May 30, 2023 • 24 mins
Huong Luu is the CEO of Luu Color Center, an authorized Benjamin Moore store that sells premium paint, stain, and painting supplies. With a focus on exceptional customer service and a commitment to giving back to the community, Luu Color Center has become a trusted partner for customers, contractors, and community organizations alike.
Huong grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she attended the Barrie School before attending and graduating from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. During her time in Chicago, Huong worked in the Public Relations and Communications industry before transitioning to Sales and Marketing. After relocating to New York City in 2016, Huong worked her way up to Assistant Director in the Sales and Marketing industry before returning to Silver Spring, Maryland, in late 2018 to work as a Quality Control Manager in the Construction industry.
Tragically and unexpectedly, her dad, Toan Luu, passed away from Covid-19 in January 2021. Toan was the sole owner and operator of Luu Color Center, and after his passing, Huong made the decision to take over her late dad’s company. With the help of her business partner, James Kleinman, Huong has successfully continued her dad's legacy of exceptional customer service and loyalty, while they rebuilt the business and maintained operations during the pandemic.
In addition to providing exceptional customer service and she has expanded Luu Color Center's services to include on-site color consultation and delivery services for both homeowners and contractors. Luu Color Center has established a reputation for providing an "old school" hospitality experience, offering coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and water to all clients. To make Luu Color Center accessible to as many customers as possible, Huong has made sure that the store is open seven days a week, and her team is fluent in Spanish.
As a business committed to giving back to the community, Luu Color Center has donated paint to local non-profit organizations and continues to seek opportunities to contribute to the community in as many ways as possible. Luu Color Center has become a trusted partner for customers, contractors, and community organizations alike, known for its high-quality products, exceptional service, and commitment to making a positive impact in the community.
Huong grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she attended the Barrie School before attending and graduating from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. During her time in Chicago, Huong worked in the Public Relations and Communications industry before transitioning to Sales and Marketing. After relocating to New York City in 2016, Huong worked her way up to Assistant Director in the Sales and Marketing industry before returning to Silver Spring, Maryland, in late 2018 to work as a Quality Control Manager in the Construction industry.
Tragically and unexpectedly, her dad, Toan Luu, passed away from Covid-19 in January 2021. Toan was the sole owner and operator of Luu Color Center, and after his passing, Huong made the decision to take over her late dad’s company. With the help of her business partner, James Kleinman, Huong has successfully continued her dad's legacy of exceptional customer service and loyalty, while they rebuilt the business and maintained operations during the pandemic.
In addition to providing exceptional customer service and she has expanded Luu Color Center's services to include on-site color consultation and delivery services for both homeowners and contractors. Luu Color Center has established a reputation for providing an "old school" hospitality experience, offering coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and water to all clients. To make Luu Color Center accessible to as many customers as possible, Huong has made sure that the store is open seven days a week, and her team is fluent in Spanish.
As a business committed to giving back to the community, Luu Color Center has donated paint to local non-profit organizations and continues to seek opportunities to contribute to the community in as many ways as possible. Luu Color Center has become a trusted partner for customers, contractors, and community organizations alike, known for its high-quality products, exceptional service, and commitment to making a positive impact in the community.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
M and T Bank presents CEOs youshould Know powered by iHeart Asia in celebration
of Asian, American and Pacific IslanderHeritage Month. Let's meet Hongolu. She
is the CEO for Lou Color Centerin Rockville. They are, of course
sellers of paint, stained and finishes, offering several eco friendly products and color
consulting. Before we talk more abouther store and what they offer, I
(00:24):
first asked home to talk a littlebit about herself, where she's from and
her origin story. So I actuallyhave a really unique background. I think
it's unique. My family's from Vietnam, the southern part of Vignam, and
my stepfather's from Greece. So growingup I had like two different cultures,
with three different cultures all in onehousehold. My family, they're all immigrants,
(00:46):
so it was a lot of likea little bit of Greek here,
a little bit of Vignis here,a little bit of English. We are
all kind of like you know,mixed together. So sometimes I'll start with
English and the Vignames and Greek willcome out. Well, see all American
family now, I mean there's somany different mixed races together. It's it's
what America is now, which ismakes it beautiful and great. I do
(01:07):
want to talk a lot about luColor Center and you being CEO. Now
before we do that, I thinkit's really important to tell our audience about
your dad, and I know he'sno longer with us, and he started
this business, and maybe you couldtalk about this the origin, about when
he started the business, how longhe had it for, and then we'll
talk about your transition to CEO,because I know that was a big deal
to do. So why don't wetalk a little bit about your dad.
(01:30):
Yeah, so my dad he grewup during the Big nov War and he
actually came here as early refugee whenhe was a teenager. So the only
other person he knew was his eldestbrother. So my dad had a lot
of work, you know, justlike manual labor work or and he always
had like his American dream and hereally wanted to give like you know,
heads future kids more than what hehad growing up. So then so my
(01:57):
dad he started, he met mysuck father and they actually started. You
know, my stepfather was a painterthat time, and he was a very
well known painter throughout the Marylan DC, Virginia area. So my dad actually
partner up with my stepfather with hispainting company. And my dad was saying,
hey, you know, we buya lot of Benjamin Moore paint.
(02:19):
It's high quality paint. People lovedthe results the last for a year.
How about we expanned the business ventureand I could open up my own Benjamin
Moore store. And my stepfather andmy mother they provided my dad with a
small loan. So on April ofnineteen ninety nine, my dad actually opened
its top at our Rockville location wherery off Nicholson Lane, and he's been
(02:42):
there ever since. So I justremember, like for me growing up with
my dad, I was probably inmiddle school. My dad would wake me
up on Sunday mornings and he waslike, heyhun, why don't we go
grab some milkshakes? And I'm likeat eight o'clock in the morning and he
was like yeah, and I'm like, Dad, my cartoons is coming on.
