When Travis Detter founded Spectrum Paint Co. in Oklahoma in 1986, he knew he wanted to go into business for himself, and the paint industry was the path he took. In the beginning, he was the only employee. Now, Spectrum Paint employs more than 600 people across 92 stores in ten states—and is growing.
“I had no idea we’d ever get to this many stores with this many people, but I always knew we wanted to grow,” Detter says. “I think even from the very beginning, whenever I would talk to our prospective suppliers or vendors, I wanted to be able to compete with anybody. We wanted to sell to big contractors, small contractors and homeowners, and we wanted to be competitive. That’s been a focus since day one.”
Recently, NHPA brought Detter on the “Taking Care of Business” podcast to talk about the history of the company, NHPA’s Renee on the Road trip to Oklahoma, how the company focuses on employee training and much more. Tune into episode 70 to learn more about this inspiring independent retailer.
