Prior to the launch of the Commercial Painting Industry Association’s quarterly magazine publication, Commercial Painting, and monthly newsletter, the CPIA partnered with PaintSquare to host a public webinar series.
Focusing on all aspects of the commercial paint and coatings industry, future installations of the series—along with the magazine and newsletter—will only be available to members.
Encompassing a strong emphasis on how to better grow your business, the webinars are an easily accessible tool , curated to better educate professionals within the coatings community on technical issues, operations, safety, financial/accounting, legal and insurance issues, among other topics.
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Previous Webinars
How to Grow Your Commercial Painting Business with a Project Lead Service
Officially kicking off back in February, the CPIA and Paint BidTracker presented, “How to Grow Your Commercial Painting Business with a Project Lead Service.” The webinar described how using a lead service could save you time and money, while also helping to grow your own business. In the archived presentation, viewers can watch as Paint BidTracker’s General Manager, Julie Birch, explores the benefits of subscribing to a lead service as a commercial contractor.
Paint BidTracker is the only project lead service designed for the coatings industry, with tools to help users quickly target projects within their specified wheelhouse. A public sector service, Paint BidTracker’s commercial coverage includes municipal-, state-, and federal-owned projects.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Successful Email Marketing Campaigns for Commercial Painters
In April, Aaron Hockel, Partner & Vice President of Digital Marketing at AltaVista Strategic Partners presented “Successful Email Marketing Campaigns for Commercial Painters.” A contractor marketing expert, Hockel has presented on a wide range of marketing topics at major trade shows and conferences including the International Roofing Expo, International Sign Expo, IFMA’s World Workplace and the American Fence Association’s FenceTech, among others.
A full-service marketing agency and Google Partner, AltaVista’s expertise is working with commercial contractors to grow and scale their businesses using targeted email marketing and digital advertising campaigns. Supporting more than 250 customers in 36 states, AltaVista will send over 4,000,000 million marketing emails in 2021.
In his webinar, Hockel presented strategies to build and execute successful email marketing campaigns for their commercial painting business. Additional learning objectives included:
- Email data aggregation and management;
- Comparing email marketing platforms;
- Developing email marketing content;
- Understanding email deliverability; and
- Email marketing best practices.
To watch the archived webinar and/or download the presentation slides, click here.
The Top 4 Growth Strategies That You Probably Don't Know About
Most recently, Jim McBrayer, CEO of McBrayer and Associates presented “The Top 4 Growth Strategies That You Probably Don't Know About” in May. McBrayer was asked to present this webinar (which has a correlating article in the Spring Issue of Commercial Painting) for his dedication to helping organizations in the painting and coatings industry exceed their revenue goals in three different ways: sales training, one-on-one coaching (for sales reps and managers) and consulting. The foundation of all three of these is customizing sales collateral content that resonates with their customer segments.
McBrayer started his career in outside sales for PPG. After rising to Sales Director, responsible for 150 sales representatives and a dozen regional sales managers, and being appointed to PPG’s sales leadership team, McBrayer left PPG after 20 years, in 2009, to pursue his passion of helping others optimize their sales effectiveness by launching his own sales training company, McBrayer & Associates.
In his webinar, McBrayer discusses how leaders can identify the few, quality team actions that will lead them to growth. Additional learning objectives included:
- How to identify the critical few growth strategies and avoid the trivial many;
- How to stop wasting time on bidding work that you are unlikely to win; and
- How to concentrate on the best strategies for your organization's growth.
To watch the archived webinar and/or download the presentation slides, click here.
What is the True Value of Your Business?
In September, Peter Holton, Managing Director of Caber Hill Advisors, presented “What is the Value of Your Business?”
Holton has more than 20 years of experience in business development, operations, sales management, and is a Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Adviser. His services include helping business owners buy and sell companies, assisting them with exit-planning strategies, providing business valuations, and supporting owners with tailored consulting services. Holton is known for his expertise in negotiating complex contracts and developing successful business strategies. In addition, he also has extensive personal experience working with and advising family businesses.
Holton attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, where he received his undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2003. In 2011, he received his master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.
In Holton’s webinar, attendees learned about the four critical aspects to consider when calculating the value of their business. By understanding each component, owners of painting businesses can improve their position in the market and the return on their investment. Attendees also learned how to calculate the value of their business, identify crucial aspects of valuations, and understand risk factors that affect their company.
