PPC PROfile: Our interview with Saul Carrasco, Most Wanted Painters, Newport, Oregon.
As a young man, Saul Carrasco had a desire to be an electrician. Then he saw an open position with a painting company in Portland, Oregon, and never turned back. Over the next few years, he made a name for his quality work and moved quickly up the ranks to become a lead painter for a coastal company. In 2007, he started his own company, Most Wanted Painters. Currently employing 20 people, the company has survived a recession, a pandemic and a wildfire. We sat down with Saul and his team to learn more about their path to success.
The company has endured some extreme challenges including a wildfire in 2020. How have you managed the business through those tough times to not only survive but thrive in the face of this adversity?
This fire took a large portion of our business assets including new sprayers and pressure washers and our scissor lift and trailers, right at the end of our exterior painting season. This loss affected not only our business but our clients and employees as well. We heard rumors that other painting companies were saying that we would not be able to stay standing, due to the enormous loss of this fire. This just caused us to all pull together and made us even more determined to rise above smoke and flames.
Before that was COVID-19.
Everyone who ran a business during this time can understand the challenges that faced us during the pandemic. We doubled-down our efforts and thought of new ways to service our clients. With more people staying home, they realized their homes needed painting attention. We introduced our “Rent-a-Painter” program where clients could hire one or two painters for a few days to finish small painting projects that they had on their to-do list. We implemented a system of procedures for interior and exterior painting, taking the recommended precautions, and this helped to give our clients confidence that we care about them, not just winning the bid.
What are the lessons for other paint company owners who might encounter similar challenges?
Always showing the client the value of hiring Most Wanted Painters has been a key component in getting through difficult times. Sure, they can probably find someone cheaper, but is that the best choice for the value of your home?
Painting is an investment in your home’s value, and showing the client this is important. Consistent, reliable, dependable, quality work done by people who really care about their workmanship – that’s what sets us apart. We have a system of painting which all crew members follow, and a system for how the business runs. This helps to ensure that each project is completed with quality as the priority. Showing employees that they are appreciated and valued helps us keep our employees with us. They are more than employees – they are family. Many of our crew members have been with us for over five years, and a few for 10 years or more.
Any major turning points in the growth of the business?
In late 2017, we hired a part-time office assistant to help answer phones and make appointments. In early 2018, we hired Yvette Quale as office manager/color consultant. With a background in paint sales for nearly 30 years, and nearly 19 of those years with Sherwin- Williams, Yvette brings her knowledge of the industry and an expert understanding of color and how it works in a space and effects people living in that space. She handles the phones, schedules estimates, creates and presents estimates and writes up the contracts and handles the company’s accounts payable and receivable accounts. We are a team, with each person dedicated to providing our clients with the best possible customer service.
What do you do to retain employees?
Steps to recruit and retain good employees is always a challenge. It’s not every day that we get an application from a seasoned painter, so we tend to hire non-painters who have at least a background in some sort of construction. We have a system that we call “Saul’s Way” in which all employees are trained to follow. This allows our lead crew member to always be able to remind new employees that we do it “Saul’s Way.”
When we do hire a seasoned painter, we sometimes have to chip away at the ice of the iceberg of bad habits they may have picked up through the years. Quality work is always a top priority, so following our system allows each employee to produce excellent work on each project, which results in a happy client.
How has Sherwin-Williams helped your company?
Whenever we consult with them for a project, they have the answers we need. They have partnered with us for our “Paint it Forward” community projects by providing the paint for these projects. We have had a long-term relationship with the sales rep Josh Burk, and he gets a gold star from us.
The company has received numerous awards including the Angi Super Service Award and eight Newport News Times Best of the Best A-List Awards. What impact have these had?
We appreciate that our community views us in such high regard. When a client shares their good feelings about our company, we share these comments with all employees, as it is everyone on the team that helped make this person a satisfied customer. We do not take compliments lightly and we share them with our team. If someone is recognized personally by a client, we share this with the team. This helps our employees know that they are doing a great job and are appreciated. We are all working together to make a difference in our community – one project at a time.
Any final thoughts?
We don’t just follow up after we send out the estimate or land the job. We follow-up to the end of the job and beyond. We make sure the client received the quote, we understand a client’s expectations, but we also understand that they may not understand how invasive a paint project can be and try to give them an idea of what to expect when the painters arrive.
We understand that painting is an investment, and it is ongoing, so we follow up with the client and have discussions about why things like annual pressure washing is necessary at the coast for maintaining their home. We treat each customer as if they were our mother or father, our brother or sister, or a close friend and always with a heart to serve. We approach our jobs with the mindset that we aren’t just painting, we are serving our clients and developing a relationship with our clients. Without happy clients, we wouldn’t have a thriving business. We strive to never forget that our customers are why we can all have jobs doing what we love to do!
©2025 Fusable. Saul Carrasco was interviewed by PPC/Pintor Pro Editor Mike Starling. Photography: Sharon Biddinger, Simply Design Studios.
