Today we’d like to introduce you to Chase D’Ambrosio.
Hi Chase, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Price, Utah in 1988 to my parents Bonnie and Terry D’Ambrosio with 4 older siblings. My father was a mechanic in the coal mines and my mother was a lunch lady at our local catholic school, in addition to them helping run the family farm.
My work background started at about 12 on the family farm when my parents had noticed me at a crossroads and I had started to hang around with a bunch of older kids getting into trouble. To their credit, my parents could identify my misguided rebellion at the time, and instead of trying to control the outcome, potentially pushing me further in the wrong direction, they provided a counterbalance with responsibility, hard work, and integrity, foundational values that many of my peers were missing at the time.
There were so many days where the last place I wanted to be was on the farm, especially when my buddies were playing basketball or hanging out. However, in retrospect, I attribute those moments as being some of the most valuable and applicable experiences for me now running a business. Allowing yourself to be ‘comfortable with being uncomfortable’ I’ve learned is essential for personal growth and development and crucial for running a business.
In addition to the farm, I had also volunteered and worked at various other jobs and throughout our small town since I was about 13 years old. With integrity and respect at the forefront of every interaction, I started to develop a decent reputation and network throughout our little town, all the while subconsciously planting my roots deeper within in the community I love.
I started working part-time at what was formerly known as Southeast Paint and Wallcovering at the end of 2008 while concurrently working for the State Library System as an assistant bookmobile librarian, which paid well and had great benefits. At the time I was in my early 20’s and as much as I had appreciated my mission statement working for the library, I felt the office politics at the time were WAY more than what I wanted to deal with and felt that it stifled my character. So after just a couple of years, I decided to quit the State Library and work full time for Southeast Paint in 2009, seeing that it was an environment that not only allowed me to be my entire self, but also encouraged and nurtured my positive and curious nature. Our local bookmobile unfortunately soon then dissolved due to those same politics, so I guess I made the right choice at the right time.
Southeast Paint is an independent, custom paint, wallpaper, and window-covering store that was established in 1983. I started working for the 2nd generation owner, a man named Ed Howa who mentored me and taught me so much of what I needed to know about the paint business. He also taught me to personally invest myself into your customers and their projects. I really appreciated and respected the way that he took the time to engage with everyone and how he chose to invest his time with his clients, which I had never really experienced in a retail atmosphere before, which is why I really gravitated toward working at Southeast Paint. The passive, hands-on, educational approach that we took to helping people with their projects was admirable and meaningful in its own way, which that environment I feel can only exist within the ethos of a small business. A concept and philosophy that we will forever embrace.
In 2015 Ed decided to close up shop for whatever reason and was either going to sell the business or liquidate the inventory and dissolve the company, whichever came first. This situation had left my employment in a sense of limbo, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after having dedicated 6 years to an organization that I had believed so much in. Luckily for me, 2 of our clients, Debbie and Neil Breinholt, who were friends with Ed, and whom I had gotten to know from working with them at the store over the years, was willing to make Ed an offer. This offer would be contingent upon my willingness to move, manage, find a crew, and help them rebrand the store into Breinholt’s Southeast Paint and Design.
Looking back on that time, it’s hard to fully embrace the risk that Debbie, essentially a complete stranger a few years prior had actually taken on by having made this decision and putting so much of its success on me and my dedication to the cause. At that point, although I enjoyed my position at Southeast Paint and wallcovering, much of the value was based upon what I could learn as opposed to what I could earn and felt as if this could be my opportunity to elevate my position for myself and for my family. Not to mention, I could continue doing what I loved to do, the way I love doing it! I was very fortunate for the opportunity but knew we had a lot riding on our success and that mitigating failures was our only option.
I managed Breinholt’s Southeast Paint and Design for about 3.5 years before we got so busy that we had a hard time keeping up with the demand of the store with everything else that they personally had going on. We started conditioning me toward ownership by introducing me to the facets of the business, like book-keeping and payroll that I wasn’t as familiar with to provide me a comprehensive understanding of what I was about to sign myself up for.
In addition to all of the previous risks that the Breinholt’s had taken with this endeavor, we sat down, created a financing plan, wrote out a contract and on September 1st, 2019, at 31 years old, I became a small business owner.
