‘School of the Painting Trade’
General Coatings Corp. blends quality work with ongoing training to provide a mix for success
From commercial painting to waterproofing to architectural coatings, General Coatings Corp. has the expertise to deliver high-quality work with attention to safety and timeliness, says Craig Kinsman, President.
“We have been in business for 37 years and have completed more than 25,000 projects in the San Diego area,” Kinsman says. “We have been handling 800 to 1,000 projects of various sizes every year since 2000.”
Take a look around San Diego and you’ll see General Coatings’ work. The most recent large construction project was K1 San Diego, a 23-story luxury apartment tower completed at the end of 2019. General Coatings did the interior painting, explains Rich Ducote, General Coatings’ San Diego Division Manager. Or visit Casa Mira View, a community of villas and apartment homes. Waterproofing coatings for decks and walkways were done by General Coatings.
The San Diego-headquartered company, with a satellite office in Rancho Cucamonga, works on projects throughout Southern California. The company invests in its employees, stressing safety and skills training as well as leadership and educational opportunities.
“I have been told by our vendors that we are known as the ‘School of the Painting Trade’ to our competitors,” Kinsman says. “This is due to all the training we give our people.”
The company was founded in November 1983 as Wall Works by Kinsman and a partner, Phil Smith. In 1987, the company was incorporated as General Coatings Corp., and in 1989 Kinsman bought out Smith’s interest to become sole owner. The company averages about 300 employees, with crew sizes from three to 50. Average crew size is five to 10, Kinsman says.
Rising to Meet Big Challenges
Difficult projects are par for the course for General Coatings. The company’s workers can take on exterior painting of tall buildings with critical safety procedures while applying a coating that can stand up to temperature extremes. One America Plaza, the tallest building in San Diego at 34 stories, is an example of their high-angle exterior work.
However, the most challenging project for the company has been the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park. General Coatings is in year three of a five-year project sandblasting the steel and adding a high-performance coating, Ducote says. “Every year we are doing a ton of work. They give us quadrants of the stadium to work on with less than 100 days, in between the baseball offseason and other scheduled events.” The project requires about 50 painters working at once, with constant scheduling of scaffolding, sandblasting and painting.
Another challenge was the floor polishing at the Sails Pavilion at San Diego Convention Center. General Coatings applied the five-stage polishing process to 90,000 square feet of new concrete flooring. “We had 20 guys working in shifts,” Kinsman says. “We had 10 floor grinders going and finished in less than 10 days.” The cutting of the floor produced large amounts of sludge, so ride-along floor scrubbers were used to keep the slurry off the floor. The project was a last-minute addition to the pavilion’s renovation and required working around other contractors’ schedules, but Kinsman proudly adds that their work was finished on time.
Yet another difficult project was Acqua Vista, two multitenant towers that occupy a city block in San Diego. General Coatings is responsible for sandblasting, skim coating, painting, window caulking and railing repair. “It is challenging because it requires us to manage all the tasks in sequence while responding to all the customer’s needs,” Ducote says. “It is an ongoing project.”
Pride in Developing Careers
Kinsman takes particular pride in watching his employees develop their careers. “Throughout the years, I have seen many people grow from starting out as a painter or even apprentice and working their way up to management positions,” he says. “We believe in promoting from within. Some have gone on to start their own companies and became my competitors.”
A few examples: Jeff Haight, with General Coatings for 27 years, started as a delivery driver and now oversees the safety department, facilities, the vehicle fleet and the inventory of equipment. Hector Cueva, General Manager of the Rancho Cucamonga office, started out 22 years ago as a painter. “He is an excellent leader. He runs the division as though it was his own company,” Kinsman says. Jesse Cortez, Estimator/Project Manager for 13 years, had a long-term client who lost his home in a fire. “Jesse went above and beyond his call of duty to estimate and provide materials and labor to assist in the rebuild,” Kinsman says.
General Coatings has benefited from Kinsman’s embrace of technology. He bought an early PC in the late 1980s and used it to develop an estimating system still used today. It allows the estimating staff to provide accurate proposals, with consistent bids that keep the company competitive, and to create highly accurate budgets for the field. “I like to call it our eyes in the office for issues in the field,” Kinsman says.
The company also developed an app suitable for the painting industry, with clock in and clock out, digital time and materials tickets, and daily reports streamlining coordination between general contractors and owners. The app also allows real time enhanced visibility and communication among crews and project managers, Kinsman explains.
Sharing Rewards with Employees, Community
In the community, General Coatings supports the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), San Diego Chapter, Inc. by participating on the Build and Serve Committee. This committee reaches out to the local community, constructing small building projects and participating in service events. The company contributes to the ACE Mentor Program for high school students and plans to sponsor an intern in summer 2020. The company also contributes to the Veterans Village of San Diego and the CRC CARES Foundation.
General Coatings won three safety awards from the AGC of America, San Diego chapter for the years 2016-2018, Kinsman reports.
When it comes time to reward his employees for their hard work, the fun begins. General Coatings’ workers enjoy off-hour barbecues at local parks, celebratory safety meetings that may take them to a San Diego Padres game or go-cart driving, and on-site pizza or burrito lunches for crews. There are also referral incentives, company knowledge and safety trivia games (with each correct answer good for $100), Christmas party lotto and prize giveaways.
“General Coatings is a successful corporation in a highly competitive field, yet we maintain the feel of a family-run organization,” Kinsman says. “Our employees take pride in their work and their employment is not just a job, but a career.”