Announcing a major rebrand of a joint initiative of the world’s largest finishing trades union and its employers.
Introducing “Finishing First”
HANOVER, MD –– This week, leaders of North America’s premier Finishing Trades union, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), and its employers wrapped the annual labor-management event, the Finishing Industries Forum. At the event, attended by over 500 union and business leaders, it was announced that the joint labor and management initiative, Painters and Allied Trades Labor Management Cooperative Initiative (LMCI), is now Finishing First.
Finishing First directly reflects its role as the #1 resource of the Finishing Trades––giving union contractors and the craftspeople they employ a single, unified voice to address relevant industry issues. “Finishing First immediately tells the world who we are and what we do,” said IUPAT General President and Finishing First Co-Chair Kenneth Rigmaiden. “It positions us to expand our work helping IUPAT workers and union finishing contractors collaboratively grow, thrive and expand their market share and membership.”
“We strongly believe a collaborative labor-contractor relationship is the best way to achieve the strongest solutions to safety, health, training and relevant industry issues, and our rebranding also reflects that we’re first with those solutions,” said Paul Tsourous, Finishing First Co-Chair and President of Jupiter Painting.
The Finishing Trades––which include industrial painting, commercial painting, drywall finishing, glazing, sign & display and floor covering installation––are critical to the durability, safety and aesthetic of North America’s infrastructure and buildings. They add beauty, value and longevity to virtually every structure, from ship hulls and stadiums to historic buildings like the U.S. Capitol and Parliament in Canada.
In addition to the new name, the Finishing First new brand identity includes a redesigned logo, new marketing materials, refreshed programs and a new website – www.FinishingFirstLMCI.com. While the new logo signifies the collaboration or coming together of the skilled finishing craftspeople and contractors, the new marketing materials and website highlight the quality, expertise, safety and value resulting from this collaboration.
“Finishing First isn’t just a new name, it’s part of our expanded mission as we push forward in 2020. In fact, we are beginning the New Year with the release of our just completed research on the future of the Finishing Trades markets,” explained Finishing First Executive Director Anton Ruesing. “It’s the beginning of much more to come.”