Business Profile - Hope Powder Coat

Hope resident and business owner Brian McKinley is no stranger to the ups and downs of being self-employed. The key to running a successful business is flexibility and determination, he says. In a recent interview, McKinley talked about the history of Hope Powder Coat, Inc. and its future in the Hope community.

What led to the establishment of the business?
We were taking our Genesis equipment about 20 miles away from here and doing the powder coat work. So we had to load stuff up and truck it there. It was all raw steel so you didn’t want it to get wet and once it’s there you have to wait for it to be powder coated and then pick it up. It was a pain in the backside dealing with someone else doing the work. So we spent a good sum of money to buy a factory-built powder coat system that we could do our own equipment in. if you are going to powder coat your own stuff then you start doing it for other people. It is an expensive tool so you might as well use it.

What has been the benefit of the business for Hope?
We have people walk in off the street practically every week. We don’t really advertise. But we have people walking in asking us to powder coat a race car frame or a set of wheels. Virtually anything can be powder coated. And we’ve got every color under the rainbow.

What is the oddest thing you have ever powder coated?
We have powder coated wood before. It is not something I would want to do commercially. Wood has a flashpoint of 475 degrees and we only bake things at 400 degrees. So it was kind of on a lark.

For those who read this and aren’t familiar, what is powder coating and what is its benefit?
You apply powder to the part you are coating, if you will. And you put it in the oven and bake it at 400 degrees for 20 to 40 minutes and it is a very durable, strong finish.

So it keeps things from weathering?
Right.

What would you say is your primary customer base or projects?
Right now we are in the middle of a big set of material handling baskets. We’ve got a lot of the local shops around here that use us for their powder coating needs.

Have there been many challenges with the business?
It is like any business there are ups and downs with volume of work. The nice thing is the system has paid for itself several times over so if it sits for a couple of weeks it is no big deal.

What do you enjoy most about the powder coating business?
It is kind of neat to take something that is a fresh weldment and its kind nasty looking steel all welded up and send something out the door that is nice and shiny and pretty and new looking. So there’s that satisfaction of making something better than it was.

Where are you hoping the business goes in the future?
I would love to see it grow and have to put in a bigger transfer line. When we started this we didn’t envision it going like it has. Business has really taken off and I think there aren’t that many of us.