“I think green is still relevant” says Dan Ross of Ross Painting, based in San Rafael, CA. “The reason I feel so strongly about green products is that the people affected the most by carcinogens in materials are the painters in my crew. The homeowners are exposed for a while, but we’re…

Each year, the major players in the coating industry tap into the country’s color consciousness to predict and inform design and color choices for professional customers. How they present those colors varies as dramatically as the colors they predict, from singular Colors of the Year to extensive multicolored palettes. Here’s a look,…

A typical day for Ciro Affronti is anything but typical. Affronti is the operations manager/field supervisor at Affronti Property Solutions, LLC, a restoration and recovery company in Scottsdale, AZ. He spends his days immersed neck-deep in the misfortune of others. Sometimes his customers are simply victims of Mother Nature casting down her…

It’s no secret that the trades are facing a troubling labor shortage. Many contractors are offering bonuses, incentives and other perks to land the right people. But once hired, that first week or month on the job can be a trouble zone for a lot of owners. Appearing disorganized, giving too much…

As the owner of a painting business and also a business coach, I get the chance to work with painting contractors from all over the country. Without fail, the question I get asked most often is, “How can I make my business run more efficiently?” In my opinion, the key to creating…

Marianne Cusato, HomeAdvisor’s housing expert and associate professor at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, describes the current labor shortage as the result of the ‘perfect storm.’ “First, there’s a massive push to get kids to go to college instead of considering the trades. That creates a negative stigma that…