One of Premier’s guiding principles is to “Treat Every Member of the Team Like a Partner”. We believe that every person involved in a project is a valued team member whose contribution is critical to achieving success.

The proven Premier Process, perfected over 18+ years in business, puts partnerships at the center – just like our name! We have seen that when professionals are treated as partners, they perform at their highest levels, to the benefit of all.

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new blog series that shines a spotlight on a group of people who make reaching success possible: our subcontractors.

“Behind the PPE” is a series that highlight individuals and companies we are proud to call partners. Each interview will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the work our subcontractors complete and the chance to see what our Premier Partnership looks like in action.

The first interview highlights Steve Spinelli from Uni Pro Painting who has partnered with Premier on 50+ projects.

What service do you provide?

Uni Pro Painting provides commercial painting and wallcovering services to the northeast Ohio market.

 

What’s a piece of equipment, tool, or technique that’s essential to you or your crew?

Our most essential piece of equipment is the phone. Communication between the field and the office is critical to the success of any company. We have multiple platforms that we use for communicating on various channels depending on the context of the message. Beyond internal communication, we use it for capturing content for social media, as an estimating tool, and a multitude of other applications.

 

What’s one aspect of your trade that you think is misunderstood or underappreciated?

Professional painting has always been a proud trade comprised of true artists and craftsman. The men and women who work with us did so by choice, not by circumstance. There is a bad stigma about the profession that we refuse to be a part of. It is my purpose to be an example for the next generation of painters to show that you can not only provide for your own families, but build a company that offers opportunity and growth to everyone who works for it. That can be as an employee for a great company, or as an entrepreneur who goes out on his own.

 

What does a typical Premier project look like for you?

It is an exciting process! Early on, we are involved in preparing budgetary numbers during the exploration phase of the project. As the projects develop, finishes are selected and you can see the vision take shape. Once the bidding process is complete, we attend a project kickoff meeting. This is where you look around the table and recognize the caliber of people you are going to work with. From the management team at Premier, to the other subcontractors that have been selected for the project, it is truly an exceptional group of professionals at the top of their game.

Working with Premier Development is extremely demanding. The expectations are higher than anywhere else I’ve seen in the industry, and that is why we are so grateful for their partnership. They have elevated us as a company and have been a primary catalyst for our continued development and high standards. We are in great company here. Even the other painting contractors that work with Premier are quality people whose values align with ours. You couldn’t ask for a better situation for not only the construction team, but ultimately for the customer. To have everyone bought into the same vision and focused on the outcome collectively is rarely seen outside of this group. Often, it’s “every man for themselves” where everyone focuses on their own work. On a Premier project, solutions are a collaborative effort across multiple trades for the betterment of the project.

 

Why do you choose to continue partnering with Premier?

Premier’s projects are simply better. They are well organized, detail oriented, clean, and safe. We take a lot of pride in the service we deliver, and the experience that we provide. We invest a lot of time perfecting our means and methods to provide the best product that we can. We exist in a market that is often driven by cost. Our business model does not allow us to be cheapest option. I can assure you that there is a difference between the quality that we provide, and some of the other “options” out there. Premier is no different. I have been on other sites, worked with other contractors in similar projects, and Premier Development has become the standard in which everyone else is compared to.

 

What’s been the most memorable project you’ve worked on with Premier and why?

The Arhaus Headquarters and Distribution Center in Boston Heights would be the most memorable project to date. It was mammoth, and it was our very first experience painting exterior precast. The sheer magnitude of painting a building that size was like nothing we had ever done before. The interior was equally challenging with a multitude of substrates, coatings, and finishes. There were a lot of “firsts” for us on that one, but Premier gave us a chance and trusted us with the project.

 

How do you stay current with new industry trends or technologies?

Necessity breeds innovation. We are always looking for new trends and technologies to provide a better experience for our customers. While working on the Arhaus project, we found a need for additional lighting. I spent some time in the shop and came up with a solution that worked great to provide us with the proper lighting that we needed to produce a great finish on the frames. It worked so well, that I applied for, and was granted a U.S. Patent for the innovation.

 

How do you see the construction industry changing in the next few years, and how are you preparing for that?

AI is having a huge impact on the industry on everything from automating the simplest tasks, to answering our phones, to estimating. The commercial market is already a very transactional environment that, in my opinion, lacks a human connection. We are inundated with emails that provide links to drawings, without even as much as a contact or a phone number to connect with. We will not bid an opportunity without first having a conversation to learn about the project, ask some questions and see if we are aligned.

While I am excited for the technology, I tread cautiously. We are leaning into our culture and putting an emphasis on our people. We are an employee centric company that puts our employee satisfaction first. We have found that by focusing on our employees, they are more productive, we have less turnover, and they produce quality work because they understand that they are such an important part of our success. This ultimately leads to a better client experience and client retention. As more and more automation takes place, I feel that people are going to seek out that human connection and the relationships we create will be even more valuable.