b'profewords:Bndgwaterpictures:of Resene iKencourtesy I Fromgarage workshopAswith all great success stories, Resene\'s stems from humble beginnings. One tonationalinstitutionday. back in 1946, Eastbourne builder Ted Nightingale faced a dilemma. Needing an alkali-resistantpaint toprotect his concretebuildings,but withnothing - Habitattakes a look atavailable on the commercial market, he set about developing his own. thehistory behindone ofUsinganoldcementmixer- andalot ofinitiativeanddetermination-New Zealand\'s most successfulStipplecote was born in Ted\'s garage. It more than served its purpose and, as homegrown companies.fellow builders caught on to the concept and requests for the product grew, he began commercial production of his new paint. Later the same year, he had to move to factory space on Wellington\'s Tinakori Road to keep up with demand. "Stipplecote was just one ofTed\'s many ventures,"sayshis grandson, Nick Nightingale."After the war,the use of concreteasa building product was relatively new, andmany designers,engineers and builders were still feeling their way with it." Taking advantage of the niche, Ted went on to manufacture other products, such as No Bond and Curecrete, which also remain in use today. The Resene brand name, derived from the main ingredient ofpaints -resin Ted\'s - came five years later in 1951, coinciding with the launch of New Zealand\'s first waterborne paint. Customers were initially wary of the new product, fearful that if it washed easily from brushes,then it might do the same from walls. However, after a massive sales pitch, public perception slowly changed and the Above: Resene foundercompany\'s perseverance paid off. As a result, Resene expanded rapidly during Ted Nightingale.the late 1950s and early 1960s, and despite developing a line of solventborne products, waterborne paints quickly became the firm\'s primary focus. "Ted was a hands-onman - he would try to play withthings, whichwas ultimately how hecame tomake what we believe to be Australasia\'sfirst waterborne paint," explains Nick. Keeping with family tradition, Ted\'s son, T became managing director and ony. took over company operations in 1972. Around this time, several key decisions were made that proved to be fundamental to the successful development of the Resene brand. Production was once again moved to larger premises, this time on an industrial estate in Gracefield in Lower Hutt, increasing factory space and allowing greater production volume. The next crucial step was to revamp the marketing strategy. 98habitat'