Ireland’s Finest is committed to providing customers with the best workers, the best painting products and procedures, and the best finished products possible every time. This wouldn’t be possible without some true rock stars not only on every job site, but also in the office. We’re meeting the people who make Ireland’s Finest so fine.
Ben Reder is the Lead Estimator for Ireland’s Finest who started working for the company in 2006 as a laborer. During his three-year rise at Ireland’s Finest, Reder learned how to lead a painting crew and other tricks of the trade. He turned to the business side of things as his career progressed.
We posed Reder a few questions to get to know him a little better:

When and why did you first decide to work for Ireland’s Finest?

“I started working for I.F. in the summer of 2007. I was working for [I.F. founder] Andrew [Toole] at the time at a bar he owned, and one day just asked him if he needed help with his painting company. That was the extent of the interview and I started working at I.F. full time the following week. It started as a job to just get by, but I really liked working for Andrew as he treats people fairly and rewards hard work.”

What are a couple common painting questions you are asked regularly?

“What kind of prep work does your company do, Are you insured, What kind of paint do you use, When can you start”

What’s one factor that makes Ireland’s Finest a great company to work for?

“Like mentioned above, we reward hard work and reliability. On top of competitive wages, we also pay bonuses, holidays, vacation time and profit sharing. The longer you stay with us, the higher those amounts are. We really try to look after our painters that represent us well.”

Where do you see the company going in the next few years? Will you be adding services, painters, etc.?

“Steadily adding a couple more painters each year with good growth in sales. Also doing more work in the Genesee/Golden area.”

What’s the craziest situation you’ve encountered on the job?

“Back in my painting days about 10 years ago, it was a sunny 70-degree day, painting the exterior store front of Marco’s Pizza downtown – at the end of the day out of nowhere, started snowing on us, cutting the day short. Of course, some of the work needed to be redone.”

What’s your favorite part of your job?

“When we complete a project and they let us know how happy they are with the work. That’s the #1 goal at the end of the day.”