When you think of a typical homegrown, family-owned painting business built on trust, craftsmanship, and pride in their work — you are probably thinking of a business just like Montgomery Paint Contracting.
Ray and Tess Montgomery are San Diego locals, first living in East County, then moving to Chula Vista nearly 10 years ago. Their painting business began back in the early 2000’s when Ray and his dad started taking on projects together fresh off leaving their prior company.
“Back then it was me and my dad working hand-in-hand, just the two of us,” he reminisces.
Ray’s experience in sales and marketing helped him and his dad get their first clients and begin building their painting business from the ground up. For years they built their reputation on word-of-mouth referrals and good quality work, and they began to grow. Over time, Ray was able to hire a few guys on the team, and eventually retired his dad. He continues to grow Montgomery paint today.
Today, Montgomery Paint Contracting offers high-end residential and commercial paint services across San Diego. Ray and his team perform all kinds of projects–big and small—on all kinds of surfaces including interior, exterior, stucco repair, cabinets, and special projects. From homes to churches to apartment complexes, they offer fair and quality work that is always backed by warranty and a promise that they will treat your space like their own.
Ray and Tess are also big on family and community. When we asked them what they liked about Chula Vista they shared that, even though Chula Vista is big, it feels almost like a small town. Tess says she ran into someone from her daughter’s old soccer team just the other day at the store. “It feels so weird to run into people you know around town,” she says, “I would just think that would never happen.” Ray says people in Chula Vista are down to earth and kind, and that they have really built a community here.
When it comes to the day-to-day work of the business, Ray is upfront about the fact that he is not the computer guy. Tess is the one who handles the contracts, bids, and online communications. Despite being a successful business owner, he still likes to be in the field, and will choose painting over sitting at a computer desk any day.
The one thing they emphasize is most important about their business, is integrity. “We do what we say we are going to do, and we are who we say we are,” says Ray. And they will always ensure their work is high-quality. That’s why they have a warranty. He says their team is always willing to come back out and fix things if there is a problem. “I always tell my customers that if they see something later, never hesitate to call me. We’ll come back and take care of whatever needs to be done.” That’s what sets them apart.
We asked Ray about some of the fun projects he’s worked on recently. He says they recently had the opportunity to paint a local presbyterian church, which was especially complicated indoors because the pews are bolted to the ground. “We had to be really careful not to make a mess while doing the ceiling repair, and to work around all of the furniture.”
They’ve worked with tire shops, dance studios, apartment complexes and industrial buildings. The mix of residential and commercial jobs keeps them busy, but not so busy that they can’t enjoy themselves.
Ray and Tess have three children ages 1.5, 5, and #, and when they aren’t running their paint contracting business they’re spending their time taking the family to Disneyland, choosing between Minnie Mouse outfits, and attending their children’s events and activities on the regular.
It’s easy to tell that they spend as much time as they can creating enjoyment for their family, frequenting places like Legoland, Sea World, and the Zoo. They recently even took a Hawaiian vacation just the two of them, one that stemmed from their high quality work. “We offered some painting to the house we were staying in to trade for our stay, and we were able to have this incredible vacation by offering a little bit of work.” Their relationship building and paint bartering just goes to show what quality work and a friendly personality can do.
If you get the privilege of meeting Ray, Tess, or any of their young children around town, you’ll be fortunate enough to see firsthand how much love and playfulness goes into everything they do, and how much joy they bring to their work and beyond in everyday life.