Industry Legend: Peter Edmonds

Both his grandfather Jim and father Bob were heavyweights in the New Zealand painting industry, and now, after running his own leading company for many decades, he continues the Edmonds legacy by providing painters with the skills to shape their craft into a thriving business.

Brush beginnings

The Edmonds painting dynasty began in 1926, when Jim and Christine Edmonds and family – including son Robert (Bob) – moved to Whanganui from Timaru. Jim began his painting business shortly after arriving in the city, and Bob then joined him after completing his apprenticeship in 1938, alongside Jack Coe who lived to 107, so much for the hazards of paint!

“As kids, we made good pocket money from our father breaking down half hundredweights of oil-based concentrated paste,” Peter recalls. “Digging it out of the drum into another empty one, then stirring in linseed oil and turpentine to make a paint base.

“Bob then added ‘this or that’ to produce undercoats or topcoats as required, and added tinters to make whatever shades of colour customers wanted.”

“The second great pocket money activity was ‘burning out’ the paint pots that painters used. These were grouped together, some old rags and paper and turpentine sloshed over then lit to burn off the old, accrued paint. This was good fun and other kids would often beg to help.” Not something you’d get away with today!

Bob took over the firm in 1948 and traded as R F. Edmonds Ltd, and steadily grew the business. He was very involved with Master Painters and was elected National President in 1957.

“Bob was always ready to adapt to new opportunities and was quick to use the water-based Resene systems – so radical by comparison to oil-based paints that the industry was built on,” explains Peter.

“He also saw the potential advantages for painting with rollers rather than brush applications way ahead of other painters, and forced some of the old-school tradesmen he employed to use them rather than a brush.”

Opportunities arise

Peter joined the firm around 1960, and was thrown straight into the thick of it as he found himself in charge of the repaint of the Dublin Street bridge, a 309m structure spanning the Whanganui River with approximately 12,500m2 of steelwork to be blast cleaned and painted by brush in four coats.

Valuable lessons were learned along the way as he and the motley lot of brush hands and hard cases undertook the major project.

“Curly Yates, an old soldier, would sometimes be shaking so violently by mid-afternoon we had to rush over to the Masonic Hotel for a beer to stop him shaking the scaffold deck,” laughs Peter. “The work was dirty, difficult and often dangerous, but we learnt heaps and refined the systems.”

The Dublin Street bridge contract marked a pivotal opportunity for the company to expand their skills beyond traditional painting, due to a massive infrastructural investment in petrochemical industries, the amalgamation of the dairy industry, electricity generation and many others.

“After completing this project, we were offered opportunities for similar work and completed many bridges in the district – some dizzyingly high and awkward to access – but we acquired better equipment and had little competition.

“We were one of the very first firms to use airless paint applications and this vastly improved our productivity.”

Innovation

Many technically and logistically challenging projects and contracts followed – including at New Plymouth Power Station, Kapuni Gas Plant and Mangahao Power Station – and this allowed the team to build up better equipment and resources, as well as improve efficiency and safety.

Around 1970 Bob and Peter formed R & P Edmonds Ltd, and soon after the decision was made to open a retail store in Churton Street. “It was purpose built and an immediate success, was well supported by the paint suppliers, particularly Resene, and we stocked wallpapers.

“Around 1979, my wife Diana and I bought Bob’s share of the business, Diana became a pivotal part of the store and worked closely with John Low, the Resene Sales Manager, exploring and running highly effective TV commercials using Polly the parrot, an in-store feature fronting all store promotions. Resene even made us 10-litre pails of ‘Polly Paint’.

“We were employing a large painting staff, with at least six being full-time paperhangers. The long-standing tradition of painting and decorating apprentices continued, with at least 65 completed contracts, many operating successful businesses to this day.”

While the blasting and coating business was busy with many diverse and major projects nationwide, in 1989 they entered into a franchise agreement with Levene, sold the Churton Street store and purchased a much bigger property in Wilson Street.

“The store opened on 25 October 1989, to a huge, excited crowd who shopped ‘til they dropped. The retail operation flourished and we added a hugely popular café and garden centre. We continued with Resene all through the Levene time as it remained an essential customer preference for both the contracting and decorating operations.”

Season of change

Approaching the new century, Peter decided to sell all the divisions of the company. The industrial division, Edmonds Industrial Coatings Ltd, was sold, then the contract painting division, Edmonds Painting, and finally the Levene operation. This marked a significant change of direction and the only direct association was through Matt Edmonds, who took over the industrial coating business.

“This business relocated from the Gilberd Street site to Hinau Street, and continues with corrosion protective coatings. Edmonds Painting is continuing as a very well-regarded domestic and commercial operation owned by the Tindle family.

“The Levene retail division was on-sold to other franchisees, but then suffered from the unfortunate collapse of the Levene franchisor and is now absorbed into the Freedom home decorating group.”

Peter looks back fondly on the business journey.

“Many people worked with us, and we fostered a common goal of aiming to be the best for our diverse customers. Often we were challenged by difficult projects, particularly in respect of some protective coating undertakings. That our people flourished and celebrated achieving great results was reward enough for the privilege of conducting the band.”

Wellington bound

After selling the businesses, Peter and his wife Diana shifted to Wellington and, by chance, “came for a month or two” to assist the Nightingales at Resene Paints Ltd.

“I had known Tony since we were teenagers, had gone to school with his cousins, Mike and David Allen, and knew JG (John Gerondis) really well.

“Ever since the earliest days of Resene I had always used their paints because, for our commercial and domestic clients, the paint and colours are simply the best.

“I had a skillset that fitted with the Resene ethos, and absolutely enjoyed every opportunity to help advance the business. I travelled the country and made heaps of friends with painters, and particularly the Resene people working as trade representatives and within ColorShops.”

Sharing knowledge

Today Peter mentors and helps tradies to understand painting as a business, as it is significantly different from the craft of painting.

“Initially I couldn’t believe how many good painters hardly earned a living from their trade, with the problems invariably revolving around selling and managing time spent painting.

“It sounds simple, but the problem is widespread throughout the industry – albeit with a small group running very successful businesses.

“Ever since I met Tony Nightingale as a teenager and later as a customer, then in turn with Nick, I have admired the outstanding business ethics, loyalty and simply the best products by far for New Zealand conditions. My only problem when I was painting was that it lasted too long.”

He says Resene invented the language of colour. “Ask any customer and they all know the difference between Black White and Alabaster – it’s in the DNA.”

“By far, the best part of Resene to me is the relentless quest for excellence, not just for products, but for marketing and training and particularly the sense of decency at every level of operation.

“I so admire Nick Nightingale’s management of this huge company and am lucky to have helped a little.”

As for his all-time favourite Resene paint? “Lumbersider. So good it will dry on a mutton chop.”