(03:02):
And he was like, oh,come on, you know, throwing
some French fries. We don't evenhave to tell mom. And I'm like,
hey, cool soul. So Sundaysused to be my day with my
dad. We will grab like,you know, breakfast at the Silver diner
and then he'll just casually dry bythe store and he was like, oh,
yeah, I'm so sorry. Youknow, I just don't work a
couple of hours, so you mindjust sitting tight at the front, just
(03:23):
keep an eye and everything. AndI'm like okay. And I remember,
like, you know, the housewivesand all the women they were coming with
these forgards like fabrics and grapes,and it was kind of a fun social
like like get together for them,and they would just pick out colors and
what was matching. And I wouldsit there and I'm like, oh,
no, you don't want that color, you want this color. And everyone
(03:46):
would just laugh and you know,brush it off, and they'll come back
next week and they'll be like,hey, Lou, your kids really bout
picking out coolers. We actually movewith theirs a gymp shits. So Sundays
that came my day with my dadand pay store, and then high school
came out and I was like,you know what, Dad, this is
not cool anymore. I'm into sports. So I've pretty much like left it
at that, and like for thehalf ten years, it's just been really
(04:10):
my dad at the store seven daysa week by itself, Okay, so
you're CEO now, but there was, you know, an interesting way you
became CEO, and I know there'sa story behind that. We had mentioned
that your dad is no longer withus. We are sorry for your loss,
and I know that sometimes when itcomes to family businesses that don't kids
don't plan to be in it.So I'm curious about what you wanted to
do and then the transition to thisopportunity with tragedy in your family to become
(04:35):
CEO. Tell us all about that, because I'm sure that's fascinating, and
I'm sure that there's some very toughmoments and you're running a very successful business
right now that we're going to talka lot about. But i'll talk about
what you wanted to do and howyou got thrust into this position because it's
really interesting. Yeah. Absolutely,Well, thank you for your kind words.
I actually moved back from New Yorkin the end of twenty eighteen,
(05:00):
and I actually started my job asa quality control manager for a boutique construction
company right here in Rockville. Wedid a lot of government jobs and that's
basically what I was just focusing on, and of course COVID happened in March
of twenty twenty, and that allthrew us into a loophole. My dad
he kept his doors open just becausenumber one that was his primary sources income
(05:21):
was the store, and we justdidn't know what was going on, Like
we have government projects, they deemedhardware stores page shops like necessity. So
we kept the doors open, tryingto navigate that along with the rest of
the world. And then at theend of twenty twenty, my dad just
turned fifty seven in December, andI remember I would see my dad every
(05:44):
single morning because my job site wasliterally right around the block from his.
You know, I was shaking downfor breakfast and you know, one of
his dad jokes. And then Ijust noticed, like in January, like
the first week of January I builtin, my dad just wasn't looking too
well, and I was, andsoon I was like, Dad, are
you okay. We just brushed itoff, typical dad. He was like,
(06:05):
don't worry, there's nothing to worryabout. I'm fine. And then
I just remember, like one morningI got there on January fourth, and
my dad's truck was nowhere to befound. The lights were off. I'm
alarmed because he's always there, We'recalling him, no one's picking up.
And then we finally tracked my daddown to the hospital. His phone had
(06:27):
died and they diagnosed him with COVID, and then the next day he was
immediately on the respirator and every singleday since then his organs started one by
one step down, and at thispoint we closed the store. We just
didn't know what was going on.We were hoping a miracle will happen,
but unfortunately, on January eleventh oftwenty twenty one, my dad did pass
(06:49):
away from COVID. So for me, I think it was just really it
was just really overwhelming, just becauseI was trying to juggle my job.
I was trying to arrange human arrangements, but we couldn't gather around. I
(07:10):
was trying to figure out, likewhen we are we going to do with
the store, and it was justall like that once. But for some
reason, like part of my grieving, like I just couldn't let my dad
go, and I just remember,like, you know, like all those
fun, fun days we had,just seeing him there and some of my
dad had the American dream. Itwas really you know, it was just
(07:32):
something like this is the only thingI have left of my dad is really
his store. So I reached outto one of my dad's former employee and
at this time, he was retiredfor the plast five years, to reach
out to him and like, hey, you know, I know you probably
don't remember me, but I knowyour retirement. Here's a situation that happened.
(07:58):
We lost my dad for some reason. I can't let the store go.
I can't close the store. Wouldyou come back? And he was
just saying, hey, you know, I could give it a try for
a couple of days. I can'tgo full time yet. So I remember
I would wake up a like fiveo'clock in the morning, I would get
(08:18):
to the store, set up thestore. My business partner would come in,
I would leave for my construction job, and then I would just like
you know, like run to thebed More warehouse to pick up paint in
the evening. So I'm back tothe store in the evening make sure we
were set up. And we weredoing that for pretty much the first six
months. When it got to apoint where like I just couldn't manage my
(08:41):
construction job and the store. Itwas over one hundred hours a week,
seven days a week, so Idecided to step back down from my construction
job and I really just rebuild mydad's business. And what kept me going
was awesome, who really his clientssay, you know, they would come
in, they're like, oh,yeah, we remember you when you were
little. You know, your dadwould have like and they would just tell
(09:03):
me all these wonderful stories about mydad and when impact he had on their
lives and their painting projects. Butit just made me realize like, hey,
like, you know, we madesuch difference, like his customers were
with him for five times fifteen twentyyears that we're here and I'm just so
blowing away of flabber gases, butthey're here now suppouring me. And it
(09:28):
was definitely a challenge, just learninglike the day day operations, learning how
to hire, learning the different products, making a longer mistakes and then like
you know, during my journey,but then also like seeing how like my
customers still need so much grace whileso learning the process and you know,
learning the system and learning everything.And so yeah, we were able to
(09:52):
turn the business around. It wason the breakup bankruptcy. We were able
to turn the business around, andnow like you know, we're just really
s being like, hey, likewe can still have the American dream,
like this is for all the immigrantfamilies that came here that have more struggles
like we can't do this, anda lot of my team members, like,
you know, they're awesome guys.They're just graduated from high school like
(10:15):
a year or two years ago,their first generation immigrants as well, and
we're just all working together, andwe just really wanted to have like a
good feeling when customers come in,you know, they're offered up a coffee
of chocolate, a bottle of water. We want to encourage them to stay
as long as they need. There'sover three thousand, five hundred colors.