Within 6 months of me having purchased the paint shop, the world came to a screeching halt in response to the globalized Covid-19 pandemic, and humanity was faced with an unprecedented circumstance, leaving us all to adapt and respond to it the best way we thought possible at the time. For small retailers it was especially difficult having to adjust to the societal and industry changes, and we had only been in business for 6 months at that point. Personally, we decided to error on the side of keeping our friends, families, and community members safe, by closing our doors for the first few months and conducting business through curbside pick-up, despite all of the challenges that it presented to us and our customers. We were able to purchase strategically and relied on many previously established professional relationships to help navigate through the product shortages as well as all of the other challenges, and we made it happen! There were a few criticisms of course, but ultimately our approach was very much appreciated by the community and allowed us to even win the “Carbon County Small Business of the Year” award in 2020 for our first full year in business, which was also arguably one of our most difficult.
In 2021 after the pandemic had somewhat calmed down, the paint industry was once again plagued with supply-chain shortages and price increases due to a massive winter storm plaguing the state of Texas and freezing their infrastructure. The storm destroyed the industry’s ability to manufacture resins and other major components in paint virtually bringing paint manufacturing to a standstill. Luckily, through our ability to communicate with both our customers and vendors, our willingness to make a few sacrifices, and willingness to think outside of the box, we were also able to navigate this very trying time with little impact to our customers and a whole lot of lessons learned.
In 2022 we lost 2 employees at the same time due to retirement, which happened to be 50% of our workforce. They were our designer and our window-treatment installer, and it put me in a situation to where we once again had to adapt at the last minute and create solutions to allow us to make up for the loss with little to no impact on what has proven to be a major aspect of our business and success. Having no other choice, I took over both the design and installation of our custom window treatments, which is essentially a full-time job in itself, but has allowed me to fully integrate myself into every aspect of the business and provide the necessary oversight to ensure that our clients are getting the products and services they deserve. After spending 14 years behind the counter, it gets me out of the shop more than I like, but I have a great store manager who helps me fill all of the gaps. This approach, although a lot more work for both Josh and I allows me to keep my overhead down and offer more competitive pricing on both the goods and service. We are hoping this approach which will hopefully allow long term solvency and for us to break through a very competitive market.
Fast forward to 2025, we are still here, rocking-and-rolling! As any business does, we still face the occasional set-back, but after having overcame the 2020 pandemic and the “2021 paint-pocalypse,” it really helps put things into perspective moving forward. At this point. we continue to stay busy and with a little bit of luck will hopefully continue to grow.
Luckily for me, I have an incredibly supportive family who shares in my vision, and my wife who owns a business as well understands what it takes to make it happen and gives me the freedom to do so. At this point, I am certain that none of it is possible without the support structure. Part of that support structure is my aforementioned store manager, Josh Ford who has worked with me for over 3 years and has proven to be such a valuable asset to not only our store but for our community with how kind he is and how much he cares about everyone’s projects. He keeps me grounded and I am very grateful to have him in the family!
I preface with all of the adversity to exemplify that it’s not always easy, but depending on your perspective you can always make it worth it. Moments of difficulty and controversy forces growth and evolution of ones-self and whatever they are passionate enough to dedicate themselves too, as long as they are willing to persevere. Being a small business owner is super difficult most days, especially when you become so personally involved with the community the way that we try to, but I wouldn’t and couldn’t do it any other way. It has tested me in ways that I wouldn’t have normally imagined and extruded personal growth, responsibility, and a sense of community engagement from me that I don’t know if I would have ever found by just waking up and clocking in.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not knowing that this question would arise, I took it upon myself to address this in the previous question because my ownership has proven to be such a unique tenure so far due to the challenges. In addition to the aforementioned challenges effecting the store stemming from the pandemic, the ” 2021 paint-pocalypse,” and employee shortages, I would say one of the hardest things I have had to adapt to personally is adjusting my perspectives in order to not compromise my character, positive attitude, or the way that I interact with people on a fundamental level.
I have a tendency of trying to see the best in people, and want to try and help everyone to the best of my ability, and when you wear that character trait on your sleeve and also own a business, it allows you to essentially become a target for those that are willing to try and take advantage, and others that have great intentions but just fall on hard times and can’t fulfill their obligations. After doing so much to empower some of our clients and still getting ripped off a few times, you can’t help but have a heavy heart. One of my biggest fears is that those types of negative experiences will eventually erode my ability and willingness to look for those positive traits in people, and I don’t want to view life through that lens. Being a business owner provides you the platform for people to show you their true colors, and sometimes people just aren’t great and won’t hold themselves to the same standards and ethics of what you hoped they had.
