Bahamian Lesley Davies-Baptista, who operates family business Paint Fair – a Grand Bahama staple for paint, specialty coatings, colour and design since 1980, has been appointed as a Director for Board of the Paint & Decorating Retailer’s Association, an association whose headquarters are in St. Louis, Missouri, representing almost 8,000 members.
Paint Fair and Davies-Baptista have also been featured as the cover story in the industry magazine, Paint & Decorating Retailer, which reaches over 21,000 readers, in its most recent November, 2017. The online version of the magazine can be seen here: http://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?i=450000&ver=html5#{"issue_id":450000,"page":0}
Founded in 1947, the Paint and Decorating Retailers Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting independent dealers in the paint & decorating retail industry. PDRA helps its members by providing the tools and resources necessary for them to succeed – education, advocacy, networking, and research. PDRA also provides the leading industry publication – PDR Magazine. First published in 1964, PDR Magazine is a monthly publication focused on delivering current industry information to owners, managers, and employees (source: pdra.org).
“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized internationally by the industry association,” said Davies-Baptista. “I am really pleased to be a part of the PDRA board of directors and I look forward to contributing to and learning from the Association as we all work to positively impact the industry for independent retailers and, of course, for all of our customers,” she explained.
Chief Executive Officer of the PDRA said they are looking forward to working with Davies-Baptista. “I am very excited to have Lesley join the PDRA board of directors. Lesley is a very passionate, successful independent retailer that is well known in the paint industry,” said LeAnn Day, CEO, Paint & Decorating Retailer’s Association. “Lesley will be a true asset to the board with her knowledge of the industry and previous board experience. We look forward to working with her to continue the success of the paint and decorating industry,” she added.
Davies-Baptista recently travelled to St. Louis for the PDRA’s annual board meeting and collected the printed copy of the November magazine featuring Paint Fair and local photography courtesy of Keen I Media. “It was pretty overwhelming to read the 9-page feature on Paint Fair. Despite the challenges we face here in Grand
Bahama, we have been so supported by our customers and an incredible staff who work very hard, have great expertise and make a difference for those who walk through our doors. It’s wonderful for a store in Grand
Bahama to be recognized for what we do,” said Davies-Baptista. “We have been so blessed to be able to continue the legacy of service, integrity, training and value instilled by my parents Joan and Colin Davies. In particular, my mother Joan navigated extremely difficult times in Freeport and it was her unfailing commitment to our customers, to our staff and to Grand Bahama that really made Paint Fair what it is today,” she explained.
The feature article details Paint Fair’s commitment to service, training, community involvement and notes that its team, led by Store Manager and NACE-certified inspector Eric Baptista, is behind its ability to adapt and change in the challenging economy. From design shows, contractor seminars, custom colour consultations and training for all types of coatings to unmatched technical support, top quality products and every day value, Paint Fair remains committed to doing whatever it can to bring the best to its customers.
“We really do believe in Devoe’s original motto: When it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. It’s about doing what we can to give our customers looks that they will love, and ones that will last, making sure they get the best advice and value for every project,” said Davies-Baptista. “In an effort to deliver what we can for our customers, we have recently renovated Paint Fair’s store floor and repositioned our state of the art PPG Voice of Colour touchscreen display. We have also completed a major overhaul of our colour computer network and added additional workstations. We’re ready for the holiday season … and we look forward to helping our customers who have trusted us for almost 40 years,” she said. Photo Credit: Rachel Russell, Keen I Media
About Paint Fair: Bahamian owned and operated, Paint Fair, located in Grand Bahama, has specialized in coatings since 1980. It is the authorized dealer for Devoe, PPG Paints, Glidden, PPG Pittsburg Paints, Flood and Acrocrete in Grand Bahama and authorized dealer for International Paint and Devoe Coatings industrial coatings for The Bahamas. Paint Fair is committed to offering a variety of proven solutions for its customers with trusted brands that have endured the test of time and extensive training for its staff. Each sales representative is certified by the Paint & Decorating Retailers Association and the Store Manager is Level 2 certified by NACE, National Association of Corrosion Engineers. Paint Fair is open Monday through Friday, 7:30a to 5:30pm and on Saturdays, 8am to 4pm. Find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/paintfair or email info@paintfair.net or by calling 352-9788 or 352-9580.
About the PDRA: Founded in 1947, the Paint and Decorating Retailers Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting independent dealers in the paint & decorating retail industry. PDRA helps its members by providing the tools and resources necessary for them to succeed – education, advocacy, networking, and research. PDRA also provides the leading industry publication – PDR Magazine. First published in 1964, PDR Magazine is a monthly publication focused on delivering current industry information to owners, managers, and employees. The magazine reaches over 21,000 readers, including independent paint and decorating retailers, company-owned paint and decorating stores as well as hardware stores, wallpaper stores, window covering stores, floor covering stores and home improvement outlets. Questions? Contact our office toll-free at 800-737-0107 or email info@PDRA.org