(10:37):
We understand it's overwhelming, and we'rehere to hold their hands and walk them
through all the process as many timesas they need us too. Well.
Yours is a very personal story.I want to thank you for sharing that
and once again, sorry for theloss of your dad. Sounds like such
a special relationship. I have atwenty year old daughter who's going to be
writing senior at Elon in North Carolina, and we have that kind of special
relationship to the closeness, and Ithink that took you to the next level
(11:01):
about this crazy idea of taking overthe story, becoming CEO and continuing his
wonderful legacy with his customers that you'vealluded to. So we really appreciate you
sharing all that. Well, let'stalk about some amazing things that you've done
with the Lou Color Center. Butwhat I do want to do first,
maybe just overall, what's the missionstatement of the company, if you could
for us? Absolutely, our missionstatement is just raising the ordinary to extraordinary.
(11:26):
We understand that someone's home is reallytheir phase of peace. They're sanctuary,
if their place where they could reallybe their true authentic self, where
they could really express themselves in avery safe environment. So we always want
to make sure that we're there tohelp them whatever their vision is. If
they want like an all black livingroom, let's raise the ordinary to extraordinary.
(11:48):
Let's get them that beautiful black livingroom that they want. If they
want like something like that would takethem away from their busy nine to five
and the stress of their nine tofive, and they want to create a
spot oasis in their bathroom, findthe right color for them. Again,
it's just raising the ordinary to extraordinary. I love your mission statement. I
know what a rhymes about is actuallybeautiful and it makes a lot of sense
(12:09):
too, so it's very cool.All right, let's do this before we
get into specifics about the store andall that you offer and your customers and
all the different things that we're goingto talk about. Maybe it's kind of
a thirty thousand foot view if somebody'snever been into the Loo Color Center before,
tell us about all the things thatyou offer. So everybody's very clear
about that. Yeah, absolutely,So the second someonets to walk into our
(12:31):
store, they all actually get propliamentaryconsultation. Rather, they need help picking
out colors, if they want tobring tiles, if they want to bring
fabrics, we encourage them to bringall the materials into our store. We
will discuss the different type of machineswith them, if they watch Shiny or
not Shiny, will go over thedifferent types of product line that Benjamin has
(12:54):
to offer and which one really likecaters to their specific needs, and then
again just have them have a verygreat time and a very relaxing time in
our store. And of course,for some of our clients that need more
one on one attention or they wantthat undervided time, we do offer on
site consultation. On site consultation justcost one hundred and fifty dollars an hour.
(13:16):
It's an our minimum by personally comeonto either their job site or their
home. Then we could go roomby room what they envision it to look
like after they transform it. Iwill help them pick up colors. We'll
be able to email all of ourclients, our contractors to simply text us
(13:37):
their orders and we could get theirorders started. So that way, if
they're in a rush, they couldcome pick up their materials, get started,
try to be traffic. We alsooffer complimentary deliveries for all of our
professional clients. There's no minimum distanceand there's no minimum purchase required. For
our homeowners, there is a minimumof a fifteen gallon purchase if they need
(13:58):
less than that. Force is onlyten dollars in mail and fifteen and DC
in twenty in Virginia. Bus justbasically what we have. I think it's
great and the message I'm getting isthat there's some really eggs on customer service.
And that leads me to my nextquestion. Because I know there's a
lot of big box stores and there'sa lot of brand stores that have been
around for a long time. Todo kind of what you do, but
(14:20):
the you know, we call thisa mom and pop store or a small
business. And with all that said, I can hear the nostalgia with your
clients and your father and you growingup through there, the customer service that
he offered, being in the samelocation for a long time. But I'd
like to ask you, when itcomes to all those different stores that you
have to compete against, how doyou differentiate yourself from everybody else out there?
(14:43):
At the end of the day,we truly care. We are truly
invested in each and every single oneof our clients projects, no matter how
little or how big it might be. I remember last year we had a
paint shortage where one of our competitionthey had their material aerials, like their
production like destroyed, and I thinkthey lost like a year's worth of their
(15:05):
production. That we have to absorbthose customer bases. And then we also
went like internally with Benjamin or ourown paint shortage. So for me,
it was just like really understanding,like, hey, we have a potential
issue, supply chain issue. Icontact all of my contractors and I asked
them like, hey, please giveme your paint schedule. Let me know
what you have going on. Thisis a type of shortage that we have.
(15:28):
Let me try to mitigate that.And I remember I would drive all
throughout like Maryland, BC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia to just
source the materials that they need tojust have them continue on with their projects
and make sure, like you know, for my homeowners or d I wires
that came into the store if theywere looking for something, I would try
(15:50):
to like track down that as quicklyas possible. So just really like just
truly caring. And it's also sogreat having the pleasure being boots again into
their homes at the end of theirpainting projects and just seeing the finished product
as well. Well. Thanks forSharon. I can also notice your passion
in the business too, which wehear a lot from our leaders that you
(16:11):
have to be passion and of courseyou have to take some chances and gambles
out there in a leap of faith. And it sounds like you've done all
those things. I didn't want toask you as a leader. I know
there are success stories out there,and let's put a pin in that just
for a second. Let's talk aboutchallenges in your industry beside. I know
there's been shortages the last three yearsbecause of all we've been through and supply
(16:33):
chain issues. But what are yourcurrent challenges that you're dealing with right now?
