Ghaster Painting and Empire Southwest: A Visibility Project Phoenix, AZ, July 2008. Dear friends and colleagues: Empire Southwest is a family owned business founded in 1950 as Empire Machinery, an Eastern Oregon Caterpillar and John Deere dealership. When founder Jack Whiteman was awarded Caterpillar's Arizona territory in 1959, the company relocated and began building partnerships with Arizona's construction and mining industries that endure today. Empire Southwest was looking for ways to increase overall lighting and visibility of their main shop/warehouse in which their team of mechanics perform most of their maintenance operations. To aid with this task, Ghaster Painting & Coatings was contracted to complete all the surface re-paints inside the warehouse. During this project, Empire Southwest shut down one half of the main shop that tears down the large Caterpillar equipment frequently used in mining and major construction projects. As part of the preparation, a plastic partition was put in place and a third party contractor was hired to clean the ceiling area by hand. Ghaster Painting primed the entire ceiling and a 100% acrylic gloss was applied. Upon completion of the first half of the shop, the entire process was repeated for the other half of the shop. In addition to the surface repaint, the main hoists were also cleaned and painted in safety yellow. Empire Southwest proceeded to recondition the concrete floor. Finally, a new lighting system was also installed. The difference in the brightness of the overall warehouse after the project was completed was truly like night and day. By increasing the visibility, the shop mechanics become more productive and can improve the overall quality of their work. It also increases the safety of their work area, while making their job more enjoyable and easier on the eyes. It just demonstrates how Empire will do whatever it takes to improve the quality of their workplace for its employees. Today Empire ranks among the top Caterpillar dealers in the world. The company has more than 1400 employees in a territory that now includes the state of Arizona, southeastern California and portions of northern Mexico. Despite their large growth, they are still a family-owned business transferred from generation to generation. Ghaster Painting & Coatings is very proud of being affiliated with one of the Southwest's most respected companies. About Ghaster Painting: Since its inception in 1978, Ghaster Painting & Coatings, Inc. (GP&C) has had the privilege of painting thousands of buildings and homes in the Valley of the Sun, large and small. GP&C is a full service paint contracting company specializing in large commercial and all types of residential repaints. Whether it is an occupied interior office, an exterior high rise or your personal home, GP&C has the experience and reputation to satisfy your painting needs. Sincerely, Brad Ghaster President Ghaster Paintings & Coatings