Meet Me In St. Louis

Curtis Turner of Mineral Area Pro Wash was thinking a while back  that he’d like to get to know the other pressure washing contractors in his area, so he posted up at www.ptstate.com and www.uamcc.org asking if anybody else in the St. Louis area was interested in having lunch together.

Well, he had lunch with some contractors alright!

This Saturday past, Curtis met up with a gaggle of pressure washing professionals and had a good meal, and a great conversation.  I was fortunate to be there with the almost twenty contractors who gathered for a chat with other pros about the industry.  Bob Williamson of Pressuretek made the trek from Cleveland, Ohio, but he wasn’t the only long-distance tripper.  My fellow UAMCC Transition Team member Michael Kreisle came all the way from Nicholasville, Kentucky, and I drove down from my home in Omaha, Nebraska.  Dave Olsen of Tidy Powerwash Service brought his uber-rig from the Champaign, Illinois area.  Dave is a long-time veteran in the industry, and it was an honor meeting and talking with him.

St. Louis area natives included Robert Kramer of St. Louis Pro Wash, a young contractor who is off to a great start.  Don Marler (pictured with Dave Olson’s rig) was there.  Don owns Marler’s Pressure Washing in Gray Summit, Missouri, and is the granddaddy of St. Louis round tables.  His late-winter 2006 RT formed the mold for a whole new generation of business-oriented rather than technically-oriented round tables.  Don is shy to take credit, but the industry owes him a debt for his vision.

Larry Davis of Roof Rescue in Cape Girardeau, Missouri stopped in for lunch and conversation.  His plans this year include expanding, and perhaps replacing, his deck refinishing service with roof cleaning.  I’m sure I am leaving people out, but certainly not on purpose.  There was a crowd of contractors there, and I regret that I  didn’t get to meet and talk with everybody.

Roof cleaning, adding residential work to commercial business plans (and vice versa), and the approaching launch of the UAMCC led topics of discussion, but the conversation was wide-ranging.  We traded personal anecdotes along with common business practices, tips, and advice for most of the afternoon over a large spread of Ponderosa Buffet food generously paid for by Bob Williamson.

Representing the growth in the industry were some unfamiliar faces and names such as Chris Reinhardt and his lovely partner Darla, who just bought a large amount of equipment from a local contractor leaving the industry.  Chris has been in residential window cleaning since 2001, and is making the leap to expand into additional pressure washing services, and commercial cleaning this year.  He has never been on the industry boards in the past, so let’s welcome him as he makes himself familiar out there.

It was a great time, and it was exciting to meet so many colleagues in person, rather than as lines of text, or voices on the phone.  I know I speak for Michael and Denise, as well as myself, when I say, “Thanks for having us, we look forward to getting together in the future.”

Planning a large round table or a small gathering in your own area can be a fun and rewarding task.  We all like to discuss our business and industry, so think about putting a gathering together in your end of the world.  If you do, we will feature it here on www.pressurewashingnews.com . 

Scott Millen

www.stainlessdeal.com