(Parkesburg, Pennsylvania)---People go into business for themselves for many reasons. For Garnet Valley residents John and Kate Fecile, their reason hits closer to home than most.
In February 2011, their son, Michael, suffered a traumatic, debilitating brain injury after falling four stories from his apartment balcony near Penn State University, where he was a sophomore majoring in psychology. A talented high school football player, Michael was a student manager for the Penn State football team and wanted to pursue a coaching career himself.
Though he survived the fall, Michael required 24-hour care and was confined to his bed, unable to speak. After fighting courageously for more than four years – aided by his parents, four siblings and extended family members along with an extremely dedicated group of health aides and volunteers – Michael passed away in May 2015 at home at the age of 24.
John and Kate Fecile opened CertaPro Painters of Western Chester County in July after John, 54, spent 30 years in the insurance industry.
“Our business was started to create a new life for us after Michael died in 2015,” John said. “Although he required 24-hour care, we cared for him at home until his death. We were helped immeasurably by the love and support of our families and our community. We chose to start our business to give ourselves a new life and to contribute more directly to our community.”
CertaPro Painters is America’s largest and most-referred painting company. Headquartered in Parkesburg, CertaPro Painters of Western Chester County also serves customers in Atglen, Avondale, Coatesville, Cochranville, Honeybrook, Landenberg, Lincoln University, Nottingham, Oxford, Toughkenamon and West Grove.
Commercial and residential painting is an estimated $40 billion industry in the U.S. and Canada. CertaPro has been ranked No. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in its category for the last three years and boasts a customer referral rate that exceeds 95 percent.
Conversely, according to estimates, the largest U.S. painting companies have less than one percent market share and more than 76 percent of businesses in the painting industry have four employees or fewer. But best-in-class operational systems and procedures make CertaPro the most professional business model in the industry and its satisfied customers are the direct benefactors.
“I share CertaPro’s strong commitment to delivering a great customer experience and to the personal and professional development of everyone in the organization, including the painting contractors we employ,” Fecile said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of actively employed painting and wall-covering contractors will increase by 38.5 percent during the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020. The bureau further concluded that sales of residential painting services are likely to increase by an annual rate of three to four percent during the same period.
“Our business goals are to create satisfied customers, painters and employees first,” Fecile said. “We would like to grow our business to include new territories as they become available. We expect to have a $3 million painting company in five years.”
Fecile said CertaPro Painters has been well-received throughout Chester County and the company is already giving back. CertaPro Painters is providing discounted services to Homes For Our Troops – which builds mortgage-free, specially adapted homes nationwide for severely injured veterans – as well as Home of the Sparrow, which is headquartered in Exton and provides housing and supportive services to homeless and low-income women looking to become self-sufficient.
About CertaPro Painters
Founded in 1991, Oaks, Pennsylvania-based CertaPro Painters is the largest painting company in North America. With more than 350 independently owned and operated franchises worldwide, CertaPro provides a customer-driven painting experience for both residential and commercial properties that is unparalleled in the industry (both residential and commercial). The company’s stellar service and proven business system have made CertaPro North America’s most referred painting company. For more information, visit www.certapro.com