The year was 1980, when our very own Peter Ducharme started his first job at his family paint store business. Later on, he took over the family business and even ran his own painting company. Doing this, he learned a lot about painting, sales and leadership. Peter then used those skills in other positions held through the painting industry, including working at Sherwin Williams in business development and various positions for a national CertaPro Painters franchise corporation.
In 2020, Peter joined the re:fab team as our Director of Business Development, also overseeing our Recruitment and Development department. When it comes to paint, Peter’s areas of expertise are in sales, marketing, estimating, production, lifecycle cost analysis, budgetary cost analysis, product specifications and paint coatings failure analysis.
If he could give his younger self career advice, it would be to partner with customers. He believes when you work as a team with every customer on every project, then it makes the job come out the way they want it to!
Over the past 40 years, he has received many awards and accreditations including:
- certification with the Rhode Island Small Business Entrepreneurial Training Program
- OSHA-10 certification
- KTE-Tator, Inc. paint coatings safety & health certification
- Sherwin-Williams ArmorSeal® epoxy advanced floor coatings certification
- Color Institute of America certification
- CertaPro Painters LTD Operations General Manager of the Year
- Sherwin-Williams Masters and President’s Club Recipient
So, you know he knows what he is talking about!
Peter’s biggest career accomplishment is helping painting businesses grow to their full potential, including re:fab! He does this by helping teach the sales team how to get in front of new customers. Some of the best ways to do so are to:
- Know your audience
- Stay in touch
- Create and build a personal connection
- Keep them in the loop with new products and services
- Provide routine updates on current projects that working on for them
- Provide solutions that fit their needs
Peter has managed many customer relationships, including working with a large national retailer and helping them rebrand over 500 stores across the US. When asked what he thought was the key to developing customer relationships he said, “Deliver a consistent customer experience every time you interact with their business.”
Providing opportunities for great people is why he loves working at re:fab and why he thinks others should, too. He works hard on building long-term relationships and making friends along the way, whether it’s with a client, coworker, or subcontractors. Peter works hard “every day, until it’s finished.”
His favorite paint color is Urban Putty by Sherwin-Williams. Outside of work, Peter enjoys playing pool, having a nice glass of wine with family and friends, and tries to travel to California whenever he can to visit his son and his adorable granddaughter.
Peter may have 40 years of paint experience, however re:fab’s experience doesn’t stop there. Our painting division has over 150 years of combined experience in painting not just in New England, but all over the USA! Looking for an experienced painting contractor for your next painting project? Contact us today!
