4 Important Lessons Learned While Serving a Local Hero

At CertaPro Painters® of Indianapolis, we’re known for providing quality painting and repair services to homes and businesses across Indiana. But that’s not all we do, our team is constantly looking for ways to get involved and give back to the community. So when we heard that 94-year-old Ernie Taylor needed assistance painting the 250 metal sculptures on his property, a well-known local landmark, we knew we wanted to help.

Here are the 4 important lessons our team learned while helping Ernie Taylor, a local hero:

 1. The Power of Community in the Greater Indianapolis Area

Our team at CertaPro Painters® of Indianapolis couldn’t have imagined the outpouring of community members who wanted to help and get involved with the project. When we first posted and shared the registration information, we weren’t sure how many people would sign up online. However, to our surprise, the completed registrations continued to come through like wildfire. Some people learned about the event from social media posts or groups and others heard about the event from friends and family with unique connections to Ernie’s property.

It was amazing to see 200 people there on September 9th, ready to roll up their sleeves and paint the metal sculptures Ernie created. There were no egos or divisions, everyone there was focused on getting the job done for Ernie.

 2. The Power of an Idea

The idea for this community painting event originated from Lisa Brandenburg, who relocated to Westfield, Indiana in the past few years from New York City. Not knowing many other women in the Westfield community, she started a Facebook Group called, “Women Building Friendships in Westfield.” The group empowers women to make new friends, build lasting friendships, and give back to the community together.

Upon hearing about Ernie’s need for help to paint his metal sculptures, Lisa shared this information with her group of Westfield women. This eventually led Lisa to our team, and that’s when we stepped in to make this idea a reality. A reality where an entire community came together to help one man paint the local landmark he created in his backyard, featuring over 250 metal sculptures.

3. The Power of a Strong Business Relationship

Once our team started planning for this community painting event, we knew some of our vendor partners would want an opportunity to help out. So, we reached out to our partners at Sherwin-Williams to see if they’d be interested in giving back to the Greater Indianapolis community alongside us. Without hesitation, and out of the goodness of their hearts, they agreed and donated all the metal paint and materials needed for us to paint Ernie’s sculptures.

This generosity was something that our team was so thankful for as it allowed us to ensure Ernie was going to get all the help, material, and expertise that was needed. There are truly no boundaries to what a strong business relationship can do, especially when giving back.

4. The Power of a Story

Ernie Taylor, age 94, lived no ordinary life. Growing up during the Great Depression Era, he knew he wanted to do everything he could to create a better life for himself. This led him to become the first person in his family to graduate from high school. During his education, Ernie focused mostly on welding courses because of his creativity and interest in building things. All of which allowed him to have a long and successful career as a professional welder. Additionally, Ernie also served in WWII and was stationed overseas in Italy for a while.

While witnessing his sculptures being painted, Ernie went on to say, “I’m so blessed and it blows my mind. I couldn’t hardly believe it until I seen paint going on. The older I get the more I think that, ‘Ahh, good people is what life is all about,’ you know?”

Our Why At CertaPro Painters® of Indianapolis

At CertaPro Painters® of Indianapolis our why is to restore & transform. We do that physically with homes & buildings (globes and dinosaurs now too) but we also believe that communities can be restored & transformed, and in doing so our industry can be restored and transformed.

Our team is always happy to discuss your painting and repair needs. All you need to do is send us a message at [email protected] or call us at (317) 252 – 0334.