How to Build a Successful Commercial Painting Company

Building a successful commercial painting company takes more than winning projects and hiring painters. Long-term growth requires strong leadership, repeatable systems, trusted employees, and the ability to adapt as the market changes.

PPD Painting President Aaron Moore has experienced each stage of that process firsthand.

What started with two people and paintbrushes has developed into a commercial painting company serving multiple markets. Along the way, Aaron has learned how to move into new sectors, build leadership teams, establish systems, and give employees the tools they need to make good decisions.

In a recent conversation with David Chism, Aaron discussed how PPD Painting reached this point and what more than two decades in the painting industry have taught him about building a company for long-term growth.

From Residential Painting to Commercial Painting

PPD Painting did not begin as a commercial painting company.

Aaron entered the painting industry after earning a finance degree from Eastern Illinois University. A friend owned a small painting business and gave Aaron an opportunity to get involved. His business education complemented his partner's field experience, which gave Aaron a chance to learn the technical side of painting while applying his own business background.

By 2004, they had formed Precision Painting and Decorating, which would become PPD Painting.

In those early years, approximately 95% of their projects were residential. Commercial work was limited largely to opportunities such as new residential construction.

Then the economy changed.

The 2008 financial crisis hit residential construction and home improvement spending hard. Rather than waiting for the residential market to recover, the company followed the work that was available.

A relationship with a commercial general contractor led to opportunities involving foreclosed properties. PPD Painting also began completing projects for banks and other commercial clients.

It was less of a planned transition than a response to what was happening around them.

The company continued pursuing commercial opportunities, and those projects eventually became the core of the business.

That experience highlights an important lesson for contractors: growth does not always follow the original plan. Sometimes the ability to recognize a change in the market and respond quickly creates an entirely new direction for the company.

Learning From Other Successful Painting Contractors

Aaron's business education did not stop after college.

As he became more involved in the painting industry, he sought out contractors and business owners who had already accomplished things he wanted to achieve.

He became involved with industry organizations, attended national conferences, participated in leadership programs, and eventually spoke at industry events. He also joined business organizations and peer groups outside of painting.

The goal was straightforward: get into rooms with successful people and learn from them.

Over time, many of those relationships developed into mentorships.

For Aaron, access to experienced business owners became especially valuable when he faced decisions he had never encountered before. Instead of figuring out every problem alone, he had relationships with people who could offer perspective based on their own experience.

That same principle would later become an important part of how he approached leadership within PPD Painting.

Expanding a Commercial Painting Company Into New Markets

PPD Painting's expansion into Cincinnati provides another example of growth coming from an unexpected opportunity.

An existing Chicago client purchased a portfolio of 25 buildings in Cincinnati. The client asked PPD Painting to provide pricing for repainting the properties so it could use the numbers during its due diligence.

After reviewing the proposal, the client offered PPD Painting the work.

Instead of treating it as a single out-of-market project, Aaron saw an opportunity to test Cincinnati as a potential new market.

PPD Painting began marketing its commercial painting services in the area. Aaron traveled to Cincinnati several days each month to bid projects, meet local industry contacts, find painters, and learn the market.

Before fully committing to the expansion, the company had built a pipeline of roughly $750,000 in work.

The new operation still required patience. Like many new business ventures, results were uneven during the first few years. Over time, Cincinnati developed into a strong market for PPD Painting.

The experience also helped prove that the company's systems could work beyond its original Chicago operation.

Building Systems That Support Employees

Opening another office is one challenge. Running it without having the owner physically present is another.

Aaron said he visited Cincinnati only once during the previous year. The local team handles the day-to-day operation without requiring constant oversight from ownership.

That independence did not happen by accident.

Aaron sees one of his primary responsibilities as building the systems employees need to do their jobs well. That includes systems for:

-Project management
-Estimating
-Sales tracking
-Customer relationship management
-Internal communication

Technology and processes are only part of the equation. Employees also need to understand how to use those systems and why they matter.

For a growing commercial painting company, this distinction is critical.

A process sitting in a manual does little for a business if employees do not understand how to apply it. Systems need to make daily work easier, provide clear expectations, and give managers the information they need to make decisions.

