“The more we know, the more we shine.”

I've been in this business for 36 years and I’m a firm believer that the more we know, the more we shine. My group is relied on quite a bit to be a go-to resource for our field sales reps, so we endeavor to grow our expertise whenever possible. I enrolled in MPI training to increase my knowledge of paint application as well as hone my spec-writing skills; some of it was refresher but you always learn something. The MPI Level 2 course was absolutely useful, especially the sections on coating steel, wood, and vertical concrete surfaces, and I picked up some tips I could use right away. I’d highly recommend this course to my peers and colleagues; it will definitely increase their ability to answer customer questions, solve customer problems, and prevent headaches at the jobsite.

Tim Garver,
CSI, CDT, LEED AP, MPI ACT, MPI ACS Architectural Representative, Dunn-Edwards

"The Level 2 content about best practices for painting each type of substrate was especially valuable"

H&H Painting is an open shop contractor that does both new construction and maintenance repaint work. I have a college degree in construction management but wanted to increase my knowledge and expertise in the painting side of the business, so my boss signed me up for MPI Level 1 and Level 2 training. I learned a lot! The Level 2 content about best practices for painting each type of substrate was especially valuable along with the organizing scheme for how to choose re-paint systems when you don’t have an architect’s specs to work with. There’s no other source teaching this material; one of our paint suppliers tries to offer us training but it’s basically only about paint and how it’s made. Now that I’ve passed and received my MPI MCS certification, I know I can give owners expert advice without needing to call my paint sales rep like I often did in the past. I’m better able to prevent jobsite problems before they occur as well as resolve issues when they do come up, all of which helps assure H&H Painting continues to provide excellent and dependable service to our customers.

Cody J. Collmenter,
Project Manager / Estimator, LEED Green Associate, H & H Painting Company, Inc.

"Our team will be able to continue to provide our customers with high quality work"

A&K Painting Company is an open shop total service commercial and industrial painting contractor headquartered in Charlotte, NC. President Kevin Robbins and 10 members of his team graduated MPI Level 1 and three grads are now enrolled in Level 2. Robbins notes, “The paint industry faces a serious problem: the workforce is aging and we need to get the next generation up to speed. At A&K Painting we’re committed to training our less experienced staff, but we have limited time and resources. So we looked for a source of formal training in commercial painting and found MPI. “We enrolled a team of our key personnel and we’re very pleased with the results. MPI Level 1 taught them the theoretical basics of architectural coatings work. Level 2 covers the practical, real-world stuff they deal with every day, with a focus on how to prevent or solve problems before they become costly mistakes; it’s ideal for project managers and field superintendents, even some senior foremen. By mastering this material and getting their MPI-certified credentials, our team will be able to continue to provide our customers with the high quality work A&K is known for. We created a new page on our website to show off our team’s MPI certifications, and look forward to putting more employees into the program in the months ahead.”

Kevin Robbins,
President, A&K Painting

"I can stand out from my competition and be better prepared to give my clients expert advice."

I’ve been in the business for 32 years, and as a Territory Manager, much of my time is spent setting up and working with our independent dealers and their customers. Pratt & Lambert is committed to giving us tools to make us better, and we wanted MPI training because it’s more advanced. If you don’t do something annually to upgrade or keep your knowledge, you’re going to lose it, and I think it’s important to stay current in today’s coatings industry because it’s constantly changing. There was a large amount of information in MPI Level 2; passing the course will help me be more articulate at answering customer questions. It will also help me succeed at opening new accounts because in our market, people trust people who know this business. For our dealers, we are the depended-upon trusted resource who’s supposed to have the answers. The more education I have, the better the resource I am to them; if I was just about selling, there’d be no benefit to doing business with me. I’ve always prided myself as being above the cutting edge; by getting my MPI MCS credentials, I can stand out from my competition and be better prepared to give my clients expert advice.

Carl Burkeen,
Territory Manager, Pratt & Lambert

"Excuse me, but what test did you pass or what certification do you have?"

I’ve been in the industry for 35 years. I took Level 2 because I always like to learn something, plus I like to confirm what I already know. Level 2 didn’t really teach me too much new, though it was a great refresher on stuff I haven’t done for years. But it’s nice to have the MPI MCS credentials: it gives me more caché and credibility. A contractor friend asked me to write a letter on his behalf explaining why a certain situation occurred, and it was helpful to be able to write the MPI certification after my name. And now I’ll get more respect from my bosses, co-workers, and customers. If someone says I don’t know what I’m talking about, I can say “excuse me, but what test did you pass or what certification do you have?” It gives me more respectability.

Ken Carlstrom,
Territory Manager, Pratt & Lambert

"I would highly recommend the MPI Level 2 course to my peers or colleagues."

I‘ve been in architectural coatings for 14 years. I‘m now an outside sales rep calling on facility owners/managers as well as a wide range of contractors, from residential repaint to new construction. I took MPI Level 2 to increase my skills in problem solving in maintenance repaint work. The course covered a great deal of material and I absolutely learned a lot, from the critical aspects of working in proper environmental conditions and surface preparation, to the specific substrate sections. It will clearly make me better at the job I do here every day. I believe that by passing the course and gaining my MPI MCS credentials, I have distinguished myself above the competition in my ability to give customers expert advice, and I believe I will succeed in winning more business. I‘m better prepared to prevent jobsite problems, answer customer questions, and recommend good solutions. I would highly recommend the MPI Level 2 course to my peers or colleagues.

Vicki Roberts,
Outside Sales Rep, Miller Paint

"I’d highly recommend the Level 2 course to my peers or colleagues."

I’ve got over 35 years of experience working with architectural coatings, but I always like to keep my brain fresh. I took MPI Level 2 to help make me better at my job. This is a very detailed course with a lot of content! I found the concrete section to be especially useful; we do a lot with floor and patio coatings and this is tricky work where both we and our customers can struggle a bit. By passing the course and gaining my Architectural Coating Specialist certification, I believe I have distinguished myself from my competition in my ability to give customers expert advice; the credentials will make me more credible and will help me win more business or increase margin. I’m now better able to recommend good solutions to customer problems and answer their questions; I’m also better prepared to prevent jobsite problems and write stronger paint specifications. I’d highly recommend the Level 2 course to my peers or colleagues.

Justine Schulz,
Trade Sales Rep, Cloverdale Paint