My current challenge that I'm really dealingright now is how can I set
up my team for success? Becauseour goal is to really to open our
second location, out their location,out fourth location. And really it's like,
what can I do to set myteam up for success? How much
training do I need to adapt inmy style so that when I go ahead
(16:56):
and communicate that to my team,they understand and they retain information, and
then most importantly, can they executethat as well. So that's one of
the challenge that I'm facing as aleaders. How can I better myself so
that I can intern be a betterleader for my team and make sure I
sets up for success because when wesay, hey, our goal is to
(17:18):
open up another store, you knowin the next X to y months we
won't be able to hit those goals. And if we're not on track,
what am I doing wrong? Becauseagain, as a leader starts from the
top in the funnels to the bottom. When it doesn't matter what it is,
it's always going to be like,hey, how can I improve me
so that I could give my teamone and I set them up for success
(17:42):
because ultimately their livelihoods is depending onme, so I want to make sure
I deliver from my guys. Well, it makes a lot of sense.
I do want to ask you abouta success story. I imagine there's a
bunch of them and people that areyou please in families and change your lives
when it comes to you know,because you know this and I know this
too from painting all the different housesthat I've lived in in different rooms.
(18:03):
It's a very personal thing and youwant to feel comfortable and happy and fun
whatever colors you're putting in your room. So is there a success story?
Maybe over the last several years,it stands out that he said, you
know what, on this day forthat family or that person, we really
knocked it out in the park.It was something really special that we did.
Yeah. Absolutely, we actually werelucky enough. We have this client.
(18:26):
He's relatively a new client for us, and he does these gorgeous renovations
for town homes, especially down inthe DC area, and he just so
by a chance, just walk intoour stores because he happened to live by,
and you know, he would showas these projects and these homes they
are in such like dire need,and this was watching the transformation of it
(18:51):
and that they actually just complete therenovation. About two weeks ago. They
listed their home in DC. Itwas only on the market for three days
before it was Wow. That isliterally everyone's like dream home. And I
think they've got about five hundred thousandoverasking So that's that's really uniqueable. Uh,
(19:12):
Like you know, Seeds, Ican't believe people offering like fox million
dollars over the asking price. Butit's a stunning home. And now they're
in the process of finishing up theirsecond home in DC and they're continuing to
build. So just seeing their growthclass a company, it's amazing. That's
a great story. I did wantto ask you about something as a woman
(19:32):
of color and you're a CEO,and this interview is going to be playing
during api month, and I thinkit's really important to let everybody know,
as you tell your story as animmigrant family, that there are opportunities for
everybody out there, and there havebeen challenges for for everybody, women and
people of color for many years.They're so a long ways ago I know
that even from my daughter in theindustry that she's going to get into eventually,
(19:56):
that there's growth and there are challengesalso. So with all that said,
I was hoping maybe you could justpart a little advice. I know
your story is very specific how youtook over as a CEO, but you
made something into your father's legacy inthe store very special. So maybe just
how about some advice with the peoplethat look like you and say, you
know what, there's a lot ofdoors closing on me. I'm not having
(20:17):
the kind of success I'd like youto be a CEO of my company someday.
What would you say to them?Biggest advice I can lead someone is
never rearrange your boundaries to accommodate anyone'sdisrespect. And the reason why that's so
important it's because, again, dealingwith customers, were used to the phrase
the customers always right. That's notalways the case. Mistakes happen on both
(20:38):
ends. What's right is right,what's wrong is wrong. Whatever we could
do to rectify the situation, we'remore than happy to rectify the situation.
But I think, especially being awoman of color in a very male dominate
industry, is just again holding trueto your boundaries. You know, we
don't have to be smash or anything. It's just like saying, hey,
(21:00):
these are my boundaries for one personto another person. You know, I
will respect your boundaries. I'm askingfor the same and then just not tolerating
when people do not respect boundaries.And that just goes right across the board
and it's really being like, youknow, you're authentically truthful, wonderful and
excellent advice. Thank you for sharingthat. I do want to kind of
(21:21):
wrap up our conversation by one morething, and that's if somebody has maybe
driven by or they haven't been inyour store and they were to pop in
like that one person did that youworked with, which is a wonderful story,
by the way, in a greatsuccess story about that experience that they're
going to get once again and whatthey're going to be getting with customer service
and the opportunity to work with youand your team. Let let's put a
(21:44):
bow on that and tell us aboutwhat would happen if we walked in.
Well, the second you walk in, you're probably gonna be bombarded with us
asking you if you want a cupof coffee, a cup of hotchlocks over
the bottom of water like that.So we just really to make sure that
you know, you feel the hospitality, you feel welcome. And then immediately
after that it's like, hey,how can we help you? How can
(22:04):
we serve you today? Do youjust want to browse around because this is
your thirty minutes of escape and youjust want to look at colors and peace?
Go ahead? Do you want topick out brains because you have an
emergency? Please do. There's alwaysgoing to be one or two other person
checking in on you every like maybeten fifteen minutes, just to make sure
(22:26):
that you're doing okay. If there'sany last minute questions, if you're on
a rush, you know, simplyjust let us know what you need.
