Chris Camp, owner of the Atlanta Painting Company, has quite a story — starting with when he became a franchisee of the College Pros Painting Company as a college student in Michigan. Ambitious from an early age, Camp worked his way to regional manager and led 13 College Pros franchisees, then relocated to Arizona to lead the sales team of The Arizona Painting Company. In 2006, Camp moved to the peach state and started the Atlanta Painting Company. While there were plenty of other painting companies in the Atlanta market at the time, Camp saw the need for a business valuing experience, quality of work and customer service.
“I felt like, with our years of experience, we could deliver an amazing experience to home and business owners that could not be rivaled with our quality of work and focus on customer service,” says Camp. “The success we found in our business model not only allowed us to scale quickly and become one of the largest residential painting companies in the country, but enabled us to create a template we could take to other markets.”
But Camp and his team are not content to rest on these laurels — far from it. Currently, The Atlanta Painting Company is highly involved with the community, including their work with the well-known program, Paint it Forward. Zander Roberts, director of marketing since 2018, recalls when he realized the importance of Paint it Forward. At a home located in Canton, the homeowner was battling cancer, and Paint it Forward stepped up to lend a hand. The organization has really taken off from there, gaining partners and support from the community and beyond.
“There was a growing passion by company leaders and associates to give back and support the communities – the cities — our company serves,” Roberts says. “To help realize this passion, we made the decision to grow and expand our Paint It Forward efforts.” We realized we could help more people by shifting our focus from one home – or one family or one residence — to more of a nonprofit focus where one entity is serving many.”
Recently, SCANA Energy stepped up and, for the last two years, has matched the Atlanta Painting Company’s donations of $5,000 annually to Paint it Forward projects. Sherwin Williams, as well, has donated plenty of paint to support Paint it Forward. In addition, countless donations of flooring, supplies, prep materials, brushes and much more are donated. It’s a symbiotic relationship for all involved, Roberts says.
“They have the same passion and burning desire to lift up the communities they serve,” he notes. “The greatest gift is the donation of time by so many who come together to bring the project to life.”
He points out how nonprofits are able to prioritize funds in other more poignant ways with the help of Paint it Forward. For the nonprofit Emmy’s Academy, as one example, their mission is to provide children with unique learning needs an early education – but relocating to a new building ramped up preparation expenses. Paint it Forward was glad to offset those costs – in fact, nonprofits that focus on families and children are a focal point.
“We support Global Orphan, a nonprofit that sets up orphanages all around the world, as well as supports families,” Roberts comments. “APC is a Founding Circle member, and, through the company's support, we’ve been able to help hundreds of families stay together and thrive through donations of food, clothing and housing. We also invest in Operation Lunch Box. Operation Lunch Box provides 3,600 kids with food each week and operates in 25 counties across Georgia, with a goal of providing assistance to all 52 counties.”
“SCANA’s commitment to our customers includes being a good neighbor and making a difference in the lives of the communities we serve. Emmy’s Academy provides a valuable service that makes a difference to families in the area and this beautiful makeover is well-deserved," says Carol King, senior marketing.
“They painted the entire interior — they went above and beyond,” adds Bianca Macias, incoming director of Emmy’s Academy. “Our place wasn't in the best shape; we had expenses for plumbing, electrical, things like that. Paint it Forward made the entire facility look brighter — but with calming tones for the kids. We’re now full speed ahead, and it has been great.”
Currently, the Atlanta Painting Company is celebrating (among many other milestones and accolades) becoming the official painting company for Georgia Tech Athletics. “It has been so meaningful and exciting to be part of such a prestigious university. One of the reasons we made the decision was to tie ourselves into the local community and really be a part,” Roberts says.
Atlanta Painting Company has offices in Canton, Roswell and Peachtree City. “We have these locations because we want a presence — we want to be part of the community so our customers see us, and they can easily find us, and we can better keep our fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in the neighborhoods around us,” says Mike Rawlings, chief revenue officer. “We already have a Nashville Painting Company location that opened in 2016 and, in Dallas, one called State 28 Painting that opened in 2020. We have plans to expand State 28 Painting Company to Austin, Houston and San Antonio in the future.”
"A true highlight of my career is helping to bring SCANA Energy, Atlanta Painting Company and 680TheFan together. We're proud to be the marketing and media arm of the Paint it Forward campaign. It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside these two companies and witness how they give back to the community. Emmy’s Academy is an amazing charity, and it was incredibly meaningful to broadcast live and watch the transformation of the charity’s new home," says Tyler Nelson, director of local partnerships at 680TheFan.
“For us, it's all about action and attitudes” Rawlings thoughtfully adds. “Customer First is our mantra, which supports our mission to deliver an amazing experience to everyone we come in contact with. Both at work and in our communities, whether it's through volunteerism, personal life or painting projects.”
Visit atlantapaintingcompany.com.
