With more than 20 years of experience in the professional painting industry, Brand Director Amber Jones brought to life an impactful initiative to support women paint contractors with the company’s first-ever Women in Paint™ program.
Where did the idea for ‘Women in Paint’ stem from?
I first got the idea for the Women in Paint™ initiative after attending a Home Depot Foundation event where they were sharing their commitment to educating and training military veterans in the skilled trades and helping them find careers in the home improvement industry through their Path to Pro program. They shared a video of a women veteran who was going through the program to become a general contractor and it got me thinking, what about paint? What if we created a program to help more women become professional painters?
What makes this program unique?
Women in Paint™ is different in that we are elevating professional women painters’ voices and celebrating their achievements in hopes of inspiring more women to get into the industry. We are also partnering with the Painting Contractor’s Association (PCA) to provide educational opportunities and training resources specifically for women as well as hands-on paint application training by our BEHR National Training Team. This is not a campaign or one-time activation to generate buzz for the brand, this is a long-term pledge we hope to continue to deliver on to impact the industry and inspire more women paint contractors.
Why is raising awareness for this program important to you personally?
Women are often burdened by biases and disadvantages in any industry. It’s important to highlight women breaking boundaries and blazing trails in underrepresented areas. My personal belief is to empower those around me whenever I can and paired with Behr’s core value of inclusion and continued celebration of diversity, it paved the perfect path to bring this vision to life. There is tremendous opportunity to bring more women into the painting industry, which has been burdened with a skilled labor shortage over the last few decades. And, by partnering with the PCA and spotlighting the stories of professional women painters, we hope to spark conversation around increasing the presence of tradeswomen and learn how we can be a stronger ally to women in the industry.
What do you hope to accomplish with this program in the future?
I’ve been on the Pro side of the painting industry for more than 23 years and whenever I meet a women owned painting business, I am inspired by their career journeys. My hope is that the Women in Paint™ program inspires women and gives them the confidence, knowledge, and training to become a professional painter or own their own painting business. And ultimately, my hope is that Behr builds life-long relationships with these women painters that supports their career growth.
What advice would you give to women in any industry seeking to bringing their ideas to life?
Don’t be afraid. Whatever you dream can become a reality. Do it with support. When you dream of making your idea something real, enlist the help of people you trust to help you. Create a team of advocates who believe in your vision and can take part in making it happen. And most importantly, do your homework. Research. Ask questions. Write a vision statement, establish goals, draft a plan, map out your timeline and action steps and once you have alignment from others, roll up your sleeves and execute your plan.
Learn more about Women in Paint™ at behr.com/womeninpaint and connect with Amber on LinkedIn.