plastic partition was put in place and a third party contractor was hired to clean the ceiling area by hand. Ghaster Painting primed the entire ceiling and a 100% acrylic gloss was applied. Upon completion of the first half of the shop, the entire process was repeated for the other half of the shop.

In addition to the surface repaint, the main hoists were also cleaned and painted in safety yellow. Empire Southwest proceeded to recondition the concrete floor. Finally, a new lighting system was also installed. The difference in the brightness of the overall warehouse after the project was completed was truly like night and day.

By increasing the visibility, the shop mechanics become more productive and can improve the overall quality of their work. It also increases the safety of their work area, while making their job more enjoyable and easier on the eyes. It just demonstrates how Empire will do whatever it takes to improve the quality of their workplace for its employees.

Today Empire ranks among the top Caterpillar dealers in the world. The company has more than 1400 employees in a territory that now includes the state of Arizona, southeastern California and portions of northern Mexico. Despite their large growth, they are still a family-owned business transferred from generation to generation. Ghaster Painting & Coatings is very proud of being affiliated with one of the Southwest's most respected companies.

About Ghaster Painting: Since its inception in 1978, Ghaster Painting & Coatings, Inc. (GP&C) has had the privilege of painting thousands of buildings and homes in the Valley of the Sun, large and small. GP&C is a full service paint contracting company specializing in large commercial and all types of residential repaints. Whether it is an occupied interior office, an exterior high rise or your personal home, GP&C has the experience and reputation to satisfy your painting needs.

Sincerely,
Brad GhasterPresidentGhaster Paintings & Coatings

Paint Quality - You Get What You Pay For

Phoenix, AZ, May 28, 2008.

Dear friends and colleagues:

As with most other things in life, quality is important and usually costs more. We all know there is a difference between the lowest cost and the best value. This is especially true when it comes to paint. Consider your last painting project. The cost of the materials was actually the smallest part of the overall price you paid. The cost of labor and company overhead to provide the necessary insurance, etc. to operate makes up the largest part of the price. Since the cost of materials is the smallest part of the equation, yet makes the biggest difference in the longevity and quality of your paint job, why not specify the best paint available? Please see the example below:






A 100% Acrylic paint will do the following:

• deliver better hiding
• allow for easy removal of marks and stains
• go on more smoothly
• will have good blister resistance
• will not chalk
• will have a uniform color.

100% acrylic paints are best suited to deliver these properties. So why not pay more to get a quality paint?

In fact, if you look at the cost over the lifetime of the paint, the quality paint actually cost less per year in the long term. Recently, the Paint Quality Institute conducted a test of commercial paints via various channels. The results showed that the higher quality acrylic paints were more durable.

It's important to understand also that all paint stores sell High Grade and Low Grade paint products. For example, 100% Acrylic is a High Grade, a Vinyl/Acrylic is a Medium Grade and a Vinyl is a Low Grade. Make sure that all your bid specifications and bid proposals state by product name and grade the quality product you want for your project.

When painting one should reflect on the total cost to complete the job - including the cost of the paint and the total cost of labor. If you receive multiple bids and one bid is more than 20% lower than the other bids, it is likely due to the following reasons:

• Labor is not legal
• The quality of the paint and or the amount applied is insufficient or watered down
• The contractor does not have a complete grasp on there true cost of operation and/or is not in it for the long haul.

A quality paint job will keep your home or building looking better longer. At Ghaster Painting and Coatings, our motto is "our jobs look better longer".

If you have any questions or comments, please call me at 603-277-8541.


Sincerely,
Brad GhasterPresidentGhaster Paintings & Coatings