Former IT Manager Sees Major Growth in East Portland and Took Advantage Buying His Own Home Painting Business

Thanks to a surging population in the entire Portland area of late, there is a growing demand for premier home renovation and remodeling services. In the eastern portion around and including Gresham the population has grown more than 5 percent since 2010. That’s music to the ears of Portland resident Dennis Hodge as he launches his CertaPro Painters of Gresham this month. The new business will serve markets beyond Gresham, including Troutdale, Fairview, East Portland neighborhoods, Clackamas, Happy Valley, Damascus, and Gladstone.

While opening his office in his home to start, Hodge expects to have a brick and mortar address, and to add several positions from an office administrator, residential sales and full time painters; all toward expanding his services commercial clients as well and home decorators and renovators.

The 36-year-old former IT project manager and consultant attributes the great reception of his services to a perfect storm of market conditions as the Portland area continues to draw an influx of new home owners, combined with his own accent on bringing personal attention to customer needs while delivering responsive quality service.

“Growth in the Portland area has been unprecedented. People are moving to Portland faster than houses can be built for them and that surge is driving up home values, which seems to generate business. People are also rushing to beautify in areas that may have been neglected for a while even if they are not seeing particular growth in the population,” says Hodge, “they do expect that theirs will be the next area to gentrify and grow and they are getting curb appeal going right now.”

“Having been through two home remodeling experiences, I came to the conclusion that the contracting industry needs a touch of customer service. Knowing a bit about painting from a property management business my family operated, I decided I could do better than what I was experiencing out here,” Hodge recalls, describing his mastery of painting skills he now uses as having originated in work he did as a youth. Back then his Pennsylvania family of farmers expanded from farming into residential and commercial properties management and services, including paving and excavation contracts.

With a fifteen-year IT career behind him, most recently working for Jama Software in Portland, the CertaPro Painters franchise is Hodge’s first undertaking in self-employment, and became a quick favorite as he shopped for franchises. “CertaPro offered the best opportunity, support and their values matched my own. Family comes first but customers are a close second. As we grow I hope to see similar family values in our employees so that all of them can help all of our customers feel valued. I am a member of both the Gresham Chamber of Commerce and the East Portland Chamber of Commerce; sit on the Ambassador Board, Chair the Children’s Book Bank.”