8/14/2019 Shermin Williams Magazine
2/3
PPC Fall 2008 5
In just four years,the 29-year-old California nativehas turned
Big Red Painting (named for his almamater) into one of the most
successful commercialpainting contractors in Boise, Idaho. And he
has done
t with a staff of four people or less.
Recognizing trendsThe recent growth of Idahos capital city was
one
of the primary reasons Baumbach decided to start hisbusiness
there. According to U.S. Census figures,Boise County was ninth in
the nation in the rate ofpopulation growth in the 1990s. In
2007,Forbes mag-
azine ranked Boise No. 3 in its best placesfor business and
careers list, and Inc. listedit ninth among its hottest midsize
cities forentrepreneurs.
Like many paint start-ups, Baumbachbegan in residential,but
quickly spotted bet-ter opportunities in the commercial market.
Three years ago, there was no certaintyof what would happen to
the housing mar-ket, he says.At that time, speculators werebuying
and selling a year later and making big prof-its. But keeping an
ear to the ground allowed us to see
Big Red PaintingBoise, Idaho
Founded 2004
4 employees
BUSINESS MIX:
70% commercial
24% industrial
3% residential repaint
2% new residential
WEB SITE:
www.bigredpainting.com
StudyStudyStudyLucasBaumbachs newresidential work includes
anumber of homes in the BownCrossing development in Boise.
LucasBaumbachs newresidential work includes anumber of homes in
the BownCrossing development in Boise.
enness to new products and marketsenness to new products and
markets
8/14/2019 Shermin Williams Magazine
3/3
PPC Fall 20086
the market shifts inthe making. The de-mand for
commercialpainters was growingin Boise,and I followedmy
instincts.
His first commercial job was a repaint of Mul-
ligans bar in downtown Boise.It was pretty chal-lenging. We had
to cover everything arcadegames, pool tables, the bar and sprayed
PrepRiteProBlock Interior Alkyd Primer to cover the accu-mulated
smoke and tannins. We did it with threeguys in three nights. From
those humble begin-nings, he has gone on to tackle projects as
large as60,000 square feet, as well as demanding industri-al jobs
like tank repaints.
Products drive profitsRight from the start, Baumbach has relied
on his
local Sherwin-Williams sales representative to pro-
vide job leads and product recommendations.
Commercial work keeps it intering from a product point of view,
andrep is crucial to choosing the right pructs, he says. One day I
might nDTM, the next day Sher-Kem.SherwWilliams has everything I
may need
any job. Its nice to not have to shop around.
Baumbach has always liked ProMar 200 InteLatex,and on advice
from Sherwin-Williams beusing ProMar 200 XP. The 12-mil film build
is ifor jobs 10,000 square feet and above, he says.one-less-coat
coverage helps me bid competitivagainst larger painting contracting
companies.
His education in marketing, management business administration
is another key factor in companys growth.
I recognized that proper planning, prodknowledge, curiosity and
flexibility and hiring hily talented and motivated employees are
the keygrowing something from nothing, Baumbach s
Tenacity helps too.
Above: Troubleshootingtemperature constraints and
specifyingSherwin-Williams UltraCrete
allowed thecompany topaint during theBoise
win-termonthsandprovide the
best texture finish for theDiamondpoint tilt-up
officebuilding.Right:Deepbase Sherwin-Williams
colors provide a rich look atthePatio Pleasuresstore.
Far right:Eightygallons ofWoodScapes Acrylic Stainbrought new
life to the U.S.
Bureau of ReclamationSnake River Area Office.
PPCThough hehas a small staff,Baumbachs work includes
projects like a repaint of50,000-gallon tanks at a
Boise asphalt company.Heused Sherwin-Williams
Bond-Plex for the tanks andSteel Master 9500 for the
safety yellowsections.