Boom, we'll get done for youand the doore you go. So really
we're pretty much flexible to whatever itis that you need. I love that,
all right, You've got a greatwebsite. Let's give everybody the website,
but also let's give everybody the address. Coincidentally, you're right down the
street from us. We're also onRockville Pike with iHeart, so we're not
(22:51):
too far from you. So givethe website address first than the U r
L. And then your address,please absolutely so. Our website is www
dot lou Fellers Center dot com.That's ww dot l U U C O
L O R c E N Te R dot com. And the address
is five zero two two Nicholson Lane, Rockville, Maryland. He's zero eight
(23:15):
five two, right across from theFar East restaurant, the Wendy's and the
Tablet one Bank. I know exactlywhere you are. I can't tell you
much, how much long I reallyappreciate your time. And you know I'm
not the first person who's probably toldyou this, but with your dad's legacy
in the store that he started andwith you carrying on and making it such
a success, he would be veryproud. And I'm sure the customers that
(23:38):
they worked with and he worked withand still see you, are very proud.
And just a testament to your leadershipand your relationship with your father and
doing something very special there. Becausewe all know, and I'm sure you're
can attest to this, it isnot easy to run a company. I
always joke with people it's windiest atthe top because there's nobody else to talk
to. You're in charge, soyou're making all the decisions and you see
(24:00):
all the good and the bad ofit. So thank you so much for
this continued success, and we reallyappreciate you joining us on CEOs. You
should know. Thanks, thank youso much. I really appreciate you being
generous with your time. Our communitypartner, M ANDT Bank supports CEOs,
you should know, as part oftheir ongoing commitment to building strong communities,
and that starts by backing the businesseswithin them. As a Bank for Communities,
(24:22):
M and T believes in dedicating time, talent, and resources to help
local businesses thrive because when businesses succeed, our communities succeed.
M and T Bank presents CEOs youshould Know powered by iHeart Asia in celebration
of Asian, American and Pacific IslanderHeritage Month. Let's meet Hongolu. She
is the CEO for Lou Color Centerin Rockville. They are, of course
sellers of paint, stained and finishes, offering several eco friendly products and color
consulting. Before we talk more abouther store and what they offer, I
(00:24):
first asked home to talk a littlebit about herself, where she's from and
her origin story. So I actuallyhave a really unique background. I think
it's unique. My family's from Vietnam, the southern part of Vignam, and
my stepfather's from Greece. So growingup I had like two different cultures,
with three different cultures all in onehousehold. My family, they're all immigrants,
(00:46):
so it was a lot of likea little bit of Greek here,
a little bit of Vignis here,a little bit of English. We are
all kind of like you know,mixed together. So sometimes I'll start with
English and the Vignames and Greek willcome out. Well, see all American
family now, I mean there's somany different mixed races together. It's it's
what America is now, which ismakes it beautiful and great. I do
(01:07):
want to talk a lot about luColor Center and you being CEO. Now
before we do that, I thinkit's really important to tell our audience about
your dad, and I know he'sno longer with us, and he started
this business, and maybe you couldtalk about this the origin, about when
he started the business, how longhe had it for, and then we'll
talk about your transition to CEO,because I know that was a big deal
to do. So why don't wetalk a little bit about your dad.
(01:30):
Yeah, so my dad he grewup during the Big nov War and he
actually came here as early refugee whenhe was a teenager. So the only
other person he knew was his eldestbrother. So my dad had a lot
of work, you know, justlike manual labor work or and he always
had like his American dream and hereally wanted to give like you know,
heads future kids more than what hehad growing up. So then so my
(01:57):
dad he started, he met mysuck father and they actually started. You
know, my stepfather was a painterthat time, and he was a very
well known painter throughout the Marylan DC, Virginia area. So my dad actually
partner up with my stepfather with hispainting company. And my dad was saying,
hey, you know, we buya lot of Benjamin Moore paint.
(02:19):
It's high quality paint. People lovedthe results the last for a year.
How about we expanned the business ventureand I could open up my own Benjamin
Moore store. And my stepfather andmy mother they provided my dad with a
small loan. So on April ofnineteen ninety nine, my dad actually opened
its top at our Rockville location wherery off Nicholson Lane, and he's been
(02:42):
there ever since. So I justremember, like for me growing up with
my dad, I was probably inmiddle school. My dad would wake me
up on Sunday mornings and he waslike, heyhun, why don't we go
grab some milkshakes? And I'm likeat eight o'clock in the morning and he
was like yeah, and I'm like, Dad, my cartoons is coming on.
(03:02):
And he was like, oh,come on, you know, throwing
some French fries. We don't evenhave to tell mom. And I'm like,
hey, cool soul. So Sundaysused to be my day with my
dad. We will grab like,you know, breakfast at the Silver diner
and then he'll just casually dry bythe store and he was like, oh,
yeah, I'm so sorry. Youknow, I just don't work a
couple of hours, so you mindjust sitting tight at the front, just
(03:23):
keep an eye and everything. AndI'm like okay. And I remember,
like, you know, the housewivesand all the women they were coming with
these forgards like fabrics and grapes,and it was kind of a fun social
like like get together for them,and they would just pick out colors and
what was matching. And I wouldsit there and I'm like, oh,
no, you don't want that color, you want this color. And everyone
(03:46):
would just laugh and you know,brush it off, and they'll come back
next week and they'll be like,hey, Lou, your kids really bout
picking out coolers. We actually movewith theirs a gymp shits. So Sundays
that came my day with my dadand pay store, and then high school
came out and I was like,you know what, Dad, this is
not cool anymore. I'm into sports. So I've pretty much like left it
at that, and like for thehalf ten years, it's just been really
(04:10):
my dad at the store seven daysa week by itself, Okay, so
you're CEO now, but there was, you know, an interesting way you
became CEO, and I know there'sa story behind that. We had mentioned
that your dad is no longer withus. We are sorry for your loss,
and I know that sometimes when itcomes to family businesses that don't kids
don't plan to be in it.So I'm curious about what you wanted to
do and then the transition to thisopportunity with tragedy in your family to become
(04:35):
CEO. Tell us all about that, because I'm sure that's fascinating, and
I'm sure that there's some very toughmoments and you're running a very successful business
right now that we're going to talka lot about. But i'll talk about
what you wanted to do and howyou got thrust into this position because it's
really interesting. Yeah. Absolutely,Well, thank you for your kind words.
