East Coast union painting
contractor moves out West
Fine Painting of New
Jersey acquires Evan
House Company of
Portland.
Fine Painting, the sixth-largest
commercial painting contractor in the
nation, recently acquired Evan House
Company, a commercial and indus-
trial painting contractor located in
Portland.
The new company will be called
Evan House-Fine Painting, and will
be will be signatory with Painters and
Allied Trades District Council 5 and a
member of the Signatory Painting
Contractors Organization.
Evan House employed on average
11 to 15 painters, members of Painters
Local 10 in Portland and Local 360 in
Vancouver. All of the employees will
remain with the new company and
owner Brent Pilip will continue as
part of the management team. The ac-
quisition does not include V.M. Pilip
& Son, which is the residential paint-
ing division of Evan House Company.
Ray Clevenger of Fine Painting
has relocated to Portland from New
Jersey to serve as district manager of
the new company, which will keep its
business location at 804 N.
Killingsworth Court, Portland. The
company will bid jobs within a 300-
mile radius of Portland.
Fine Painting is owned by Tony
Singh. The contractor employs on av-
erage 250 craftworkers in New Jersey,
New York and Connecticut. It has
been a union contractor since the busi-
ness began 24 years ago and is signa-
tory with the International Union of
Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).
In fact, Singh served with Painters
General President James Williams as
co-chair of the Labor Management
Cooperation Initiative (LMCI) and on
the board of the Finishing Contractors
Association. Singh was recently hon-
ored with the LMCI/IUPAT Leader-
ship Award as well as the Distin-
guished Service Award from the
Finishing Contractors Association.
The company has earned several
safety awards as well as the Subcon-
tractor of the Year Award from the
American Subcontractors Association
of New Jersey. Singh is active on na-
tional boards to improve the industry,
provide safe working environments,
and encourage continuing education
opportunities for craftsmen of the
painting trade.
Singh came to the United States in
1970 from northern India to complete
his master’s degree in civil engineer-
ing. After college he went to work for
a painting company in New Jersey.
Within 10 years he rose from an esti-
mator to vice president of the com-
pany. He launched his own painting
business in 1981.
Evan House Company has been in
business since 1919.
Similar to Evan House Company,
Fine Painting is best known for its
specialization in industrial and com-
mercial painting for new construction
and maintenance projects. The com-
pany works on coatings projects such
as power plants, wastewater treatment
plants, commercial properties, tenant
improvements and new construction.
Services include: finishes and spe-
cial coatings, wall coverings, fire-
proofing, lead abatement, fabric wall
and ceiling panels, metalizing, photo
luminescent safety markings and shop
coatings.
Richmond Baking votes for Local 114
Bakery workers employed at Richmond Baking of Oregon voted March 1 to
join the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers
International Union Local 114. The plant, located in McMinnville, produces
organic cookies and crackers (including Pilot Crackers), batter mixes and
other cracker products. It employs 10-12 full-time workers, plus another 5-10
employees from a temp agency. The vote was among the regular workers and
provides union representation for employees in mixing, production, sanitation,
maintenance mechanics, packaging, shipping/receiving, and quality control.
The plant owned by Bill and Robert Quigg, who also operate Richmond
Baking of Indiana, and Richmond Baking of Georgia. Those two plants each
employ 100-plus employees. The Indiana Plant is union, and the Bakers are
currently involved in an organizing campaign at the Georgia operation. The
McMinnville plant was built in 2001, and the Quigg family invested money
with plans of expanding to the size of their Indiana and Georgia plants, said
Local 114 Business Manager Terry Lansing. On March 4, workers (above)
gathered for a union-sponsored barbeque to celebrate their win.
Michael Straeter,
President, UFCW Local 1442
Trustee, UFCW Food Employers Trust Funds
The bank of local unions
understands the tough job of running a union
lets you easily manage cash online anytime, anywhere
simplifies dues collections with trust lockbox services
thinks banking and investing shouldn’t be hard work.
Invest in you
®
Labor Management Trust Services
Trevor Lewis, Senior Vice President, (213) 236-4061
Jan Dawson, Vice President, (503) 450-1273
Louis Nagy, Vice President, (206) 587-3627
Labor Management Deposit Services
Diane Williams, Senior Vice President & Manager, (213) 236-5085
John Mendoza, Vice President & Relationship Manager, (415) 705-7112
Visit us at uboc.com
MARCH 17, 2006
©2006 Union Bank of California, N.A. Member FDIC
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 5