In this edition of The Painting Life, we introduce five of the charter members of Hispanic Customer Advisory Board, created under the auspices of Sherwin-Williams. This is Eduardo Esquivel.
Born in Mexico City, Eduardo Esquivel worked for 30 years in Procter & Gamble plants as an engineer and project manager. Living in Mexico, his work took him to live in other countries
such as Brazil and Venezuela, until he arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the multinational company’s headquarters are located. Upon retiring in July 2020, he decided to purchase
the 360° Painting franchise for the Cincinnati territory, thus changing his foreign worker visa status to an investor visa status, and keeping his family together living in the United States.
“Without the franchise it would have taken me years to get started,” he says. “I had no experience in construction or painting, and now we are the third largest 360° Painting franchise in the United States.”
The arrangement also means it must pay royalties on its sales.
“Although it is money that we could invest in other things, we are doing well,” he says. “We achieved the break-even point and the experience to present estimates and carry out work in the first weeks of operation thanks to the tools and support that the franchise provides us. We invoice about $1.6 million a year, and being a franchise helps us give customers the assurance that we have support and that we are a respectable company.”
As for painting, “we learned about the business thanks to our painters, videos on YouTube, other franchisees and Sherwin- Williams,” he says. “My wife Gabriela Cerrillo, who is also an engineer, is good at painting and directing the works. I am dedicated to sales and making orders and estimates.”
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For Esquivel, being Latino is an advantage in this industry; customers know that we are very hard-working and appreciate it. He also has great confidence that the Hispanic Advisory Board created by Sherwin-Williams will be a great support for young Hispanics who want to enter the industry.
“If they do it seriously and with quality, there are many opportunities to grow and succeed,” he says.
Este artículo fue escrito por Jorge Arboleda, editor senior de Pintor Pro, y se publicó en la edición de otoño de 2024 de Pintor Pro. ©2024 Fusable. Fotografía cortesía de 360° Painting.
