Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Abramson.
Josh, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Many people don’t know that I was a high school dropout that grew up in a single parent home. My mother relied on government assistance to provide us with the basic necessities like food on the table and clothes on our back. Because of this, we had to move a lot growing up which forced my sister and I to attend multiple schools.
Despite these challenges, I used these struggles early on as motivation to build a better life for myself and future family.
In 1987, when I was 21 years old and living in a small apartment with my mother and sister I started a painting and wallpaper hanging business called A.Allbright Wallpaper Hanging & Painting.
Since that time, I’ve grown my start up into a thriving business with a culture that’s centered on the betterment of our customers and our employees.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of my biggest struggles was not identifying our company culture sooner. Because I didn’t have this defined, it allowed individual team members to develop their own values which always didn’t align with the company’s. Identifying our core values which are happiness, trust, a “we” not “me” attitude, and giving our best was really a game changer. We call this our “Painting Happiness” culture which also drives our community outreach initiatives like Paint-It-Forward.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a commercial and residential painting company that serves the Greater Los Angeles Areas. We specialize in servicing all types of residences and commercial spaces, from large HOAs and commercial buildings to small homes. The quality of paint we use combined with our extensive surface preparation work ensures our clients will receive lasting results for years to come.
I’d have to say our biggest accomplishment is how much we’ve been able to give back. Over 11 years ago, ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING was invited to participate on ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover. On the show, myself and a few of our painters helped transform a needy family’s residence into their dream home. It was a truly an inspirational and uplifting experience for everyone involved.
When the project was complete, I was so inspired, that in 2005 I decided to create our own charity paint program so that we could consistently give back to our local community.
A couple times each year, we ask our local community to submit stories of a family or nonprofit organization who they know who are in need of painting but can’t afford it due to some difficulties in life that they may have experienced. Once these stories are submitted, the ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING Happiness Team and its customers vote on the top candidates and announce the winner soon after. The recipient receives up to $10,000 worth of free paint and painting services.
Our program has been so successful, that I regularly get contacted by other painting contractors looking for guidance on starting and growing their own charity programs and nominations from all over the world. Earlier this year, we received a nomination from South Africa! Because of these requests, we decided to create training resources to help other contractors start and grow their own charity programs. We also have a private group on Facebook where others share news about their upcoming events and discuss different aspects of their own programs.
Since completing the first Paint-It-Forward event, and now with other painting contractors joining the movement, our combined efforts over the years have reached a goal of over $1,000,000 worth of free painting services and materials delivered to deserving families and nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and Canada.
I was awarded the April 2017 Small Business of the Month award by California Assemblyman Dante Acosta for our work with Paint-It-Forward, was featured on former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley’s SiriusXM Radio program American Voices, to discuss how Paint-It-Forward was started and has grown over the past decade, and also received two National Humanitarian Awards (2013 and again 2015) by the PDCA, our painting trade association. It was truly an honor to be recognized for something I’m so passionate about.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
I personally define it by the measure of everyone’s “happiness” who comes into contact with ALLBRiGHT 1-800-PAINTING:
TEAM – By the smiles on the employees faces and how happy they are coming to work. We want to be the best place anyone has ever worked, we publicly state that and we work hard at achieving that. When we hear from many people saying “your team is just so delightful to work with because everyone is so happy” then we know. This is a common occurrence.
CUSTOMERS – When we read all the 5-star Yelp reviews online about how happy they are with their painting experience from the initial contact with our staff to the moment they see their completely transformed home or office.
COMMUNITY – When we hear from our local community that they want to hire us because of how involved we are with helping people within our community by donating more and more of our services.
Contact Info:
- Address: 27903 Smyth Drive
Valencia, CA 91355 - Website: https://www.allbrightpainting.com
- Phone: (661) 294-1159
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/allbrightpainting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AALLBRIGHTPAINTING
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/allbrightpaint
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/allbright-1-800-painting-valencia
- Other: https://www.allbrightpainting.com/paint-it-forward/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