I actually moved back from New Yorkin the end of twenty eighteen,
(05:00):
and I actually started my job asa quality control manager for a boutique construction
company right here in Rockville. Wedid a lot of government jobs and that's
basically what I was just focusing on, and of course COVID happened in March
of twenty twenty, and that allthrew us into a loophole. My dad
he kept his doors open just becausenumber one that was his primary sources income
(05:21):
was the store, and we justdidn't know what was going on, Like
we have government projects, they deemedhardware stores page shops like necessity. So
we kept the doors open, tryingto navigate that along with the rest of
the world. And then at theend of twenty twenty, my dad just
turned fifty seven in December, andI remember I would see my dad every
(05:44):
single morning because my job site wasliterally right around the block from his.
You know, I was shaking downfor breakfast and you know, one of
his dad jokes. And then Ijust noticed, like in January, like
the first week of January I builtin, my dad just wasn't looking too
well, and I was, andsoon I was like, Dad, are
you okay. We just brushed itoff, typical dad. He was like,
(06:05):
don't worry, there's nothing to worryabout. I'm fine. And then
I just remember, like one morningI got there on January fourth, and
my dad's truck was nowhere to befound. The lights were off. I'm
alarmed because he's always there, We'recalling him, no one's picking up.
And then we finally tracked my daddown to the hospital. His phone had
(06:27):
died and they diagnosed him with COVID, and then the next day he was
immediately on the respirator and every singleday since then his organs started one by
one step down, and at thispoint we closed the store. We just
didn't know what was going on.We were hoping a miracle will happen,
but unfortunately, on January eleventh oftwenty twenty one, my dad did pass
(06:49):
away from COVID. So for me, I think it was just really it
was just really overwhelming, just becauseI was trying to juggle my job.
I was trying to arrange human arrangements, but we couldn't gather around. I
(07:10):
was trying to figure out, likewhen we are we going to do with
the store, and it was justall like that once. But for some
reason, like part of my grieving, like I just couldn't let my dad
go, and I just remember,like, you know, like all those
fun, fun days we had,just seeing him there and some of my
dad had the American dream. Itwas really you know, it was just
(07:32):
something like this is the only thingI have left of my dad is really
his store. So I reached outto one of my dad's former employee and
at this time, he was retiredfor the plast five years, to reach
out to him and like, hey, you know, I know you probably
don't remember me, but I knowyour retirement. Here's a situation that happened.
(07:58):
We lost my dad for some reason. I can't let the store go.
I can't close the store. Wouldyou come back? And he was
just saying, hey, you know, I could give it a try for
a couple of days. I can'tgo full time yet. So I remember
I would wake up a like fiveo'clock in the morning, I would get
(08:18):
to the store, set up thestore. My business partner would come in,
I would leave for my construction job, and then I would just like
you know, like run to thebed More warehouse to pick up paint in
the evening. So I'm back tothe store in the evening make sure we
were set up. And we weredoing that for pretty much the first six
months. When it got to apoint where like I just couldn't manage my
(08:41):
construction job and the store. Itwas over one hundred hours a week,
seven days a week, so Idecided to step back down from my construction
job and I really just rebuild mydad's business. And what kept me going
was awesome, who really his clientssay, you know, they would come
in, they're like, oh,yeah, we remember you when you were
little. You know, your dadwould have like and they would just tell
(09:03):
me all these wonderful stories about mydad and when impact he had on their
lives and their painting projects. Butit just made me realize like, hey,
like, you know, we madesuch difference, like his customers were
with him for five times fifteen twentyyears that we're here and I'm just so
blowing away of flabber gases, butthey're here now suppouring me. And it
(09:28):
was definitely a challenge, just learninglike the day day operations, learning how
to hire, learning the different products, making a longer mistakes and then like
you know, during my journey,but then also like seeing how like my
customers still need so much grace whileso learning the process and you know,
learning the system and learning everything.And so yeah, we were able to
(09:52):
turn the business around. It wason the breakup bankruptcy. We were able
to turn the business around, andnow like you know, we're just really
s being like, hey, likewe can still have the American dream,
like this is for all the immigrantfamilies that came here that have more struggles
like we can't do this, anda lot of my team members, like,
you know, they're awesome guys.They're just graduated from high school like
(10:15):
a year or two years ago,their first generation immigrants as well, and
we're just all working together, andwe just really wanted to have like a
good feeling when customers come in,you know, they're offered up a coffee
of chocolate, a bottle of water. We want to encourage them to stay
as long as they need. There'sover three thousand, five hundred colors.
(10:37):
We understand it's overwhelming, and we'rehere to hold their hands and walk them
through all the process as many timesas they need us too. Well.
Yours is a very personal story.I want to thank you for sharing that
and once again, sorry for theloss of your dad. Sounds like such
a special relationship. I have atwenty year old daughter who's going to be
writing senior at Elon in North Carolina, and we have that kind of special
relationship to the closeness, and Ithink that took you to the next level
(11:01):
about this crazy idea of taking overthe story, becoming CEO and continuing his
wonderful legacy with his customers that you'vealluded to. So we really appreciate you
sharing all that. Well, let'stalk about some amazing things that you've done
with the Lou Color Center. Butwhat I do want to do first,
maybe just overall, what's the missionstatement of the company, if you could
for us? Absolutely, our missionstatement is just raising the ordinary to extraordinary.
