Final Coat Painting

Charles and Dawn Campion were established painting industry veterans by the time the husband and wife duo realized they could start up their own company and do things as they saw fit. “We were operating as a subcontractor for a larger repainting contractor,” recalls Charles, vice president and founder of Final Coat Painting (Final Coat). “We were ambitious and knew we could offer better service to the customers on our own, so we decided to start our own business free from the limitations of our previous contractor.”

The couple sought to build a business grounded in honesty and smart service, founding Final Coat in 1990. “We’re different from the other guys, because we take care of our people, whether it’s our valued employees or our repeat customers,” explains Charles. “We employ many individuals who have been here since the beginning; and we’re proud to have such great employee retention.”

The Minnesota-based company began to grow based on the Campion’s experience and expertise. “We started out focusing solely on the multifamily market, concentrating on apartment complexes and townhomes,” Charles explains. “We decided to branch out into a different market when an opportunity with one of our trusted vendors, Valspar, presented itself. They asked us be involved in a repainting program for big-box stores across the nation. We started off doing a small amount, and since then it’s grown into one of the most successful aspects of our business.”

A New Niche

After years of performing only repaints in Minnesota, Final Coat decided to dive into the big-box store retail market about 10 years ago. The company continues growing into new and emerging markets today. “We now serve many Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies in the commercial, retail and hospitality industries,” shares Charles. “We have crews and project management teams stationed throughout the country, which allow us to handle not only large and small scale projects, but also large volumes. As we expand further into general contracting, it enables us to handle all of our client’s maintenance, build-out and repair needs.”

Although Final Coat is headquartered in Minnesota, most of the company’s day-to-day operations take place all over the country. “We’ve developed a company infrastructure that is without limits, so we are able to satisfy our customers no matter where they’re located,” Charles details. “In fact, we have regional managers based in Washington and North Carolina, and we’re looking to establish a presence in the Northeast region, as well. The size and scale of our contracts mean we often have multiple locations in the works at any given time.”

Managing various facilities across the country requires the expertise and background knowledge of how a basic building envelope works; all of which Charles was confident Final Coat had after many years in the residential repainting industry. “A building really is like a living, breathing entity,” says Charles. “It needs proper ventilation to keep moisture out. After many years of actually doing the grunt work, we’ve made several discoveries about what many companies out there were doing wrong, and sought to fix the problem.”

Smart Solutions; From Painters to Consultants

Final Coat doesn’t just find a product that works, the company invests time, energy and resources into finding the right product for the job that will withstand the test of time. Charles details how the company ran into situations involving cracking, peeling and bubbling due to over coating on the exterior of many retailer’s stores.

“Keeping moisture from getting in has always been the primary concern,” Charles explains. “No one knew you needed to let it out, too.” he explains. “We’ve committed a lot of resources to research ways to remove harmful products without furthering the damage. We try to come up with lasting solutions, not just a temporary fix.”

Final Coat is now using such smart solutions to venture into the consulting end of facilities management. “We’ve spent a lot of time helping big-box stores create a plan, which will ensure that the integrity of each facility will not fail,” reveals Charles. “We’ve actually started a division that’s going to focus specifically on managing assets, and software that tracks the upkeep of a store.”
The company has a bright future. “We understand how difficult it is to manage the maintenance for hundreds, if not thousands of locations,” Charles says. “I think moving forward this is going to take off in great leaps and bounds, because we’re coming up with a new approach that comes from experience seeing the inner working problems of these facilities. We are even looking at taking this information and expanding further into the commercial, government and industrial facilities.”

Final Coat is working to be the eyes and ears of some of the nation’s largest retailers after serving as a trusted vendor for decades. “They know they can count on us because they’ve worked with us before,” says Charles. “No one else is taking this same approach.”

According to Charles, it is innovation that attracted him to the industry in the first place. “It’s a new challenge every day,” he shares. “I’m a hands-on guy. I don’t like to sit at a desk all day. I like to interact with people and come up with creative solutions. Some of the new technology Final Coat utilizes I fabricated myself.”

After a solid 23 years in the industry, Final Coat is looking forward to further expansion. “I think we’re on track to grow the consulting part of the company, we won’t lose sight of the painting aspect, because that’s where we came from, but consulting will play a large role in our future. We’re also entering the hospitality sector, doing the same kind of work for large hotel chains nationwide. We know budgets and price are a big factor for people, and we pride ourselves on delivering a high quality of service at a fair price. ” Final Coat Painting continues to serve some of the nation’s biggest names in retail with lasting solutions designed for the long haul.

For more information about Final Coat Painting, please visit: www.finalcoatpainting.com.