Doing things right

Becky Trow was working in financial lending – something she wasn’t particularly fond of – until her father, Peter Heaphy, approached her with another offer. Peter, who founded Contract Coatings in 1984, wondered if Becky would be keen to head up health and safety for the company.

“I was quite unsure about it all as I had no health and safety experience at the time, nor did I know anything about painting,” she says. “Dad thought I was the perfect candidate as he needed someone to build the systems from scratch and felt I could learn whatever else I needed along the way.”

After serving a few years as Health and Safety Coordinator, she took a break to go on an OE. But when she returned, she found that Peter had been busy thinking about the future of the company. Together, they put a succession plan in place, and in 2011, Becky became an owner and director of the business and took on the role of Commercial Manager. It’s now been more than 16 years since she took him up on his initial opportunity, and she hasn’t looked back.

Currently, the Auckland-based painting company has a direct staff of around 50, some of which have been part of the team for more than 35 years – a testament to how Contract Coatings operates, but also the skill of their painters. “They are experienced tradespeople who we value very much,” says Becky. “We have also developed strong relationships with trusted subcontractors that we have worked with for many years.”

The company has also been an accredited Resene Eco.Decorator since the programme’s inception. The initiative was created by Resene to build a nationwide network of environmentally responsible, quality-focused painting contractors, and only contractors who successfully meet the programme’s rigorous standards can promote themselves as an authentic Resene Eco.Decorator. After all, sustainable decorating is more than just choosing an Environmental Choice approved paint – it also means applying the product in an environmentally-responsible manner that follows sustainable principles. This is something Contract Coatings takes very seriously, and their most recent Resene Eco.Decorator audit saw them achieve a near-perfect score.

“We are proud to be accredited Resene Eco.Decorators, and the shift in people’s attitudes and expectations towards sustainability and the environment has been huge since we joined the programme. We are involved in numerous Green Star NZ and Homestar projects where the certification is driven by the client, which demonstrates how much clients desire environmental initiatives. For us, the Resene Eco.Decorator programme is a way of recognising our company’s commitment and ensuring we continue to improve our systems and reduce our environmental impact. It gives our clients peace of mind to know that Resene Eco.Decorators are responsible contractors who care about their environment and that a reputable, homegrown company like Resene sets a benchmark for applicators to work towards,” says Becky.

“The programme has given us tools to implement new systems which have a positive impact on the environment and the business. We have made significant cost savings recycling all of our water-based liquid waste in-house using the Resene WashWise system, reducing our impact of liquid waste on the environment – which is something we are very proud of. The Resene Eco.Decorator brand also makes us feel recognised as a trusted, professional, environmentally-focused company providing quality projects to clients in a positive and cooperative workplace in which every employee can learn and grow.”

Achieving such impressively high scores on Resene Eco.Decorator audits isn’t easy. Becky says that her company predominantly serves the commercial sector of the painting industry, where compliance and documentation are paramount. “We have robust quality assurance procedures and health and safety systems to ensure our people are well looked after. I believe this is what has set the foundation of our strong Resene Eco.Decorator scores at audit time. However, we will always continue to strive to improve, and it’s amazing what an impact even seemingly small tweaks can have on the environment.”

Becky says that it’s the service they receive from Resene that plays a significant role in their loyalty to the brand. “For us, it’s about the people. The products speak for themselves, really, and they are specified by designers all over the country. Our people love working with Resene as the products are easy to apply and there are so many environmentally-friendly options available. One of Resene’s real strengths is its relationships with its customers. It has that family business feel, which we really relate to. They listen, they care and they are there to support businesses like ours so we can continue to grow and develop.”

She may not be a painter herself, but Becky has still been able to witness plenty of beautiful Resene colours applied to projects completed by Contract Coatings’ talented team members. Right now, she is finding herself drawn to pastels. “I’m really loving the soft tones of colours like Resene Dust Storm, Resene Ottoman, Resene Oxygen and Resene Half Pale Rose paired with Resene Black White. It’s great to bring a bit of colour into your life.”

Becky has also been able to garner plenty of top tips from spending time around such experienced applicators, including some things that can be considered at the time of design to allow for a better finish and safer conditions. “There is often chat around the office regarding the site conditions in which our team members undertake their work and how it affects the application and finished product. At the time of design and specification, we hope safety and the environmental impact of the works we will need to do are carefully considered and people are asking how someone can do the job safely while getting the results they’re after.”

› To learn more about Contract Coatings, visit their website at www.contractcoatings.co.nz. And to find a Resene Eco.Decorator in your area to help with your next project, visit www.ecodecorator.co.nz.

Design: Stevens Lawson Architects.
Build: Built Environs.
Images: Alex Wallace.

BlackWhite magazine

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