(11:26):
We understand that someone's home is reallytheir phase of peace. They're sanctuary,
if their place where they could reallybe their true authentic self, where
they could really express themselves in avery safe environment. So we always want
to make sure that we're there tohelp them whatever their vision is. If
they want like an all black livingroom, let's raise the ordinary to extraordinary.
(11:48):
Let's get them that beautiful black livingroom that they want. If they
want like something like that would takethem away from their busy nine to five
and the stress of their nine tofive, and they want to create a
spot oasis in their bathroom, findthe right color for them. Again,
it's just raising the ordinary to extraordinary. I love your mission statement. I
know what a rhymes about is actuallybeautiful and it makes a lot of sense
(12:09):
too, so it's very cool.All right, let's do this before we
get into specifics about the store andall that you offer and your customers and
all the different things that we're goingto talk about. Maybe it's kind of
a thirty thousand foot view if somebody'snever been into the Loo Color Center before,
tell us about all the things thatyou offer. So everybody's very clear
about that. Yeah, absolutely,So the second someonets to walk into our
(12:31):
store, they all actually get propliamentaryconsultation. Rather, they need help picking
out colors, if they want tobring tiles, if they want to bring
fabrics, we encourage them to bringall the materials into our store. We
will discuss the different type of machineswith them, if they watch Shiny or
not Shiny, will go over thedifferent types of product line that Benjamin has
(12:54):
to offer and which one really likecaters to their specific needs, and then
again just have them have a verygreat time and a very relaxing time in
our store. And of course,for some of our clients that need more
one on one attention or they wantthat undervided time, we do offer on
site consultation. On site consultation justcost one hundred and fifty dollars an hour.
(13:16):
It's an our minimum by personally comeonto either their job site or their
home. Then we could go roomby room what they envision it to look
like after they transform it. Iwill help them pick up colors. We'll
be able to email all of ourclients, our contractors to simply text us
(13:37):
their orders and we could get theirorders started. So that way, if
they're in a rush, they couldcome pick up their materials, get started,
try to be traffic. We alsooffer complimentary deliveries for all of our
professional clients. There's no minimum distanceand there's no minimum purchase required. For
our homeowners, there is a minimumof a fifteen gallon purchase if they need
(13:58):
less than that. Force is onlyten dollars in mail and fifteen and DC
in twenty in Virginia. Bus justbasically what we have. I think it's
great and the message I'm getting isthat there's some really eggs on customer service.
And that leads me to my nextquestion. Because I know there's a
lot of big box stores and there'sa lot of brand stores that have been
around for a long time. Todo kind of what you do, but
(14:20):
the you know, we call thisa mom and pop store or a small
business. And with all that said, I can hear the nostalgia with your
clients and your father and you growingup through there, the customer service that
he offered, being in the samelocation for a long time. But I'd
like to ask you, when itcomes to all those different stores that you
have to compete against, how doyou differentiate yourself from everybody else out there?
(14:43):
At the end of the day,we truly care. We are truly
invested in each and every single oneof our clients projects, no matter how
little or how big it might be. I remember last year we had a
paint shortage where one of our competitionthey had their material aerials, like their
production like destroyed, and I thinkthey lost like a year's worth of their
(15:05):
production. That we have to absorbthose customer bases. And then we also
went like internally with Benjamin or ourown paint shortage. So for me,
it was just like really understanding,like, hey, we have a potential
issue, supply chain issue. Icontact all of my contractors and I asked
them like, hey, please giveme your paint schedule. Let me know
what you have going on. Thisis a type of shortage that we have.
(15:28):
Let me try to mitigate that.And I remember I would drive all
throughout like Maryland, BC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia to just
source the materials that they need tojust have them continue on with their projects
and make sure, like you know, for my homeowners or d I wires
that came into the store if theywere looking for something, I would try
(15:50):
to like track down that as quicklyas possible. So just really like just
truly caring. And it's also sogreat having the pleasure being boots again into
their homes at the end of theirpainting projects and just seeing the finished product
as well. Well. Thanks forSharon. I can also notice your passion
in the business too, which wehear a lot from our leaders that you
(16:11):
have to be passion and of courseyou have to take some chances and gambles
out there in a leap of faith. And it sounds like you've done all
those things. I didn't want toask you as a leader. I know
there are success stories out there,and let's put a pin in that just
for a second. Let's talk aboutchallenges in your industry beside. I know
there's been shortages the last three yearsbecause of all we've been through and supply
(16:33):
chain issues. But what are yourcurrent challenges that you're dealing with right now?
My current challenge that I'm really dealingright now is how can I set
up my team for success? Becauseour goal is to really to open our
second location, out their location,out fourth location. And really it's like,
what can I do to set myteam up for success? How much
training do I need to adapt inmy style so that when I go ahead
(16:56):
and communicate that to my team,they understand and they retain information, and
then most importantly, can they executethat as well. So that's one of
the challenge that I'm facing as aleaders. How can I better myself so
that I can intern be a betterleader for my team and make sure I
sets up for success because when wesay, hey, our goal is to
(17:18):
open up another store, you knowin the next X to y months we
won't be able to hit those goals. And if we're not on track,
what am I doing wrong? Becauseagain, as a leader starts from the
top in the funnels to the bottom. When it doesn't matter what it is,
it's always going to be like,hey, how can I improve me
so that I could give my teamone and I set them up for success
(17:42):
because ultimately their livelihoods is depending onme, so I want to make sure
I deliver from my guys. Well, it makes a lot of sense.
I do want to ask you abouta success story. I imagine there's a
bunch of them and people that areyou please in families and change your lives
when it comes to you know,because you know this and I know this
too from painting all the different housesthat I've lived in in different rooms.