Other learning objectives include:
- What Key Aspects buyers are looking for in a painting business;
- Risk factors in acquiring a business; and
- Simple tips for enhancing value.
To watch the archived webinar and/or download the presentation slides, click here.
Best Practices in Communication Strategy
In October, Living Proof Creative presented “Best Practices in Communication Strategy.”
Founded and rooted in Austin, Texas, Living Proof Creative is a full-service digital agency operated by those who not only think creatively but live creatively. Composed of artists, writers, builders and makers, the agency is dedicated to making beautiful, intelligent designs and developing bigger and better ways to approach digital marketing services.
In this webinar attendees learned about the necessity of digital transformation for traditional business owners, primarily in the coatings industry. Specifically, the webinar covered a variety of communication channels that traditional painting businesses use and explain how communication within these platforms can be further improved to attract more leads.
This webinar was presented in two sections, where attendees saw the pros and cons of traditional communication channels and understand why it is necessary to implement modern communication channels in their business model.
Other learning objectives included:
-Pros and cons of traditional communication channels;
-Modern communication channel implementation; and
-Digital marketing tips and lead generation.
To watch the archived webinar and/or download the presentation slides, click here.
Differentiated Performance & Long-Life Architectural Coatings
This webinar took place on Thursday, November 11.
In this webinar attendees were able to learn about how the coatings industry has come to rely on weatherable coatings to provide long-term weather protection to buildings. With an increased focus on performance and durability, water-based Kynar Aquatec fluoropolymer-based coatings can help painting contractors exceed their client’s goals. Specifically, this course covered the key components and function of weatherable fluoropolymer coatings and how they compare to other coatings.
The archived webinar can be found here.
Recruiting & Selection Strategies
There are signs everywhere – Hiring Now! This past year we’ve seen record numbers of people leaving their jobs; and we are currently experiencing a low number of applicants. Hiring committed and skilled talent is imperative for business growth. Employers are having to get more creative with their sourcing methods and also ensure they have objective and consistent processes for evaluating and selecting candidates.
Thoughtful organizations and leaders build strategy around acquiring talent to meet both current and future business needs. Having a clear sense of the strengths and opportunities within your team will allow you to make a more calculated decision about your next hire. And while there is no exact science for guaranteeing the perfect hire, you can improve your chances of hiring right the first time through a well-planned and executed process.
In this webinar, attendees learned how to:
• Identify talent acquisition strategies based on business needs and objectives;
• Implement techniques to fairly and objectively assess skills and commitment; and
• Establish a standardized interview and evaluation process.
The archived webinar can be found here.
Coatings Panel: A Look Ahead
Earlier this year, the Commercial Painting Industry Association hosted its inaugural CPIA Leadership Conference in conjunction with Technology Publishing Company’s hosted-buyer event, Commercial Contractor Connect. During the co-hosted event, Jim McBrayer, CEO McBrayer & Associates, moderated a Coatings Panel on Wednesday, Oct. 20.
Speakers for the session included Commercial Marketing Director Nate Wolff and Protective and Marine Coatings Specialist Richard Pickering, both from Sherwin-Williams; Joseph Dellafave, Senior Manager, Professional Segments for Benjamin Moore; Paul Lavalee, Global Market Manager, Kynar Coatings for Arkema; Sheldon Roth, Senior National Corporate Accounts Manager for PPG; Matt Waszkowski, Vice President of Professional Products and Services for Behr Paint Corp.; and Pat Noble, Director of Roofing Solutions Business Unit for Uniflex.
In this recording, attendees can watch as the panelists and event attendees discuss:
• Project delays and supply chain issues;
• Potential business growth in 2022;
• New coating systems and products; and
• Customer and coating supplier relationships.
To watch the archived webinar click here.
Creating Your Risk Mitigation Scorecard
In following up with his recent feature in Commercial Painting, and his presentation at the inaugural CPIA Leadership Conference, Laurence Pearlman discussed what goes into making a risk mitigation scorecard for your business. By identifying risks in your industry and categorizing them internally and externally, you and your business will be better equipped to plan and mitigate potential downfalls.
To watch the archived webinar click here.
