Behind the Business with Rachel Germin of EcoRefinishers

Tell us about your business and how it got started?

Our business began in 2006 with Zack (my husband) working for his dad to refinish countertops, bathtubs, and cabinets. A few years later, however, his father had a stroke and things went into limbo for a bit. In 2012, we married and decided to take a hard look at everything that was going on with the business. We got rid of the bathtub refinishing as it wasn’t an eco-friendly product. We also decided to let go of the countertops as the manufacturer of the coatings didn’t let us know of the changes they had undergone and we were getting quite a few call-backs, not to mention countertops have come a long way and you could get a new one for about the same price as refinishing. We finally got our own corporation, kept the name, and decided to revamp into just focusing on water-based cabinet refinishing using a newer product. We’ve changed products since then, doing our best to stay on top of the highest quality we can get our hands-on. Since then, we’ve strived to become a leading example of quality and service in the refinishing business. We love working with people to help them, as we call it, “love their kitchen again”.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

I wanted to be a vet or a musician when I was young – and I think Zack wanted to be a runner as he did quite a few provincial races in his teens.

What is something people may not know about you or your organization?

Something that people may not know about the business is that Zack has 13 siblings! And three of them are currently working for us in the business. Ben is our foreman and has been with us for over 4 years. Sebastian has worked for us in-between different places (he lived out west for a bit) and Nina has been with us for over a year now as well – they’re a great team to have! Everywhere we go, I’m proud to report how clients have told me how “pleasant, polite, positive, and professional they are”.

Why do your customers select you over your competitors?

I like to think most of our clients choose us because of the unbiased reviews we have on HomeStars; but we also offer a three-year warranty on most of our work, which I don’t think most refinishing places promise. We really stand behind our work and our reputation means a lot to us. But besides that, we are also fast and can refinish an entire kitchen in 10 days, with only two of those days being in the actual home.

Describe your company’s most recent success?

Our most recent success was winning the Best of Award with HomeStars for 2020! We are endeavoring to achieve that for next year as well.

What do you listen (radio, book, or podcast) to while you work?

I think the crew likes listening to rock in the shop. Zack likes Imagine Dragons and Coldplay — and the occasional audiobook. Myself, I am currently reading “The Road Back to You” by Ian Cron (it’s about the enneagram!) and if I’m lucky, some ambient music on the side. Three kids make it a little tricky doing either of those things though.

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

To anyone starting a business, I think my main piece of advice would be this: be real with clients and don’t cut corners! That, and don’t forget to rest every so often. Being your own boss can be a blessing as well as a curse.