Commercial/Industrial Painting Contractor Sees Their Rep as a Key Team Member

According to Waukesha, WI – based Porta-Painting President & Owner Amanda Martin, there are four adjectives that best describe her Sherwin-Williams sales rep for the past 11 years, Kevin Zei:

“Consistent. Reliable. Dependable. Available,” says Martin. “What we appreciate most about Kevin is he knows us and knows our business. We’ve seen quite a bit of turnover with field reps from other suppliers. So we appreciate that he has been with us for so many years. That continuity definitely gives us a competitive advantage.

“For example, the jobs that we bid on often don’t have pre-written specs,” she says. “We will work hand-in-hand together with Kevin on project walk-throughs to make sure the absolute best coatings for the substrate and the specific conditions and environment it will be exposed to are spec’d. That’s a true partnership.”

Martin also emphasizes the importance of staying connected with Zei. “Pre-Covid, Kevin would stop by our shop weekly for morning coffee and to see what we had going on and how he could help,” she adds. “Since then, he switched to weekly Zoom calls with me and our leadership team. These frequent interactions pay dividends in terms of new product introductions, supply forecasts and even regulatory updates. Just a few days ago, he highlighted the changes in the new NSF/ANSI standards for drinking water container linings and chemical treatments. These real-time updates are vitally important for us to know.”

Martin also explains that Zei is always on the lookout for jobs that are particularly well-suited to Porta-Painting’s areas of expertise.

“Again, because Kevin knows us so well, he’s able to match us up with projects that will be a win-win for the customer and for us,” she explains. “We’ve built a high level of mutual trust that makes us comfortable putting both of our hard-earned reputations on the line – every time.”