A Q&A with Justin Gripka, who with his wife Lauren owns the Gripka Paint Company in Basehor, a suburb of Kansas City located in Leavenworth County, Kansas.
The contractor
Justin is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Business with a degree in Information Systems Technology. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Architecture with a degree in Interior Design.
After college, they decided to chase their dream of renovating houses, the latest being an 1800s farmhouse in Basehor. The Gripka Paint Company exclusively uses Sherwin-Williams paints to ensure the highest quality finishes. The company was an early adopter of the Sherwin-Williams Buy Online service, and we sat down with Justin to find out how it is working for his business.
What were your reasons to try the Buy Online service?
I find it convenient to order paint the night before my crews need to pick it up. The ability for off-hours and ordering while on the go make my workflow more efficient.
How has it been working for you? In what ways does it help you?
The convenience of not worrying about store hours makes it my go-to option for ordering paint. I’m sure other painters would agree that the 24-hour service gives me more time for running other parts of the business.
Would you recommend it to other pro painters?
Yes. It allows for pre-ordering and faster in and out times for crews. When my crews show up to the store, the paint is ready to go and already charged to my account, making it easy to pick up and get to the job site faster.
Further reading
Learn more about the benefits of the service in our story Buy Online: It’s Easy, Fast and Efficient.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2017 issue of PPC magazine. Justin Gripka was interviewed by Mike Starling, PPC Editor. Read more about what pro painters have discovered on the job in the PPC What I’ve Learned archive.