The home improvement industry is often seen as just a job or an income that pays the bills until a career is found elsewhere. According to Gallup’s 4 Things Gen Z and Millennials Expect From Their Workplace poll, Generation Z and younger Millennials make up 46% of today’s workforce, creating growing opportunities to encourage younger generations to join and pursue a career in the industry. Paint & Decorating Retailer spoke with two retailers who shared their own career paths and best practices for how to find and develop talent and help their employees establish a career in the industry.
A Hardware Start
Walter Rafolski, owner of Adelaide’s Paint & Decor on St. Simon Island, Georgia, began his paint and decorating career in 1980 mixing paints at his hometown hardware store. During that time, Rafolski met Phil Lancaster, president of Lancaster, a paint and sundry distributor. Lancaster was impressed by Rafolski’s knowledge of color and selling abilities, and in 1988, Rafolski started as a regional paint salesman in southern Georgia and northern Florida.
“It was such a small store that when I visited, I helped restock the shelves, pull stock from the backroom and answer any questions customers had,” Rafolski says. “I got to know Adelaide Jones, who owned Adelaide’s Paint & Decorating, and frequently told her that if she ever wanted to retire, I would buy the store.”
After nearly 10 years on the road and friendship building with Jones, Rafolski, along with his wife Sandra, purchased the business from her and settled down in the St. Simon area in 1998.
“I wanted something I could pass on to my daughter, Rebecca,” Rafolski says. “And this store is what I have to give to her when the time comes.”
Taking the Reins
Jim Praytor began his paint and decorating career in 1993 at Chattanooga Paint & Decorating in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he mixed paint and assisted customers. Praytor applied for the sales position after his roommate’s mom mentioned the store was looking for a part-time employee.
“I started working part time at Chattanooga Paint & Decorating during college,” Praytor says. “I was studying economics, so it was helpful for me to be in a business where I could see the direct impact of each sale on the store, the employees and the surrounding community.”
After graduating college in 1996, Praytor stayed on full time, moving his way up from sales associate to assistant store manager.
“Originally, I didn’t think I wanted to be part of the paint and decorating industry,” Praytor says. “But the inclusiveness and flexibility of the store and the industry led me to the career I didn’t know I needed.”
In 2011, Praytor and his wife Dawn purchased Chattanooga Paint & Decorating from its previous owner, Eric Edmondson, who wanted to take a step back from the business to focus more on his personal life. Since then, Praytor hasn’t looked back, turning a part-time role into a full-time career and continuing to thrive in the industry.
Promoting a Career
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in August 2022 there were large numbers of individuals quitting their jobs, especially in the healthcare and retail industries. This trend emerged at the end of 2021 and has remained steady in the months and years since. In the midst of these continuing labor challenges, retailers need to be creative in how they promote an open role, positioning it as more than just a job. They should explain the benefits for the individual such as health insurance or a 401k, as well as the benefits the employee can bring to the company and even the community.
Working in home improvement retail can mean working long hours and on evenings and weekends, so retailers need to show how it can be a rewarding career especially for those who love to help others solve their problems and have an eye for detail. For Rafolski, that doesn’t necessarily mean putting out an ad in the local newspaper, but talking to individuals in the community one on one to learn about them and how they could benefit each other. Praytor believes the same.
“Retail isn’t the easiest industry to work in,” Praytor says. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done to stay up to speed on all the products and feel comfortable explaining various details to customers.”
Rafolski agrees, adding that those who like working with customers and enjoy solving problems, the paint and decorating industry is a great career option.
Both Rafolski and Praytor had different starts and paths to their careers in the paint and decorating industry. But one thing has kept them with their respective companies for so long—company culture. For Rafolski and Praytor, their company culture consists of friendly and knowledgeable workers, a family atmosphere and a willingness to help customers.
“I honestly believe my employees love what they do and like helping solve customer problems and answer questions,” Rafolski says. “It’s how I got started in the industry and what I want the employees to carry on for the next generation of leadership. If you put the effort into your staff and company within this industry, your employees will give back to you tenfold.”
Praytor agrees, but also says employees stay with employers long term when they offer flexibility and a family atmosphere, which is the case with his staff at Chattanooga Paint & Decorating.
“We treat everyone like family,” Praytor says. “We congratulate each other when someone accomplishes something, either in the store or out in the community, whether it is simply making a solid sale or helping paint the local elementary school with donated paint.”
Investing in Employees
In order to help an employee establish a career within the paint and decorating industry, Rafolski and Praytor suggest paying attention to an applicant’s personality and how it aligns with your company culture.
“When I hire for my store, I look for someone who will fit in with the rest of my staff,” Rafolski says. “I look for employees who enjoy talking with people, can learn the products quickly and aren’t afraid to ask to do more.”
Praytor looks for similar attributes when going through the hiring process. If an individual fits well with the current employees within the business, then that individual is a better match for the company than someone who only knows the products and doesn’t mesh with the rest of the team, Praytor says. Training an employee for specific job duties is easier than training them to fit into your company culture.
One way you can make sure employees are trained in your business is through the North American Hardware and Paint Association’s (NHPA) training programs. These training programs—including everything from retail basics to management principles—help each individual employee be the best they can be.
Showing employees a career path for them in your operation takes time and investment. Offering various training programs, even just the basics of merchandising, selling hardline categories and customer service, show employees they matter to the business. If they feel like they matter, then they are more likely to invest in the operation.
“When you invest in your employees, they will invest back in your business,” Praytor says.
