YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OPEN BUSINESS IN CHICAGO

By: CertaPro Painters | 4 Shares 254 Reads

(Palatine, IL)---As more homeowners in the Chicago area continue to rely on the services of painters and other home improvement experts, the demand for new locations for the top painting company in North America grows.
Two local entrepreneurs, Goran Mitich and Eric Glab, decided to take advantage of this rising industry and opened CertaPro Painters in Palatine. Both Mitich and Glab worked at the global electronics firm, Mitsubishi Electric, and were ready to leave the volatile corporate climate behind.
"We wanted to be judged by the results we produced, not like in the corporate world," says Mitich.
They began researching business opportunities using FranChoice, a consultation service that helps match potential franchise owners with franchises. Mitich and Glab decided to go with CertaPro Painters because of what the company offered.
"With CertaPro, you have a support network, a mentoring system, a discussion board, peer-to-peer meetings to go over business plans and CertaPro brings certainty to the table," says Glab.
The new business partners launched their CertaPro Painters in January 2007 and, because of the rise in home improvement, the Oaks, Penn.-based company is looking to open 12 new locations in the Chicago area.
Mitich and Glab service many residential areas in the northwest Chicago suburbs including Palatine, Arlington Heights, Barrington and Inverness. While they are currently focusing on the bustling residential market, they hope to obtain more commercial clients in the coming months.
Mitich and Glab have seen one very big similarity between their corporate experience and their CertaPro Painters business—both are very service-based.
"It's really about building relationships. With painting, it's co-creation. You're helping customers," says Glab.
Mitich and Glab have four to six crews working for them during the summer, and they do four to 12 jobs a week. During the winter months, the focus shifts to interior work, and CertaPro offers "green" paint products that can be used safely indoors in the winter when windows aren't likely to be opened.
There are currently over 385 CertaPro locations worldwide. The company expects to open 80 locations this year alone, working towards the goal of having more than 450 locations by the end of 2008. While the investment cost in a CertaPro franchise has significantly increased – the estimated initial investment is between $80,000 and $120,000 – so has the potential of the paint contracting industry, which is estimated to approach $100 billion in annual sales. Thanks to stratospheric growth in home remodeling accompanied by equally explosive interest in home décor, painting has never been more popular.
CEO Charlie Chase has CertaPro well positioned to serve U.S. homeowners who company studies suggest have come to view their home as a refuge rather than a castle. That's bolstered by a prosperous but aging Baby Boomer generation with more disposable income but less inclination to handle home improvement projects themselves.
According to Chase, the paint contracting market offers strong growth potential for CertaPro Painters because it is one of the few segments of the home improvement services industry that remains highly fragmented and without large-scale competitors.
"The new invigorated spirit found at CertaPro has given us a lot of breathing room and growth potential," Chase said. "It is a very exciting time."

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