A solid backlog of projects carried Cherry Coatings through the pandemic, and 2021 is shaping up to be another growth year for the Carrollton, Texas-based painting and coatings subcontractor, which has been named ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 2021 Specialty Contractor of the Year. A strategy of embracing growth opportunities in emerging markets, strategically recruiting the right candidates to enhance its work culture, and diversifying its services have positioned Cherry Coatings well heading into 2022.

Most of the projects Cherry Coatings has worked on over the past year were awarded prior to the pandemic, so much of the firm’s growth came from adding personnel, growing the firm’s ability to manage even more work than before. The Cherry team has taken advantage of booming business in Austin and has even branched out to Nashville and San Antonio.

Cherry’s largest project last year—and largest in its history—was the Kalahari Resort and Hotel in Round Rock, Texas. The biggest challenge for its team on that project was finding a coating system that would be durable enough to maintain a 10-year warranty. Cherry Coatings, along with Sherwin-Williams, provided recommendations, created mockups and performed third-party testing to establish the best possible high-performance coating system for the steel substrates.

Other projects include the Thompson Dallas Hotel at The Drever and numerous Amazon facilities across Texas.

An internal practice the firm is pushing for is employee training. Cherry Coatings is one of the few painting industry firms that embraces training programs, utilizing programs developed in house, third-party leadership coaches, talent development plans, succession planning and other tools to help its people continually grow.

Meanwhile, the firm also remains dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities in which it works. Cherry Coatings is heavily involved with various charities through both donations as well as hands on services. Charities include 22 Kill, Boys and Girls Club, Genesis Shelter, NAWIC, City Square food bank, Dallas Casa, Girls Inc., Caritas of Austin and local churches.

For more on Cherry Coatings and its achievements across the region, check out the Oct. 4 issue of ENR Texas & Louisiana.