Do Something Different - Soft Skills are the Difference
In March, author of Soft as Steel, Dennis Doran presented a webinar on soft skills. Every day, in all parts of our lives, we interact with people. Whether it be in person, on the telephone, or on Zoom, among other forms, our avenues of communication are always expanding. However, with all these different options to communicate, sometimes we fail to get our message or what we are trying to say across successfully. There are several reasons why this could be, but the main reason is you. Unfortunately, it’s something we don’t think about as much as we should, or it’s the last aspect we consider when reevaluating a missed communication.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Building a High-Performance Culture
In April, John Chisham of gpac presented a webinar on high-performance cultures. While trying to recover from COVID-19 setbacks and economic downfalls, contractors are now facing another hurdle: labor shortages. From skilled craftworkers to painters, the workforce is reporting an employment decline despite new work opportunities and design contracts. In this presentation, Chisham shows attendees how to develop a culture that attracts and retains the very best talent in the industry.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Contract Horror Stories
In May, Karalynn Cromeens of The Cromeens Law Firm and The Subcontractor Institute covered several contract horror stories. In her presentation, viewers were taught about varying examples of what different problem-area clauses look like, how to negotiate your contracts and the clauses within them, and what can be eliminated from those clauses to protect themselves and their business.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
What If: Fast Formulas for Profit Forecasting In Hiring, Pricing, Labor, Material, Marketing/Advertising and Technology
In June, CEO of Estimate Rocket Tom Droste introduced a spreadsheet specifically designed to help contractors see their top profit structures at a glance. The spreadsheet also allows the input of incremental changes in key areas that make big changes in bottom lines. Areas for input that influence the bottom line include hiring, pricing, labor, materials, job number, job size, new positions, marketing, advertising and technology.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Commercial Painting Websites that Attract and Convert Visitors
In July, Partner and Vice President of Digital Marketing at AltaVista Aaron Hockel shared actionable digital marketing strategies designed to help commercial painters' websites attract more visitors and convert them into sales opportunities.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Changes in Coating Application Tools and Why They're Better
In August, Assistant VP of Contractor & Business Development at The Wooster Brush Company Larry Schwartz discussed the development of application tools that ensure proper application of all types of coatings—and save labor costs in the process.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Addressing Infrared Heat Reflective Coating Systems
In September, Tex-Cote VP of Sales Terry Wallace addressed Infrared (IR) Heat Reflective Coating Systems for the exterior walls of a structure and how this important technological breakthrough can offer new advantages and opportunities in commercial, healthcare, institutional and transportation applications.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Paint Tools and Caulks: Productivity, Mobility, Storage, and Organization
In October, Thad Bradley, Field Training Specialist at The Sherwin-Williams Company's Consumer Brands Group, looked at how Purdy and Sherwin-Williams caulk brands can help drive profitability by addressing organization, speed and efficiency on the jobsite.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
High-Performance & Long-Life Exterior Architectural Coatings
In November, Ron Partridge, Sr. Account Manager, Fluoropolymer Coatings for Arkema, discussed how long-lasting performance and durability, water-based Kynar Aquatec fluoropolymer-based coatings can help painting contractors exceed their client’s goals and provide the long-lasting beauty that many building owners are looking for.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Compensation Basics for Leaders
In December, Suzi Wear, VP of People Development & Culture at Xenium HR, discussed how employers can develop their compensation strategy and pay structure, so employees can feel confident that their knowledge, skills and performance are valued and rewarded.
This archived webinar can be viewed here.
Become a Member
CPIA is the first and only trade association created exclusively for commercial painting professionals. Our mission is to nurture a peer-based community of industry experts dedicated to learning and development through collaboration. As a CPIA member, you will have access to all the relevant resources and guidance required for further business growth.
Our Members are our most valuable asset because their knowledge, expertise and network form the very core of the association. Take a proactive role in your industry and elevate your business through the following membership opportunities and benefits:
- Peer Support Network;
- Industry and Networking Events;
- Industry Partner Discounts and Free Product Offers;
- Members Only Access - Monthly Webinars;
- Key Employee Management Training Videos;
- Free Access to Technical Support Consultant for Products and Troubleshooting;
- 12-Month Access to PaintBid Tracker - for Commercial Structures;
- Quarterly CPIA Magazine;
- Members Only Access to Yearly Commercial Industry Survey Results;
- Monthly Newsletters; and
- Federal & State Employment Law Updates.
Find out Why CPIA is the choice for industry leaders, how to invest in development of your business, and more about our sponsors and our upcoming events and webinars.
If you’re not already, become a CPIA member! While the digital copy of our inaugural magazine is free, the upcoming editions will be available only to our members. Visit our “Why Join” page to see everything that comes with your CPIA Membership!
