Business Snapshot: A Local Contractor Rebounds

Just as it was a sign of the times when contractors closed shop, a painting/wallpapering firm that went from a brick-and-mortar to a home-based business back to a storefront may be a symbol of recovery.

That’s what Precision Wallcovering & Painting did this week when it moved into the Capistrano Business Center on Paseo Espada.

A 15-year-old local business, Precision relocated into owner Allan Horn’s Los Corrales neighborhood home in 2011 when times got tough.

“The economic downturn was hard on construction industry as many contractors bid projects too low and did jobs below cost and eventually closed shop,” Horn said.

Precision held on, but not without cuts to personnel.

“We had to let go office staff during the downturn,” Horn said. “We cut a field manager, estimator and assistant office manager. The economy affected all our employees.”

After six months of steady improvement, Horn decided it was time to move back to the same center he left.

But that doesn’t mean everything is as it was in the heyday of the mid-00s.

“It has been hard and a struggle doing more with less office staff. We were lucky that we were able to weather the storm. We still have to run a ‘tight ship.’ We plan to hire office staff in the coming months, slowly building back but cautiously,” Horn said.

On the plus side, wallpaper is back.

“We are seeing more wallpaper jobs as wallpaper is coming back in style, especially wall graphics for businesses,” Horn said.

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