Another difficult aspect for me personally that is associated with owning the store is allowing for myself to be thoughtful and mindful of every minute of every day and engage with everyone the way that they deserve. I love connecting with people on a deeper level, and sometimes being so busy at the shop makes me feel as if sometimes I am superficial with my interactions because I don’t always have the time. It’s not intentional, it’s an inherent byproduct of being busy and well-intended, so I try to be very mindful of those aspects and navigate them thoughtfully.
When I worked the counter and managed the store, it was much easier to hyper focus on every customer and providing them the best experience possible, and that’s what I loved. I had worked here for 10 years as the face of the store with that freedom, and now owning the store, my administrative responsibilities have increased so much that I don’t have that same opportunity to engage, no matter how much I or the customers expect it and trying to manage that has proven to be difficult as well.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I own Southeast Paint and Design, we are a small, independent, family-ran business that specializes in selling architectural paint, industrial coatings, custom window-coverings, art-supplies, custom draperies, in addition to a holiday gift shop. We approach our business by taking a hands-on, educational approach, through thoughtful customer interactions, and providing specialized custom approaches to our clients’ requests and inquiries.
We are best known for our customer services, kindness, and our willingness to go the extra mile to ensure that we are understanding and resolving our client’s needs from a fundamental approach. We carry all purchases out to our clients’ cars, we offer free onsite design, education, and paint problem analysis to ensure that our clients are getting the best solutions specific to the context of their situation. We also offer free measuring, design, quotes, and installation for our window treatments. The community seems to appreciate the fact that we are willing to invest ourselves personally in their projects to ensure that they are receiving accurate information and meaningful solutions to ensure R.O.I of their time, money, and energy. I try to run my business with humanity, knowledge, and integrity at the forefront of everything that we do, providing a positive experience for everyone, no matter who you are, or where you’re from.
I’ve been told that I conduct my business in a very unique way and am grateful for the brands that I carry because with the relationships that I have developed with some of my product representatives has proven to be invaluable for my unique approach. They understand my philosophy and provide me the resources, network, knowledge, and products for us to conduct our business the way I choose too, no matter how much extra work it creates for them sometimes. Being a small business, our reputation is only as good as the products and services that we provide, and for me reputation is everything, so we have to ensure that we have premium products, as well as the service and knowledge to supplement them, or else your boy goes broke.
For our architectural and industrial paint we carry the Dunn Edwards brand, and our product rep Gary is an amazing advocate for our small store, despite us being in a smaller market compared to some of his larger accounts. They are the world’s leading manufacturer in green paint technology and environmental protection, which is SUPER important to me, and should be to everyone else as well.
We also carry Rustoleum Industrial and have a very similar relationship with our rep Tony who is always looking out for our best interest and is always willing to either pick up the phone or even travel from Colorado to provide job-site assessment and education, which has allowed us to tackle some very large and very complicated jobs comfortably. Whether we are coating a commercial roof, or sealing the floor of an airport hangar, Tony is the man with the plan.
I also have a deep loyalty to our sundries supplier, “Paint Sundries Solutions” and my friend Ryan who is their company rep. He has 26+ years’ experience managing large paint stores in big markets, and his background, kindness, and knowledge which makes him one of the greatest resources we have available.
I am certain that my success will only last as long as my humility, so this network of representatives that I have been fortunate enough to develop over the years is essential for our store’s success. I am deeply grateful for these guys and owe so much of our success to their willingness to pick up the phone and show up on the job. These strong relationships have been crucial for us to traverse some of the more difficult times. I would say that our willingness to call on these guys is one thing that sets apart from the rest!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Honestly, a lot of my favorite childhood memories stem from day trips that my family would take to explore our local area on the weekends. With my dad working graveyards full time and farming for most of the day, he was always working and there wasn’t very much of an opportunity to take vacations or long trips. To make up for that, he would do his best to try to take us out for a day to explore our local area and spend time together as a family. We live in a really neat part of Utah with a rich, diverse history and gorgeous landscapes, so there was always plenty to explore. Those experiences have developed into my favorite childhood memories and became so pivotal for me that I try now and try to do the same with my family as often as possible, and if I’m lucky I can still talk the parents into going along with us.
Pricing:
- We are often cheaper than big box stores, but with a completely personalized and educational experience.
- Custom design, installation, warranty, and repair of custom window treatments, and we are usually cheaper than most other DIY suppliers.
- We offer contractor accounts and pricing
- Discounts on new construction packages with paint and window coverings.
- free design, quotes and installation on window coverings
Contact Info:
