Steven started CertaPro Painters of Arlington with his wife, Yeong-Min, in 2010. Previously as homeowners, the two of them suffered many disappointing experiences with home improvement contractors. They were amazed during their due diligence process of vetting new company options, to find that CertaPro was successful in creating a system (coined the “Certainty Service System”) that allowed franchisees system-wide to consistently stamp out extraordinary experiences for their customers, catapulting the brand to become America’s most referred painting company. As a CertaPro Painters franchise owner, Steven vowed to change his customers’ perceptions of contractors and the home improvement contracting experience, one homeowner at a time. It is his mission to deliver “certainty” and “peace of mind” to his customers.
Steven’s background in I.T. and economics provided tools to scale what he learned from CertaPro while maintaining tight production controls/processes. His risk averseness, analytical tendencies, and detail-orientedness shape his consultative sales appointments where he: properly identifies issues with pre-existing coatings and surface conditions, digs deep to determine exactly what each client needs and wants and can afford, defines detailed scopes of work, and then tailors customized, documented solutions prescribing industry (and proprietary, where experience has shown him otherwise) standard surface preparation and best of breed products across a range of paint brands. When poked at by his industry peers who suggest that he charge for his painting estimates, Steven replies that “It is worth it to [him] to spend time and effort up-front to ensure smooth experiences for the customer and aligned expectations at the end of each project.”
In his free time, Steve enjoys skiing, exploring new places with his family, and dreaming up ways to do both at the same time.
