Ossining Resident Doesn’t Brush Off Success with Painting Company

 

In 1990, Jody Finglas planned to pass through New York, a temporary stop between his native Ireland and Australia.

More than 25 years later he is still here and has no intention of leaving.

Finglas is the owner of Finglas Painting, Inc., a business he bought from his former boss in 1999 and renamed when he took it over.

He first learned the trade from a pair of brothers, Michael and James Duff, who also hailed from Ireland. They hired Finglas shortly after he came to the United States. There was so much work in New York in the early ‘90s, it turned out there was no reason to leave.

“I got a job with this small, small company, Irish guys, painters and was just working as a helper,” recalled Finglas, who arrived with his girlfriend at the time from his former home outside of Dublin. “I wound up staying with them for six years and then moved on to another company in Westchester, and eventually when my boss decided to retire, I bought the business from him.”

The nearly decade-long apprenticeship helped Finglas, an Ossining resident, learn how to paint and become a strong businessman. Today, he maintains six full-time employees, which helps keep operations manageable.

He said he finds that one of the most important qualities in his business is working closely with clients to arrange a schedule and cater to their needs.

“I come from a military background. In a lot of ways, it helps me,” said Finglas, who spent nine years in the Irish army. “There are a lot of good painters out there but the problem we have found is that there are not a lot of great organizations. So, what ends up happening is it’s one thing to have great painters for the work but if they can’t organize themselves, schedule the projects, then ultimately at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you finish.”

What Finglas says sets him apart from other companies is that he can do the high-end project or a small job. Regardless of the size, he remains personally accessible to his customers, often visiting the sites. He attracts clients in all types of residences throughout the tristate area, including old Victorian houses.

“If you would pigeonhole yourself for the high-end work, you’re going to be waiting for a long time to get your second job,” Finglas said. “We cater to everybody.”

The main part of Finglas’s business, of course, is painting. While the use of latex paint is most popular, it often doesn’t provide the quality or durability that oil paint offers. Today, Finglas uses Fine Paints of Europe, where he enjoys mixing and matching colors.

“We’re one of the few companies left that uses oil paint,” he said. “Everybody has been forced over to the latex. Why latex? It’s quicker. You can get two coats on in the same day, and so it’s quicker and you can make a little more money. It just doesn’t suit me.”

Finglas Painting also hangs high-quality wallpaper and works with interior designers that can remake the inside of a home. In the warm weather, his company works with contractors to do exterior work. In fact, Finglas estimates that as much as 40 percent of his work is interior.

Leading up to the holidays, homeowners are scrambling to get their houses looking their best, which will keep him busy through the end of the year.

While Finglas could easily expand his operations and hire at least another 10 painters, he prefers to train his staff in the same type of apprenticeship style that made him successful, and most of all, keeps his customers satisfied.

“It’s very simple and the lessons I learned in the military seem to translate to business, especially blue collar jobs, very well,” Finglas said. “I’m very fair. I’m very accessible. I don’t micromanage, but I do expect a lot. I do expect a lot from people who work for me.”

Having been able to buy a house and raise his family in Westchester, Finglas said his decision to stay in New York a quarter-century ago was a fortuitous one.

“I was very happy to have been here at that time,” Finglas said. “We were kind of the last big push of Irish immigrants who came here in the ‘90s.”