Tom Hester founded Hester Painting & Decorating in 1968 with the objective of being known as the “best painting contractor around.” With four decades and three generations aboard, Hester has not only been recognized as Make It Better “Best Of” winner in the home and design for the past six years, but also continues to grow and develop with the ever-changing times.
With continued education and training, the Hester team stays current on the newest trends and techniques and gives back through continued local service work. The team of nearly 60 painters and craftsmen provides year-round services to residences and businesses throughout Chicagoland.
Meet Steve Hester, president of Hester Painting & Decorating:
Make It Better: Briefly describe your business philosophy.
Steve Hester: To exceed our customers’ expectations, to provide excellent customer service, and to provide a service that is unparalleled in beauty, skill, and professionalism.
Which product (or service) that you offer is your favorite, and why?
Our faux and specialty finishes are my favorite. They are always beautiful and artistic. These finishes allow our craftsmen to show their creativity and create finishes that no other contractor can imitate. When they are finished with a room, it is literally a work of art. In addition, hearing our clients rave about the final product is music to our ears.
Tell us about how your business gives back to the community and which organizations or initiatives you’re most passionate about supporting. Why is that important to your organization?
We have always enjoyed supporting local charities with donations or auction items to give back to the communities that have helped us reach the wonderful milestone of 50 years in business. Every few years, instead of throwing ourselves a party for our business anniversary, we provide a local charity with a free makeover. We choose an organization (that has either been nominated by one of our employees or one of our clients) that is in need of a makeover. All of the labor and materials are donated to help freshen up their facilities and brighten up the lives of the charity’s employees and the people they serve. This is important to us because we want to connect with people and lend a helping hand in situations where they may otherwise not be able to complete a renovation or painting project. In the past, we’ve provided this service to the Wilmette Theatre and most recently, the Maryville Academy facilities in Chicago.
How has your business adapted to support the demands of consumers for more sustainable and socially responsible products and services?
We have always stayed knowledgeable of all of the environmentally friendly, “green” paint products and other offerings. Because we are one of the largest clients for the paint manufacturers, they provide us with additional information about new products that are hitting the market soon, so we can make our residential and commercial clients aware of the healthier, low VOC options that are available to use in their homes and offices.
We believe that we’re all better together. Tell us which businesses or individuals in the community you love to work with and support.
One team that we are always happy to support is the Make It Better organization. We are one of the original supporters way back when it was just an idea and a grand plan. We continue to support Make It Better because of the wonderful support that it provides the communities where we work. In addition, we are very fortunate to receive great support from both Benjamin Moore Paints and Sherwin Williams. Both of these companies assist us whenever we need products or even monetary support to help out locally.
