(L to R Standing) Bill Maksim, Tom Czako, Mike Decker, Eric Hein, Mark Roberts, Mark Hein, Kent Hein, Vic Hein. (L to R Seated) Shingo Infantado, Jeannine Seamans, Pam Heidenreich, Ian Pangga.
At Vic’s Painting, Inc., getting the job never has been as important as doing it well and at the best price. Although that has been a growing challenge in the current economy, it has also propelled the Fort Myers-based contractor into new markets where it is finding fresh opportunities.
The company was established in 1982 by Victor Hein and has since become one of Southwest Florida’s most successful painting contractors. In addition to its Fort Myers headquarters, Vic’s Painting has offices in Tampa, Orlando and Atlanta, and clients throughout the Southeast.
Hein attributes the company’s prosperity largely to his dedicated employees, several of whom are family. For more than 20 years, Kent Hein (Victor’s brother) has been a key part of the business and is the senior estimator. Two of Victor’s sons also are involved in the company. Mark Hein is vice president of business development and Eric Hein is administrator.
The company’s services include exterior painting and waterproofing, multi-unit interior painting, electrostatic painting and epoxy urethane floor coatings. Besides pressure washers, paint sprayers, rollers and brushes, the company owns and operates boom lifts (up to 110 feet), swing stages, scissor lifts and other heavy-duty equipment to work on shopping centers, high-rise condominiums and hotels, hospitals, schools and large, commercial developments.
Notable Projects,
High-Profile Clients
Over the years, Vic’s Painting has worked on many Lee County landmarks including the Harborside Event Center in downtown Fort Myers, Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers, Miromar Outlets in Estero and Shell Point Retirement Community in south Fort Myers, among others. Also, the company has repeat clients throughout Charlotte and Collier counties.
Vic’s is known for tackling unusual and difficult jobs, such as repainting the exterior of The Tropics on Venetian Bay in Naples. “The (mid-rise condo) units are built half on land and half on pilings over the water, so we had to move cranes and lifts from the road, then load them onto barges in order to clean and paint the back of the building,” says Hein. “It was a first.”
The company has a history of taking on similarly daunting tasks on an even larger scale outside of Southwest Florida. For instance, the 2007 assignment to paint the interior of an AT&T microchip manufacturing facility in Orlando required workers to undergo a lengthy decontamination process each day and wear special suits in order to ensure a dust-free environment.
Such meticulousness is one of the qualities that earned Vic’s Painting many projects at Naples Cay starting in 1988. “Vic came with very high credentials,” says Scott Brady, the former general manager at Naples Cay.
For more than 20 years, Brady worked with the homeowner’s association to maintain the condominium’s six high-rises. More often than not, Vic’s was awarded the contracts to clean, paint, waterproof and caulk the buildings’ exteriors. Despite strict specs to keep the work on budget, the board usually chose Vic’s Painting for jobs based on the quality of its work, even if its bid wasn’t the lowest.
“Once, Vic’s bid low because they missed something (on the specs), but Vic honored the contract anyway,” says Brady. More important, the company and its employees made a good impression on the residents, who had high expectations.
“Vic’s company always came in with legitimate work vehicles without magnetic signs on them, the workers always dressed appropriately and, as needed, they’d bring in port-a-potties so as not to bother the residents. They always left the site neat and clean, and in the event of a storm, they would come and secure the property. These weren’t things that we had to ask them to do, they just did them.”
Other highly visible projects in Florida include:
• The St. Petersburg Pier. Repainting the exterior of the pier (an “upside-down pyramid”) was “very difficult,” admits Hein. However, based on the success of that job, Vic’s has continued to do maintenance work on the pier’s various structures and last year, did extensive electrostatic work on all the doors and windows.
• The Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando. Vic’s caulked every exterior window in the towering, mainly-glass hotel when it waterproofed the building several years ago. The project was complicated and required 12 sets of two workers suspended on swing stages outside the hotel.
It took approximately six months to successfully complete.
• Playa Del Mar in Ft. Lauderdale. When the coating on the railings of the 20-story condo failed, Vic’s was called in to fix the problem, stripping and electrostatically painting all of them.
Shifting Gears
These days, the company can be found on commercial sites from the Florida Keys to the Carolinas, painting the exteriors and interiors of places like the Ocean Key Club in Key West and Chick-fil-A retail stores in Fort Myers, Atlanta and New Orleans. Earlier this fall, Vic’s completed cleaning and painting the exterior of Baymont Inn & Suites in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
While painting continues to be the mainstay of the company, Vic’s has become more diversified as it recognizes the growing need for comprehensive maintenance and reconstruction services.
