Havertown, PA (January, 2013) – On Tuesday, January 22, 2013, Nolan Painting, Inc. joined Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele, Representative Gordon Denlinger, B Lab co-founder Jay Coen Gilbert and 14 local companies at the Independence Visitor’s Center in Philadelphia to officially register as one of the state’s first benefit corporations.

In the state of Pennsylvania, businesses register themselves as either limited liability companies, or general partnerships, or sole proprietorships. But now, under new legislation, businesses can be registered as a benefit corporation.

Caption: Steve Nafranowicz, Nolan's CFO, registers Nolan Painting as one of Pennsylvania's first benefit corporations.

A benefit corporation is a type of corporate agreement for socially conscious for-profit companies -- similar to what LEED certification is to energy conservation and sustainability or what fair trade certification is to companies importing crafts or coffee from developing nations. It is a set of higher standards, practices and promises that a company provides to its employees, the environment and its community. Becoming a benefit corporation offers businesses more freedom in defining success and provides legal protection for those looking to pursue a corporate purpose other than maximizing profits for shareholders.

 “Today, on the day after our country celebrates the life of Martin Luther King, we celebrate the leaders who embody the highest aspirations of Dr. King -- business leaders who aspire to be not just the best in the world, but to be the best for the world,” said Jay Coen Gilbert, B Lab Co-Founder.

“Nolan Painting is committed to creating value for people, place and planet. Our mission is to provide the highest standards and promises to our customers, employees and the community. For Nolan, becoming a Benefit Corporation combines purpose and profit and further defines our identity as a top-rated leader in the community,” said Kevin Nolan, President, Nolan Painting, Inc.

 “Nolan Painting continues to demonstrate leadership, even with the sustainable business community. Whether it’s through their commitment to paying a living wage, their involvement in charitable events, their use of low impact paints, and hundreds of other practices, every day Nolan works to create benefit for their employees, community, and environment.  Today they turn that existing commitment into a legal responsibility so that Nolan will continue to be driven by its mission, not just its bottom line,” said Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-founder, B Lab.

Pennsylvania joins eleven other states, including two of the nation’s largest economies, California and New York in enacting benefit corporation legislation. Similar legislation has passed in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois, Louisiana, South Carolina, Hawaii, Vermont and Maryland with strong bipartisan support. Fifteen other states are moving forward for 2013.

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A Benefit Corporation is a new corporate entity that allows businesses to meet higher standards of corporate purpose, accountability and transparency. In a traditional corporation, fiduciary duty focuses almost exclusively on increasing shareholder profits. Organizing as a Benefit Corporation allows companies like Nolan Painting to consider public benefit in addition to profits.

Nolan Painting, Inc. is a full service, interior and exterior painting company that has been serving the Main Line and Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties for over 30 years. It is a business founded on the basic principles of honesty, quality and customer service. It is a certified B Corporation.

Nolan Painting reimburses its employees 100% for continued education. All its employees get paid a living wage and 80% are offered individual health premiums and retirement savings plans.

Nolan Painting donated 40% of its net profits to charity in 2012. It offers its employees 20+ hrs/yr paid time off to volunteer and 75% of its employees participate in companywide service days.

Nolan Painting does more than beautify people’s homes; it helps protect it so people can breathe easy. It uses low VOC paint for a healthier environment and it also responsibly cleans up and recycles.

In 2012, Nolan Painting sponsored over 100 community events, donated over 1,350 hours of volunteer service and invested over $60,000 towards sponsorships. As Race Director of the Haverford Twilight Run, the Main Line Run and the Reindeer Romp, Kevin Nolan helps annually raise $100,000 for the causes these three races support.

Hi my name is Steve Nafranowicz and I am an employee of Nolan Painting.  Nolan Painting is a residential painting contractor working in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. We paint your homes, inside and out.

I've worked for Nolan Painting since the summer of 1992.  I've had the opportunity to grow and benefit as a result of the employee policies that Nolan Painting has in place.  I started my career with Nolan Painting as a trainee, learned the painting trade, earned a crew leader position, was promoted to an estimator, and now I am proud to say, I am the CFO of Nolan Painting, a Benefit Corporation.

We were first introduced to B-Lab in the summer of 2007.  We were in the process of "Going Green."  We had hired Elizabeth Guman of Strategy Arts. She recommended B-Lab and that we pursue their online certification. Throughout this process we learned a lot about our strengths and weaknesses around the "Triple Bottom Line." People, Planet, and Profit.

