Old Shop with a New Image

During my consulting trip to The Four Seasons Resort a few years ago I was asked if I would consider working at this property. Over the years I spent my time improving the facilities I was at but I was happy with the facility I had. Everything was new, I had a well built lease program, the shop was built exactly how I wanted it, and in reality it was easy. However I love a challenge and taking a facility to the next level no matter how good or bad it is. So I took the position and have not looked back.

I always start with the equipment and once I have a handle on it I work on getting the facility up to par. I feel that it is imperative for people to be excited to come to work and for people we interview to want to work at our facility when they leave. The atmosphere I like to create is one where everyone wants to be the best and so we are now on the road to making that happen.

This month I began transformation our our Maintenance Facility. We started with the walls. I wanted the walls to be light in color so we could maximize our lighting but also look professional. Then we moved on to the floor. The floor is where its all at. I think when you see the pictures below you will agree that the floor makes a facility what it is. For the floor I went with Sherwin Williams Armour Seal 1000. The paint is a High Gloss Polyurethane coating. I like high gloss because I want to make an impact. I want people that visit to say “Wow” I want people who interview to think walking out that they would love to work here. I want our Directors to come down to the facility and say that it was money well spent and do we really work in this shop. I feel that this gives that impact.

The secrets to this are not just painting the floor but its the details. It’s the correct floor prep. It is choosing the correct colors. The biggest impact is the walkways. It takes a plain floor and ads contrast. Also making straight lines is equally important. The biggest things I avoid are using tape to outline my areas. I think it looks tacky and is hard to take up when repainting. So I concentrate on making straight lines and not letting the paint bleed under the tape. You can do this by purchasing good 3M painters tape. I also plan the walkways before I paint so I know exactly what my plan is. It is a lot of work but well worth it in the end.