“Finding new types of business has been a part of our transition as a company,” says Hein. “There wouldn’t have been a need for us to do that five years ago, but there is today. We’re just fortunate that we got ahead of the curve.”
For example, in recent years, Vic’s Painting has worked with the Lane Company, which manages multi-family apartments, condominiums and public housing developments in Atlanta. “We’ve been really pleased with the work they’ve done for us and they’ve done a lot,” says Thomas Hancock, Lane’s senior project manager.
The first big project Vic’s did for the company was to replace the carpet and lighting fixtures in a 150-unit development owned by the Atlanta Housing Authority. At another public housing development, Vic’s replaced the accordion-style closet doors in all 229 units, each requiring several sets of doors. As with most capital improvements, the work had to be done quickly and courteously, since most of the units were occupied.
“That’s why it’s important that we work with contractors who are good with people and very accommodating. They have to be on their best behavior,” says Hancock. Typically, they also must be the low bidder and be available to do any warranty work that’s needed.
“Even after the warranty has expired, (Vic’s) has always come back to address any concerns, although there have been very few of those,” says Hancock. “That’s a tremendous thing in our business when we can get (the job) done right and still get it done at a great price.”
One of Vic’s Painting’s most ambitious projects to date involved the recent complete turnkey renovation of almost 200 university-owned apartments in Columbia, South Carolina and Athens, Georgia. Painting was only one component of the projects, which entailed everything from replacing window blinds and wall switch plates to cleaning the carpets and repairing broken plumbing and electrical fixtures. What’s more, the units had to be restored to move-in condition during the summer semester break.
“Every unit was different. Some needed all new window treatments and floor coverings while others just needed a deep cleaning. It was on a case-by-case basis,” says Mark Hein, who helped supervise dozens of workers on the assignments. In fewer than three weeks, the units were ready for occupancy. “It was a unique experience for us.”
Currently, the company is working at Vistana Resort, a 206-building, Sheraton timeshare development in Orlando. Besides refurbishing and repainting the building exteriors in phase one, Vic’s is electro statically repainting all handrails and screen enclosures, and installing a quartz coating system on the walkways and lanai floors. Closer to home, the company recently landed an annual contract with Florida Gulf Coast University to maintain the exterior of buildings including the student union, the sports arena and the physical plant.
Upside of a Down Economy
Mark Hein says that loyal employees and subcontractors have enabled the company to survive tough times. “Finding reliable workers has been challenging to some degree, but usually we work with the same subcontractors that we’ve come to know and trust. They do most of the specialty work such as carpentry, aluminum work, wood repair and restoration.”
He notes that in some ways, the economy has actually worked in the company’s favor, especially in the area of management. “We’ve been fortunate to hire five or six key-level managers who probably would not have been looking for employment with us five years ago.” For instance, one of them is the former president of a major paint manufacturer.
But even with the best and the brightest office and field staff, making a profit without sacrificing quality is challenging when there are more contractors than jobs to go around. “Five or six years ago, a 5% – 10% pricing variance wasn’t a big deal to most consumers. They went with the most reputable, reliable contractor,” says Eric Hein. “Now they’re more willing to take risks to save money.”
He equates it with buying products online. “If you spend less money with a cheaper contractor, there’s a good chance they won’t be around to stand behind their work if there’s a problem,” he says. “So what you might save initially may cost you more in the long run.”
Despite all that, Vic’s Painting refuses to compromise on quality or turn its back on the community. If anything, the company is doing more charitable work than ever; something that many companies put on the back burner in a bad economy. For years, Vic’s has donated the materials and labor to paint the interiors and exteriors of all local Abuse Counseling Treatment (ACT) facilities, as well as the Island Coast Aid Network’s Centex Center, the Nations Association headquarters and countless area churches.
Company employees also are active in various civic and professional groups and organizations, including the Community Associations Institute (CAI), which offers continuing education programs. “We don’t just send in our money and get a membership certificate, we really try to help by serving on committees and sponsoring classes and special events. We really want to be involved in the communities where we work.”
Victor Hein says that attitude has helped buoy the company and attract great employees. “They have carried this company. That’s why there’s not enough that I can do for them to thank them for all they’ve done.”
Obviously, the feeling is mutual. Several of the core office and field staff have worked for Vic’s Painting for more than 15 years, including some who are approaching 25 years on the job. “People enjoy working here because it’s not drudgery – we have a lot of fun. We like each other and we all work together.”
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