A New Business Launch

I thought all of you would be interested to know that Brandon Lewis Group, LLC recently launched a new business, and you can learn more about it at www.MyCampaignTreasurer.com.  For years, I felt that there was an under-served market for state and local campaigns when it came to political campaign fundraising software, political consulting, and gaining access to resources about political fundraising.

So, I built www.MyCampaignTreasurer.com in order to meet that need.  I also wrote a political campaign fundraising book titled How to Raise Money for Political Office: The Original Guide to Winning Elections Through Aggressive, Organized Fundraising.  After years of being frustrated at not being able to find a book exclusively devoted to the fundraising aspect of a political campaign, I decided to pen one myself.  You can also check out this political campaign fundraising book at LuLu for purchase.

Here’s to starting a new chapter.

Thanks for reading!

Brandon Lewis

Interior House Painters Chattanooga TN – Tips

Wintertime is one of the best times to start an interior painting project.

As a result, we find ourselves working on these kinds of projects throughout the winter season.  Wallpaper removal, popcorn removal, sheetrock repair, and just plain old interior painting are all on the list.

If you need help with your project, Click Here or call 423-648-4408.  But, if you’re going to tackle an interior painting project on your own, here are a few helpful interior painting tips to consider:

Interior Painting Tips

Organize and Protect Your Work Space – To begin, make certain to protect your floors, furniture, and other household items.  Use drop-cloths, blue painter’s tape, and plastic to ensure that if an accident does occur, it won’t leave you with a mess of a permanent nature.

Work From the Top Down – Start with ceilings, ceiling trim, and then move down to walls, and then doors and baseboards.  Even the most careful painter can’t suspend the laws of gravity, and roller spatters and paint drips will inevitably occur.  Working from the top down means that when you’re finished, you’re actually finished.

Use Color Samples – We’ve all been in a situation where the color on the one-inch-square swatch doesn’t look nearly as good when painted in an entire room.  To prevent this, it’s a good idea to get a paint sample from the store and apply a 4′x4′ square so you can get a better idea if the color is really a fit for you.  Most samples cost about $5.00-$6.00 and are well worth the peace of mind they give, and labor they save if you decide the color you’ve selected isn’t a good fit.

Prep the Surfaces – Properly preparing surfaces to receive paint is an important part of the process.  Sand pre-existing runs, spackle or mud holes and indentations, and prime bare, uncoated surfaces where appropriate.

Apply the Paint – Make sure to put enough paint on your brush or roller to achieve good coverage.  ”Dry brushing” your surfaces can create additional work for you, and leave you with a streaky finish.  If you are using egg-shell or semi-gloss finishes, cut-in and roll your walls in the same time frame.  Failure to do so will result in “hatbanding”, creating a noticeable contrast between the areas that are brushed and those that are rolled.

I hope you’ve found these suggestions to be helpful.  If we can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to call.

Best Regards, Brandon Lewis

If you need a house painting estimate, feel free to call Painter Ready at 648-4408, or simply use our online estimate request form.  Painter Ready professionally performs a wide array of coatings, pressure washing, and simple carpentry services for customers in TN and GA, including Signal Mountain, Hixson, Cleveland, Soddy Daisy, Lookout Mountain, Rock Springs, Ringgold, Rossville, East Ridge, McDonald, Ooltewah, Harrison, Sale Creek, Apison, Dayton, Chickamauga, and Lafayette.

Christmas Decorating Services Chattanooga Article – Times Free Press

 

This was a great article written in the Times Free Press about our Christmas Decorating Services. I’ve reprinted the content below and picture above.  You can visit our sister company’s website, Christmas Ready, at www.ChristmasReadyChatt.com

Click Here for a link to the original story!

published Saturday, November 12th, 2011

Chattanooga area businesses ramp up holiday hiring

Brandon Lewis looked on as one of his workers stood about 25 feet in the air, stretching from his ladder to just barely reach the peak of the roof he was stringing with Christmas lights.

The job looked tough, maybe even dangerous, but Lewis and his crew are used to the risk.

For most of the year, the decorators are hanging from ladders painting houses. But when Christmas season rolls around, the Painter Ready painters trade in their brushes and pails for lights and wreaths to work in the Christmas Ready division of the business.

“We have some really good professionals that work for us, but during the winter months you cannot give away a paint job,” Lewis, the company’s owner, said. “That’s the worst time of the year you can tell your men that work is slowing down.”

So rather than risk losing good employees to steadier work, Lewis decided to start his Christmas decorating business in 2010. He expects Christmas Ready will break even this year and hopes as the company gets more established in years to come it will turn a profit.

“Roller Coaster” Work

Several Chattanoogans open temporary holiday-themed businesses starting mid-October to capitalize on the biggest spending season of the year.