Moving From Managing Employees to Mentoring Leaders

The second part of Aaron's leadership approach centers on mentorship.

Instead of solving every problem for his managers, he wants to teach them how to evaluate situations and make good decisions themselves.

This changes the owner's role.

As a painting contractor grows, the owner cannot remain the estimator, salesperson, project manager, problem solver, and final decision-maker for every issue. That model eventually creates a ceiling on growth because everything must pass through one person.

Aaron's approach is to give his managers the tools they need and remain available as a mentor.

PPD Painting's leadership structure reflects that philosophy.

Aaron meets with the company's division managers as a group each month and also holds monthly one-on-one meetings. Those meetings provide accountability while giving managers a place to discuss problems, results, and ideas.

There is another benefit. Division managers can learn from each other.

If one office finds a better way to handle a challenge, leaders in other markets can apply that experience within their own operations. Instead of knowledge staying within one branch, it can spread throughout the commercial painting company.

Why Peer Relationships Matter in the Painting Industry

Aaron has applied many of the same ideas outside PPD Painting through his involvement in the Commercial Painting Industry Association.

One of the reasons he helped start the organization was that he had difficulty finding a professional group focused specifically on contractors performing the type of commercial work PPD Painting was doing.

There were organizations serving residential repaint contractors and organizations focused heavily on industrial work such as bridges, water towers, and major abrasive blasting projects. Aaron saw a gap for contractors working on commercial properties such as warehouses, banks, retail facilities, hospitality properties, and projects for general contractors.

The peer group model became an important part of filling that gap.

Rather than having someone simply tell contractors how to run their businesses, peer groups give experienced commercial painting contractors an opportunity to learn from other owners facing similar operational challenges.

The concept closely mirrors the way Aaron approaches his own leadership team: put knowledgeable people together, give them a structure for productive conversations, and allow them to learn from each other's experience.

Creating a Commercial Painting Company That Does Not Depend on One Person

Perhaps one of the clearest signs of PPD Painting's development is Aaron's ability to operate the company while living outside its original Chicago market.

Getting there took years.

Aaron gradually spent longer periods away from Chicago before reaching a point where he felt the business could operate effectively without his constant physical presence.

That required developing people who could lead.

For contractors, this can be one of the hardest transitions in business ownership. The skills that help someone start a painting company are not always the same skills needed to build a larger organization.

Early on, the owner may personally sell jobs, estimate projects, supervise crews, handle customer issues, and make most major decisions.

As the company grows, continuing to operate that way can hold back capable employees and place too much responsibility on the owner.

Building systems and developing leaders creates a different structure. Managers gain greater responsibility while ownership can focus on areas where it provides the most value.

What's Next for PPD Painting?

Aaron's current focus is less about opening as many new locations as possible and more about improving the operations PPD Painting already has.

That means refining internal processes, strengthening existing teams, making selective hires, and creating a stronger culture of mentorship.

He wants employees to develop what he describes as a "tool belt" that helps them make decisions that are right for the organization.

That philosophy reflects more than 20 years of lessons from building PPD Painting.

A strong commercial painting company cannot depend entirely on its owner. It needs people who understand their responsibilities, systems that support consistent work, and leaders who can make sound decisions.

For PPD Painting, building that foundation has allowed the company to grow from a small residential painting operation into a multi-market commercial contractor while maintaining a focus on the relationships and people that helped build the business.

Commercial Painting Services From PPD Painting

PPD Painting brings decades of painting industry experience to commercial projects. Our team understands that successful commercial painting requires more than applying a coating. It takes careful planning, clear communication, experienced project management, and crews prepared to work within the demands of active commercial properties.

If you're searching for a commercial painting company for an upcoming project, contact PPD Painting to discuss your property, project requirements, and schedule.

Want to Learn More?

This article is based on a podcast conversation between Aaron Moore, President of PPD Painting and Co-Founder of the Commercial Painting Industry Association, and David Chism, owner of DC Marketing Group. During the episode, Aaron shares his experience building PPD Painting, expanding into new markets, developing strong leadership teams, and growing within the commercial painting industry.

Learn more about Aaron at AaronMMoore.com or connect with Aaron on LinkedIn.

Want to hear the full conversation? Click here to watch the full podcast episode on YouTube.

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