Ghaster Painting & Coatings September Newsletter

Brad Ghaster: One of AZRE Magazine Top People to Know

AZRE Arizona Commercial Real Estate is Arizona's only publication dedicated to covering commercial development, brokerage, finance, construction, architecture, real estate law and property management. Top People to Know (PTK) is an annual resource guide AZRE Magazine created to open new lines of communication to better inform those who enter our state, as well as connect natives who have seen Arizona prosper and grow over the years.

We are very proud to announce that this year's Top People To Know List includes Brad Ghaster, President of Ghaster Painting & Coatings. He is also the ONLY painting contractor included in this list.

Top PTK covers the commercial real estate industry from developers and investors, contractors, architects and engineers to brokers, city planners and economic development. Final candidates for Top People to Know in Commercial Real Estate are selected based on their professional achievements, responsibilities and industry impact. Pulling together the multiple facets of the commercial real estate industry in Arizona, AZRE: Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine reaches out to the largest local and national commercial real estate audience within the Grand Canyon State, West Coast and beyond. AZRE has gained not only local, regional and national attention from its pool of readers, but international attention as well. Additionally, AZRE is an active voice within the commercial industry with local media partnerships to organizations such as NAIOP, ABA, ICSC AZ, AIA AZ and Valley Partnership.

Congratulations to Brad Ghaster and the rest of the 2009 Top People to Know!

Ghaster Painting & Coatings 3120 W. Carefree Highway Suite 1, PMB #347 Phoenix, AZ 85086Ph: 602.277.8541 Fax: 602.277.8576 Toll Free: 888.277.8541

Ghaster Painting & Coatings August Newsletter

Dear friends:

Warren Buffett says "Price is what you pay, value is what you get". Real value in the painting industry is quality that lasts. Ghaster Painting & Coatings has had the privilege of providing a quality paint job to thousands of buildings during our 33 years in business. The vast majority of our work lasts longer than the terms of our already exceptional warranty, so it is a fact when we say "Our jobs look better longer".

Painting is one of the least costly ways that you can improve and change the overall appearance of your building. It beautifies, adds curb appeal and protects your building from the elements. It can make an older building look new again and a new building stand out from all the others.

We want to be your preferred painting contractor. Please call us for an estimate for any upcoming painting projects.

Sincerely,

Brad Ghaster
Ghaster Painting & Coatings
Ghaster Painting & Coatings 3120 W. Carefree Highway Suite 1, PMB #347 Phoenix, AZ 85086Ph: 602.277.8541 Fax: 602.277.8576 Toll Free: 888.277.8541 http://www.ghasterpaintinginc.com/

Ghaster Painting & Coatings June Newsletter

Dear friends:

Business Week Magazine reported recently that the "The seasonally adjusted PPI (Producer Price Index) for finished goods jumped a sharp 1% in January 2009. Perhaps more alarming, for the 12 months ended in January 2009, the PPI is up 7.4% on an unadjusted basis, the highest since October, 1981."

These inflationary trends can be seen in certain segments of the construction materials industry. For example, the cost of paint is significantly higher (16%) today than it was three years ago (see chart). The rise in the cost of paint is due to increased costs of raw materials and the reformulations required to meet new regulations for volatile organic compounds.

PAINT PRICE INCREASES:
11/08 to 12/08 5.3%
12/07 to 12/08 16.7%
09/08 to 12/08 4.9%
12/05 to 12/08 16.3%

Typically in any large commercial painting project the paint cost is approximately 30% of the bid amount. The other costs are labor, equipment rental (such as boom lifts) and the necessary taxes. To qualify each contractor's bid, request the number of gallons of paint that they are estimating to use on the project. If one contractor is estimating substantially less paint than the others it is a good indicator of a poor quality job. Paint material costs are going up but painting bids seem to be lower than ever…is this too good to be true? Often the answer is yes. Corners have to be cut somewhere to make a bid far less than the others.

In order to get a long lasting paint job (average of five to ten years), it is recommended to use a top of the line paint product, such as a 100% acrylic. There are three basic types of paint a contractor can choose from if the paint name and number is not specified and even stated contractually. These are:

1. Vinyls - the least expensive with a 2 year paint life
2. Vinyl/acrylics - a little better life expectancy depending on color but should not be used on wood
3. 100% Acrylics - one of the best paints for longevity and color retention. However, the percentage of solids within each product may vary greatly depending on price and surface to be painted.

The best plan for your next painting project is to have a paint supplier representative provide a free site inspection and write a specification based upon your needs.

Sincerely,

Brad Ghaster
Ghaster Painting & Coatings

Ghaster Painting and Coatings
3120 W. Carefree Highway, Suite 1, PMB #347 · Phoenix, AZ 85086
Ph: 602.277.8541 · Fax: 602.277.8576 · Toll Free: 888.277.8541

March Newsletter

Phoenix, AZ, March 1, 2009.

Dear friends,

2009 looks to be a year full of uncertainty. One thing you can be certain of is that Ghaster Painting & Coatings will be there for your painting needs. We were blessed to have had one of our best years in 2008. However, all of us need to save money these days. Here are some suggestions that will save money for you and your owners when hiring a painting contractor:

-- Provide a written scope of work including specifics and products required (all paint stores are happy to do this at no charge). This will ensure all the bidders are bidding "apples to apples" and prevents contractors from bidding the project very low to get the job and then issuing many change orders once the job has started. This ultimately costs you more money.

-- Walk the job with the bidders to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

-- Don't be tempted to go with the cheapest bid, especially if it is quite a bit less than your other bids. This should be a red flag! There are only so many dollars that can be cut before a contractor needs to make it up somewhere else, such as paying for piece work (a current trend that is totally illegal per the Department of Labor), hiring illegally, evading taxes and by using inferior paint and/or adding water. There are COUNTLESS contractors going out of business these days leaving the paint stores with large uncollected debt and leaving their customers with no warranty. These companies have a survival mentality and usually come in extremely low on their bids knowing that they will not be in business a year from now.

-- Protect yourself and your properties by hiring a company who has been in business for at least 15 years, has proven its worth, and has no complaints with the Registrar of Contractors and the BBB.

If you have any painting projects coming up, Ghaster Painting & Coatings will set up a time with you and a paint representative to walk the job to determine an accurate scope of work, do colorization (at no charge) and provide a comprehensive bid for now or a realistic budget number for the future. Our prices are highly competitive. Please give us the opportunity to meet or beat your best qualified bid.

I also would like to remind you GP&C is a current and active member of several associations such as BOMA, IFMA, NAIOP and AFE. We do provide a discount for their members both for commercial jobs and for member's homes.

If you haven't already, please visit our website at www.ghasterpaintinginc.com. Thank you to those of you who continue to trust us to do your work and I look forward to working with those who want to work with a tried and tested professional painting firm.

Best regards,

Brad Ghaster
President
Ghaster Paintings & Coatings