“The seasonal crunch — it’s like a roller coaster,” said Bob Eichelberger, who was working a Calendar Club kiosk at Hamilton Place Thursday afternoon.

His wife has sold calendars and board games for years, but this is his first time helping her out. Business has been steadily building so far, he said, but he’s bracing for when that roller coaster reaches the top of its ascent on Black Friday.

“After that it’s a thousand-mile-per-hour run to Christmas,” he said.

Seasonal Kiosks

Hamilton Place officials were unable to say how many temporary holiday shopping outlets they had, but Katie Reinsmidt, spokeswoman for CBL & Associates Properties Inc. which owns Hamilton Place and Northgate malls, said each has between 15 to 40 kiosks rented.

Locally owned businesses also benefit from the holiday boom. Chris Thomas, executive director of the Chattanooga Market, said the weekends leading up to Christmas are the biggest markets of the year. In 2010, the thousands who strolled by the 120 to 150 holiday booths spent $150,000, and this year Thomas expects that amount to climb well above $200,000.

And demand is growing. Thomas has hosted a holiday market for the past 10 years, but 2010 was the first he ever extended it two more weekends and moved it inside to Warehouse Row.

That shopping center didn’t have enough space, so this year he booked 36,000 square feet in the Chattanooga Convention Center. That still left more than 50 vendors out in the cold, so next year he plans to roughly double his space.

“We probably could do it this year, but we don’t like to wait till the last minute,” he said. “We’re trying to see what we can get away with, but we’re kind of down to the wire.”

Personalized Service

High pressure seems to be the name of the game when it comes to holiday sales. Heather Hale spends long days sitting at a Hamilton Place kiosk writing names and personalized messages on ornaments during the mall’s extended holiday hours.

She and three other writers will have to work under the close scrutiny of impatient customers while they hunch over their desks, holding their faces inches from the clay and glass surfaces they spend all day printing on.

She writes dedications for a lot of wedding anniversaries, baby’s first Christmases and occasionally an inside joke from a bachelorette party.

“I love it, but the hours aren’t so much fun,” she said. “I’ll sleep come January.”

Tank Painting Contractors (Painters) Chattanooga TN

Many commercial and industrial concerns have reasons for having large storage tanks on their premises.  Some of the most common reasons are to store water and fuel.  However, some tanks contain specialized chemicals and even pressurized hazardous substances.

Tanks are usually composed of metal substrates such as steel, aluminum, and stainless steel according to the properties of what they contain and whether or not these metals will interact with the contents.  Regardless of a tank’s composition, at some point almost all tanks need painting on their exterior.

Most tanks are properly prepped to remove rust and corrosion through methods such as grinding or blasting with aggregate.  Thereafter, they are primed (if necessary) and coated with a top coat.

Common materials used on tanks come from manufacturers like Carboline (Carbomastic Lines) and Sherwin Williams (Macropoxy Lines) for under-coatings and then use urethanes for top coatings.  These coatings are two part epoxies that require skill and training to apply.

Some customers, however, may simply choose to use more common products like simple rust-inhibiting metal primers that are one part followed by an industrial enamel top coat system.  Choosing a product depends on the preference of the customer and the requirements of the substrate coated.

Coatings are often applied with high volume mechanical sprayers, but can also be brushed and rolled – especially if the environment nearby could be susceptible to overspray from a mechanical application.

If your facility has a tank that needs to be painted, please call Painter Ready for a free estimate at 423-648-4408, or feel free to fill out our online estimate form.

Painter Ready serves the greater Chattanooga Area in a two hour radius of travel.

Christmas Light Installation (Holiday Decoration Service) Chattanooga

 

I wanted to share with you a blog that is on our sister company’s website.  Enjoy this post from Christmas Ready - Brandon Lewis

Americans love a holiday, and they love to decorate for that holiday.  While many companies provide services to decorate for a variety of holidays and seasons, most of them focus on decorating the interior of the home.  These companies are very often interior designers.  They can help make the interior of your home come alive with a festive spirit.

However, there are some companies, like Christmas Ready, that focus on helping you decorate for the holidays primarily on the exterior of your home.  We can help you visualize the focal point of your home and offer ideas to call attention to it, creating your custom display from that point and working outward.  As we are writing out the design sketch for your home for our Christmas light installers, we make certain to move forward with an eye for symmetry and classic appeal.

Christmas decorators like Christmas Ready can help you by providing ideas on your design and the products you select, but some of the biggest advantages to working with a holiday decoration service provider is the time you save, the expertise you get, and the peace of mind you receive from keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Christmas light installation along rooflines is a great way to set off your home and frame your display.  Placing lights along driveways with stake-lighting and highlighting your homes central entrance with lighting, wreaths, garland, and bows gives a designer a central point to work from.  Thereafter, thinking about framing windows, wrapping trees, or lighting foliage is a good thing to consider.

