For nearly 60 years we have been painting all over Arizona, California, and New Mexico. With four generations, we have over 220 years of collective experience. In 1958, Nelson Greer came to Arizona and started his professional career with Greer Painting (owned by his brother John Greer). After a year working in Phoenix, he moved to Tucson and began working his way up the ladder from journeyman painter to the superintendent. After 10 years with the company, it was time to follow his own aspirations of becoming a Painting Contractor.
And with that, Nelson J. Greer Painting was formed in 1968. Because of his hard work, dedication, quality, attention to detail, and the ability to complete the tough jobs, the company grew quickly, specializing in apartments, shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, and some residential housing.
For the next 16 years, Nelson became involved in many charity projects and served as local and state President of the Arizona Chapter of Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA). The company was involved in writing and developing industry standards still in use today for PDCA. Frank Greer (Nelson’s younger brother) spearheaded the “Monthly Estimation” column in the PWC magazine.
For over 50 years, the Greer family’s knowledge of painting has been second to none in the state of Arizona. Nelson passed away in October of 2004, but not before building one of the premier painting companies in the state of Arizona. Maybe even more important is the work ethic and knowledge he passed along to his children and grandchildren.
In 1986, Nelson began to have some health issues and his son, Chris Greer, took over managing the company. Chris became the owner and has been president of Nelson J. Greer painting for almost 30 years. He began working summers and weekends in the company at age 11. Working alongside his father and with skilled journeymen, he was taught all aspects of painting including general paint practices, special coatings, effects, and design, as well as estimating and project management. While Nelson established the company, Chris was able to take it to another level.
Chris decided to tackle the market of commercial contracting and was able to do so quite quickly and successfully. For the last 30 years, the company has completed over $150 million in painting and has brought thousands of projects in “on time” and “budget” with difficult time frames. Chris has continued the legacy of superb quality and dedication to both customer and charity services.
In December of 2009, Brian Greer completed his Business and Journalism degree from the University of Arizona and joined the company as our fourth generation of expertise. He will also be bringing years of experience to the company both in the field and in the office, estimating as he too began to get involved with the company at a young age. Brian will open yet another chapter to the Greer Painting Heritage and hopes to continue the success and tradition of excellent painting that came before him by his father and grandpa.