Profit - Our Profits were OK, of course this was prior to the major change in our economy we’re all about to experience.

Planet - We were committed to reducing the impact that our business had on our environment. In our office we converted light switches to motion activated switches, installed new HVAC units and converted from oil heat to natural gas. In the field we changed our practices of how and where we clean paintbrushes and sprayers, and evaluated the vehicles in our fleet.  We use low and no VOC paint. Paint manufacturers have made many changes to their products to lower VOC's. This has helped us reduce the overall output of pollutants with every can of paint we open.

People - I believe this is Nolan Painting's greatest strength and the reason why being a Benefit Corporation is such a good fit.  I have personally benefitted from the generous and caring employee practices that Nolan Painting has as its core values since it was founded by Kevin Nolan in 1979.  I've had company-sponsored health insurance since my first days with Nolan Painting. Nolan Painting has covered 80% or more of this insurance cost. I've had 401k retirement savings with a company match since 1995.  Unfortunately we had to suspend the match in recent years. Today I'm happy to say that the match is back and more generous than ever before.  I've had the opportunity to continue my education through our company tuition reimbursement program. Vacation time earned by employees can be carried over from year to year. We have employees who have family in Europe, Africa, and South America and they have all been able to go home on extended visits without losing any wages.

This is why I feel being a Benefit Corporation is a great fit for Nolan Painting. 

Like I've told my 15-year-old son a dozen times, "A ‘B’ is so much better than a ‘C’!"

Thank You.

Havertown, PA (January, 2013) – Nolan Painting, Inc. has been awarded the esteemed 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award for the 7th consecutive year. Angie’s List is a website that collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 550 service categories. There, one would find thousands of unbiased reports and reviews about service companies in specific areas.

The criteria for the award include receiving a minimum number of outstanding reports from Angie’s List members, maintaining an A average on both the reports for 2012 as well as on their overall reports and not being in poor standing with the Better Business Bureau.

“Our Super Service Award winners are the cream of the crop when it comes to providing consistently high quality customer service, as judged by the customers who hired them,” said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List. Jim Falk, lead salesman from Nolan Painting, expressed much gratitude when receiving this award. “We are once again thrilled to have this honor bestowed upon us! We have always been a company that puts customer service above all else and it is with great thanks that we accept this award.”

A Villanova, PA, customer posted an exemplary review on Nolan’s website regarding its outstanding reputation: “Nolan Painting is truly one of those special companies that takes great pride in its work and not only ensures that its customer is happy but truly cares about its customers on a personal level.”

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Exceptional quality, honesty and customer service have made Nolan Painting, Inc. a national leader in the residential painting industry for over 30 years. Committed to supporting the local community, we deliver the very best value in painting, color consulting, faux finishes, wallcovering, plaster and stucco repair and wood replacement services to residents in Montgomery, Chester, Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. For more information, please visit: www.nolanpainting.com

www.angieslist.com

Nolan Painting of The Main Line Earns Esteemed 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

Nolan Painting has earned the service industry-coveted 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor awarded annually to approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on Angie’s List, the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

Jim Falk, lead salesman from Nolan Painting, expressed much gratitude when receiving this award. “We are once again thrilled to have this honor bestowed upon us! We have always been a company that puts customer service above all else and it is with great thanks that we accept this award.”

“It’s a select group of companies rated on Angie’s List that can claim the exemplary customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Our standards for the Super Service Award are quite high. The fact that Nolan Painting earned this recognition speaks volumes about its dedication providing great service to its customers.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2012 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports, an excellent rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality. Members can find the 2012 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.
 

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Angie’s List helps consumers have happy transactions with local service professionals in more than 550 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. More than 1.5 million paid households use Angie’s List to gain unlimited access to local ratings, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine, and the Angie’s List complaint resolution service.

Nolan Painting strives to meet every customer's needs. That is why we are known for our exceptional customer service, in which we guarantee 100% customer satisfaction. We received a phone call today from a recent customer and we want to share it with you.

Thank you Natalie for your  phone call to Nolan Painting today. It always feels good to get messages like yours! We're glad you were pleased with our work and we hope you think of us for any future work. Oh, and please refer us to your friends! All the best!

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