When lighting your home for Christmas, it makes sense to stick with about two and at most three color combinations.  Sometimes, a display can quickly become overwhelming to the eye.  While white lights are certainly still the most popular, colored lights are making a comeback this season and sales are trending up for them.

Lastly, installing Christmas wire frame sculptures or nativity scenes can really add a nice touch and make your display unique in your neighborhood.

If you need the services of a professional Christmas Decorator or Christmas Light Installer, feel free to call Christmas Ready at 648-4408 or schedule your free estimate at www.ChristmasReadyChatt.com We serve Chattanooga, Signal Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Soddy Daisy, Harrison, Cleveland, Ringgold, Lafayette, Hixson, Rossville, and the greater Chattanooga area.  Christmas Ready is a sister company of Painter Ready www.PainterReadyChatt.com

 

 

Industrial Painting Contractor (Painters) Chattanooga TN

You may often hear painting contractors reference the types of work they perform.  Usually, this work is broken down into the areas of residential, commercial, and industrial.  Very often, there is a fine line that separates the distinguishing characteristics between commercial and industrial applications.

Here are a few circumstances that if present may tip the project in the industrial painting category:

• Type of Material Applied – Often, industrial painting applications involve using solvent based products, or two part epoxies.  These products require more knowledge and skill to appropriately apply.
• Type of Surface Painted – Industrial painting often involves applying coatings to metal surfaces, such as tanks and piping (pictured above), or other surfaces that are part of a physical plant that are expected to be maintained for very long periods of time.
• Preparation of Surfaces – Very often, industrial painting requires that the contractor (painter) use significant effort to properly prepare the surface to receive a premium coating that may be a solvent or a two part epoxy.  This may include aggregate blasting – sand, plastic, or even dry ice.
• Environment – Usually industrial painters work in environments that require a greater degree of awareness and professionalism.  Projects may be inside working plants or other manufacturing environments that cannot be interrupted for maintenance painting.

If you have an industrial painting project and are looking for an industrial painting contractor in Chattanooga, TN or Northwest Georgia, please feel free to call Painter Ready at 648-4408 or use our website to fill out our estimate request form.  Our industrial painters will be glad to assist you.

Christmas Decorators (Light Installers) Chattanooga

The following blog was taken from the website of our sister company, Christmas Ready, which can be found at www.ChristmasReadyChatt.com .

It expounds a little further on lighting specifics.  We hope you enjoy!

When someone is looking to hire a Christmas light installer, generally they are trying to avoid the time spent on unpacking, installing, and packing up their Christmas lights.  Often, Christmas lights are tangled, broken, or otherwise in disrepair.  Getting up on high ladders to install Christmas lights along roof and gutter lines, especially if they are in very high peaks, can be frustrating an unnerving.

By in large, there are only a few types of Christmas lights that are installed on the exterior of homes and businesses.

The first type are incandescent lights that contain a filament:

• C9 bulbs – These are large glass bulbs about 3 inches tall (typically used to outline rooflines)
• C7 bulbs – These are slightly smaller glass bulbs about 2 ¼ inches tall (again used for rooflines)
• Miniature lights (minis) – These are tiny lights that come in strands of 100 and 50.
• Icicle Lights – These are miniature lights that hang down in strands of 5 to 7 bulbs per stand to simulate the appearance of icicle hanging from rooflines.
• Net lights – These are miniature lights used to cover bushes in a uniform fashion.
• Flood Lights – These are used to highlight Christmas decorations that have been installed such as nativity scenes and wreaths.

The second type of lights are LED’s.  These use remarkably less electricity than incandescent bulbs, but are more expensive.  LED’s are available in most any shape and size and mimic the traditional styling of incandescent bulbs.

All these lights are installed on houses using clips and when ran along roof and gutter lines.  Lights ran along sidewalks and driveways can be installed using light stakes.

In you need to have your Christmas lights installed by professional Christmas light installers, please call Christmas Ready at 648-4408 or feel free to schedule your estimate online.  We service the Greater Hamilton County areas including Chattanooga, Hixson, Soddy Daisy, Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Cleveland, TN.  We also cover Northwest Georgia including Ringgold, Chickamauga, Rossville, Dalton and Rock Springs, GA.  And, we always travel as needed to service our clients

Deck Cleaning and Sealing Chattanooga

Cleaning and sealing your deck are important in order to preserve the life of the structure.  Cleaning a deck is typically accomplished by using a pressure washer accompanied by some sort of solution, typically a bleach or deck wash mixture.

When you are cleaning your deck with a pressure washer, it is important not to use too much pressure.  Using too much pressure can result in “furring” your wood.  Furring occurs when the water pressure actually lifts up and splinters the wood on the surface of the decking.  The remedy for this, although the aim is to prevent furring, is to sand down the areas back even with the surface.

