New Prague, MN www.nickslavik.com 952-393-5305

Three for the Money

A ’typical project’ turned into a fundraiser and a day of sharing and companionship.

Three Minnesota contractors united for a day-long fundraiser; we’ll let them tell you in their own words.

Nick Slavik
There is a huge Mainstreet reconstruction project going on in my hometown of New Prague, and part of this is to build a brand-new Veterans Memorial. A local family is heading up fundraising. We decided to take one of my standard repaint jobs, bring three companies together for one day, paint this entire thing and then donate the money we made to the New Prague Veterans Memorial Fund. Titan brought a truckload of sprayers and gave us lunch. Sherwin-Williams donated paint.

We broke it out by side, trying to make sure the house got coated evenly throughout the day so we could observe good dry times. What’s fun is Chris Mole from way up in northern MN drove down with people. We paired him up with my craftsperson Tina. We were cross-training as companies; it’s fun to share experience and techniques.

Chris Mole, Mr Mole’s Painting, Bagley, MN
The place was so organized; I was amazed at how Nick’s people set things up so quickly and efficiently. As I walked around the jobsite with my crew, I was pointing out how systematic and orderly everything was. Nick gathered us together in the garage for a mini war room meeting where he went in depth on his SOPs.

He broke us up into teams, mingling my crew with his. I was put with his master craftsperson Tina. Obviously he put me on the hardest side of the house, the east side, with the steepest terrain!

On the second coat, Nick challenged me to a duel: three windows on the garage. It was on! There wasn’t a chance I was letting him beat me. Just as I was on the last leg, I turned to face the craftsman and saw him look up at me with a grin... obviously, I got I got the bigger window. What a day! One I will remember for a long time.

Ryan Turry, Headwaters Painting, Minneapolis, MN
Being invited to participate in Nick’s project was a highlight of my year. The opportunity to work together on a project with painters from other companies, let alone peers that you admire highly, is a rare thing. Nick did a great job coordinating everyone by assigning teams to each side of the house and garage. This way everyone knew their boundaries, which allowed teams to break down their tasks for efficiency. This also allowed us to interact and learn from each other while we worked together to accomplish our goal for the day.

I took away a couple of simple yet powerful tips and strategies from Nick’s team. One was the advantage of using a small tool belt to hold my hand tools instead of trying to use my pants pockets. The other was using ladders that are easier to lift and use compared to the ones I have. I’m thankful for the opportunity to work alongside Chris, Nick and their crews. It was a special day.

Each painting company was assigned a part of the house.

Key Products

• Minwax Polycrylic