(18:03):
It's a very personal thing and youwant to feel comfortable and happy and fun
whatever colors you're putting in your room. So is there a success story?
Maybe over the last several years,it stands out that he said, you
know what, on this day forthat family or that person, we really
knocked it out in the park.It was something really special that we did.
Yeah. Absolutely, we actually werelucky enough. We have this client.
(18:26):
He's relatively a new client for us, and he does these gorgeous renovations
for town homes, especially down inthe DC area, and he just so
by a chance, just walk intoour stores because he happened to live by,
and you know, he would showas these projects and these homes they
are in such like dire need,and this was watching the transformation of it
(18:51):
and that they actually just complete therenovation. About two weeks ago. They
listed their home in DC. Itwas only on the market for three days
before it was Wow. That isliterally everyone's like dream home. And I
think they've got about five hundred thousandoverasking So that's that's really uniqueable. Uh,
(19:12):
Like you know, Seeds, Ican't believe people offering like fox million
dollars over the asking price. Butit's a stunning home. And now they're
in the process of finishing up theirsecond home in DC and they're continuing to
build. So just seeing their growthclass a company, it's amazing. That's
a great story. I did wantto ask you about something as a woman
(19:32):
of color and you're a CEO,and this interview is going to be playing
during api month, and I thinkit's really important to let everybody know,
as you tell your story as animmigrant family, that there are opportunities for
everybody out there, and there havebeen challenges for for everybody, women and
people of color for many years.They're so a long ways ago I know
that even from my daughter in theindustry that she's going to get into eventually,
(19:56):
that there's growth and there are challengesalso. So with all that said,
I was hoping maybe you could justpart a little advice. I know
your story is very specific how youtook over as a CEO, but you
made something into your father's legacy inthe store very special. So maybe just
how about some advice with the peoplethat look like you and say, you
know what, there's a lot ofdoors closing on me. I'm not having
(20:17):
the kind of success I'd like youto be a CEO of my company someday.
What would you say to them?Biggest advice I can lead someone is
never rearrange your boundaries to accommodate anyone'sdisrespect. And the reason why that's so
important it's because, again, dealingwith customers, were used to the phrase
the customers always right. That's notalways the case. Mistakes happen on both
(20:38):
ends. What's right is right,what's wrong is wrong. Whatever we could
do to rectify the situation, we'remore than happy to rectify the situation.
But I think, especially being awoman of color in a very male dominate
industry, is just again holding trueto your boundaries. You know, we
don't have to be smash or anything. It's just like saying, hey,
(21:00):
these are my boundaries for one personto another person. You know, I
will respect your boundaries. I'm askingfor the same and then just not tolerating
when people do not respect boundaries.And that just goes right across the board
and it's really being like, youknow, you're authentically truthful, wonderful and
excellent advice. Thank you for sharingthat. I do want to kind of
(21:21):
wrap up our conversation by one morething, and that's if somebody has maybe
driven by or they haven't been inyour store and they were to pop in
like that one person did that youworked with, which is a wonderful story,
by the way, in a greatsuccess story about that experience that they're
going to get once again and whatthey're going to be getting with customer service
and the opportunity to work with youand your team. Let let's put a
(21:44):
bow on that and tell us aboutwhat would happen if we walked in.
Well, the second you walk in, you're probably gonna be bombarded with us
asking you if you want a cupof coffee, a cup of hotchlocks over
the bottom of water like that.So we just really to make sure that
you know, you feel the hospitality, you feel welcome. And then immediately
after that it's like, hey,how can we help you? How can
(22:04):
we serve you today? Do youjust want to browse around because this is
your thirty minutes of escape and youjust want to look at colors and peace?
Go ahead? Do you want topick out brains because you have an
emergency? Please do. There's alwaysgoing to be one or two other person
checking in on you every like maybeten fifteen minutes, just to make sure
(22:26):
that you're doing okay. If there'sany last minute questions, if you're on
a rush, you know, simplyjust let us know what you need.
Boom, we'll get done for youand the doore you go. So really
we're pretty much flexible to whatever itis that you need. I love that,
all right, You've got a greatwebsite. Let's give everybody the website,
but also let's give everybody the address. Coincidentally, you're right down the
street from us. We're also onRockville Pike with iHeart, so we're not
(22:51):
too far from you. So givethe website address first than the U r
L. And then your address,please absolutely so. Our website is www
dot lou Fellers Center dot com.That's ww dot l U U C O
L O R c E N Te R dot com. And the address
is five zero two two Nicholson Lane, Rockville, Maryland. He's zero eight
(23:15):
five two, right across from theFar East restaurant, the Wendy's and the
Tablet one Bank. I know exactlywhere you are. I can't tell you
much, how much long I reallyappreciate your time. And you know I'm
not the first person who's probably toldyou this, but with your dad's legacy
in the store that he started andwith you carrying on and making it such
a success, he would be veryproud. And I'm sure the customers that
(23:38):
they worked with and he worked withand still see you, are very proud.
And just a testament to your leadershipand your relationship with your father and
doing something very special there. Becausewe all know, and I'm sure you're
can attest to this, it isnot easy to run a company. I
always joke with people it's windiest atthe top because there's nobody else to talk
to. You're in charge, soyou're making all the decisions and you see
(24:00):
all the good and the bad ofit. So thank you so much for
this continued success, and we reallyappreciate you joining us on CEOs. You
should know. Thanks, thank youso much. I really appreciate you being
generous with your time. Our communitypartner, M ANDT Bank supports CEOs,
you should know, as part oftheir ongoing commitment to building strong communities,
and that starts by backing the businesseswithin them. As a Bank for Communities,
(24:22):
M and T believes in dedicating time, talent, and resources to help
local businesses thrive because when businesses succeed, our communities succeed.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.