Using special washes to combat particularly noticeable grease spots from outdoor grilling help to make certain that there will be no issues with adhesion – particularly when using latex products.

When people refer to sealing a deck they usually mean applying a clear sealant without pigment to the surfaces.  Although most deck stains also “seal” the wood (i.e. protect it from moisture and the elements) in addition to changing the appearance.  Often the term “sealing” and “staining” are used interchangeably.

Clear deck sealers are great for people who want to preserve the natural work look of wood.  However, sometimes, people are disappointed when a deck that is sealed with a clear sealer begins to gray again.  Graying is a natural occurrence for all woods over time.  While graying can’t be prevented it can be disguised.  Tones, which are sealers with a slight amount of pigment, create the most natural look possible for decking.  However, they are not as long lasting because they lack the solids found in semi-transparent and solid stains.

If you need help sealing or cleaning your deck, please call Painter Ready at 648-4408 or schedule a free estimate on our website.  We serve the greater metropolitan area of Chattanooga including North Georgia.

Christmas Decoration Installers Chattanooga

Dear Painter Ready Customers,

I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about our new sister company Christmas Ready (www.ChristmasReadyChatt.com).

At Christmas Ready, our mission is to improve the experiences of our residential and commercial customers during the holiday season by creating festive surroundings through professionally installed Christmas decorations.  We keep you off high ladders and roof tops and allow you to spend time with your family and friends during the Christmas Season instead of unpacking, installing, and repacking your Christmas decorations.  We’ll even provide you the Christmas decorations you need and store your decorations at our facility until the next holiday season.

Our services include the following for our residential and commercial clients:

• Installation of incandescent mini lights, LED lights, C9 and C7 bulbs in an array of configurations (web, icicle, or traditional set ups.)
• Installation of Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, and bows.
• Installation of ground lighting effects.
• Set up of wire frame displays, nativity scenes, inflatables, and large exterior Christmas displays.
• Service of existing light displays.
• Sales of Christmas decorations.
• Installation of timers, extension cords, and other pertinent electrical components of Christmas displays.
• Take down and storage of exterior Christmas decorations.

Christmas Ready is the sister company of Painter Ready.  This means that instead of seasonal workers, your project will be professionally executed by the same career craftsmen that Chattanoogans have trusted for years in their homes and businesses.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post, and we look forward to hearing from you this Christmas season!

House Painters Chattanooga TN

When you are looking to contract with someone to paint your house, make sure to hire professional, licensed, and reputable house painters.  Here are a few tips to help you along your way:

• As for references – often, reputable house painters will have references listed on their website or within their proposal to further legitimize their firm.
• Insurance – Most painting contractors will furnish you with a certificate of insurance with their proposal.  Even if you do get a certificate of insurance, a further, prudent step is to have the insurance agent fax or email you a copy directly from their office.  Producing fraudulent and “Swiss cheese” policies is all too easy.
• New Construction vs. Repaints – Hire a contractor who primarily works on existing structures.  House painters who are used to working in new construction environments often pick up methods and habits that aren’t conducive to painting existing, occupied homes.
• No Deposit Needed – Reputable house painters should not require a deposit to start work and should not ask for payment until the job is completely finished, unless your home is truly large and the project stretches over several weeks.  The only other exception to this rule would be if you are ordering expensive specialty products and coatings.
• When can you start? – When you call a painting contractor who can “start right away” usually this means one of three things: 1) They are presently without work 2) They may have a surplus of painters or 3) They are between starting projects and can work you in the scheduling window.  Most painting contractors with a good following will usually be anywhere from a week to three weeks out.  When you go into a restaurant that has a wait or one where the parking lot is always full, there is a good chance the food and service will be great.  In like manner, an empty parking lot and an empty dining room is usually a bad sign.  Keeping a buffer of projects in inventory is the best way to manage your labor force and keep the best painters; that’s why most professional house painters will have a short wait before they can begin your project.
• A Detailed Professional Estimate – Quality house painters should furnish you with a detailed estimate that breaks out labor and materials according to the line items that you request.  Scribbled written estimates often leave too much room for interpretation, and you may be asked to pay more than you originally agreed to pay.

I hope these tips help you as you search for your house painter in the Chattanooga area.

If you need a house painting estimate, feel free to call Painter Ready at 648-4408, or simply use our online estimate request form.  Painter Ready professionally performs a wide array of coatings, pressure washing, and simple carpentry services for customers in TN and GA, including Signal Mountain, Hixson, Cleveland, Soddy Daisy, Lookout Mountain, Rock Springs, Ringgold, Rossville, East Ridge, McDonald, Ooltewah, Harrison, Sale Creek, Apison, Dayton, Chickamauga, and Lafayette.

 

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