With years of experience as a professional residential and commercial painter, Kade Severson founded Big Picture Painting last year to serve the north and south shores with quality exterior and interior paint jobs that come with a warranty, dedicated customer service, and a “give-back” attitude.
Big Picture Painting offers free estimates, free in-person color consultations with every booked job, and a one-, three- or five-year workmanship warranty with all painting services, depending on the selected package.
A native of Southeast Louisiana, Seversen is a self-described “serial entrepreneur” with ambitious plans.
“The reason why I named my painting company ‘Big Picture Painting’ is that building this business is the first step in a grand big picture vision to change the way businesses are structured in our region,” Severson said.
“My goal for Big Picture Painting is to grow the business’s revenue to $5 million, then transition its ownership structure into a worker-owned cooperative — effectively selling 80% of the business to the employees and retaining 20% equity in a holding company that will help facilitate the workers’ cooperative,” he said.
“I would then use the capital from the sale of the business to acquire additional local trade businesses in our region, systematize them and transition their ownership into additional workers’ cooperatives.
“I came across this idea from a business in Spain called ‘Mondragon,’” Severson said. “The concept is very American and competes very well in a capitalist free market. I believe this to be the best solution for addressing the growing inequality in America: creating more ownership opportunities for everyday working Americans.
“No successful business succeeds without strong employees. Why shouldn’t they have an opportunity to benefit from the growth of the business they work so hard for every day?”
InsideOut: About that painting job. What are some of the indications that your exterior paint job is beginning to fail?
Kade Severson: The red flag signs would be any peeling, flaking or chipping paint that is exposing the substrate to water. Yellow flag signs would be fading and oxidation, which are symptoms of paint degradation that will soon lead to peeling, flaking or chipping. A “preventative maintenance” paint job is recommended every five to eight years, depending on the quality of paint used. Maintenance paint jobs are always significantly cheaper than waiting until conditions are very dire and carpentry repair or stucco repair becomes essential.”
InsideOut: What is your go-to paint?
Severson: We use Helm Paint products whenever possible because they are a locally owned company. Benjamin Moore (carried by Helm) has phenomenal paint products that suit every need. We offer “good, better, best” tier options to meet every customer’s needs. Every substrate is unique. Ask a professional which product to use for your substrate.
InsideOut: What are some things to consider when undertaking your own paint job?
Severson: Two simple things to watch out for are making sure you use vinyl-safe color formulations when painting vinyl and using masonry-specific paint products when painting brick, stucco or other masonry.
InsideOut: When is the best time of year to paint your house?
Severson: The summer when it is hot and dry. The thought of painting outside in the Southeast Louisiana heat is the reason why most people end up calling a professional. If it is cold and wet, the paint job will fail. If it is hot and miserable, that is the time to paint. Most people don’t want to do it, but we are used to it.
Inside Sources is a column that tracks trends and provides consumer information from experts in their home and gardening fields.
