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What Shade Are You?

I have to admit, when I first got involved with the whole “green” movement, I was a very pale shade of green. I had a recycling bin and I thought I did a pretty good job of putting garbage and recyclables in their appropriate places. Of course, I was hearing frequent news reports about global warming, off gassing, and other ecological issues which I felt were, at times, more politically than environmentally inspired. I guess I associated the green movement with radical tree huggers, who wore hemp pants and Birkenstocks, and pretty much protested for a living. As a business owner, I saw an opportunity with the green building movement. It had become a very strong sector in the industry. I decided to contact a local organization at the forefront of green building; Build It Green. They offered information and training on green building practices. I decided to go all out and registered for their Green Certification Program. The morning of the first day of class, I was really nervous. Kind of like when I have to order my wife a frappacino from the local barista. I did not know what to wear. My hair was processed and held with gels, which I am sure were toxic. My clothes were not made of hemp or burlap and my shoes were leather. Leather couldn’t be good. I knew I was going to stand out, and didn’t know what the other people were going to think of me. When I arrived at the training facility I felt a little more at ease. There were actually some full sized work trucks in the parking lot. People had cell phones and looked pretty “normal”. As I began talking with them, I realized that this was going to be okay. The people there were, like me, just looking to learn more about green building practices. And they weren’t deep, dark, “broccoli” green either! I learned a lot during the certification process and passed the exam with a very high score. I had long discussions with other business owners who felt as I did and who were keen to expand their business through more environmentally friendly processes. There were many shades of green amongst the people there, and each person was working towards the same goal of improving their businesses while helping to lessen the impact on our environment. I find that in many situations, if the motives are sincere, this can be a very positive thing! I guess the moral here is to not be intimidated by going “green,” it isn’t the daunting task that it might seem at first glance. You don’t have to change your entire lifestyle, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and you don’t need hemp pants. The changes you make can be as simple as buying a few grocery items each week in glass jars rather than in plastic tubs, keep reusable grocery bags in your car, or using your own recyclable container for your water and coffee. It is acknowledging the benefits to us and our world and trying to make good choices at home and at work. By no means am I a deep Kelly green but I think I’ve moved slowly but surely from a “celery” to more of a “sage” green!

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Customer Reviews

“Just wanted to let you know that the crew was great to have around the house for the past two weeks. All three of them were professional, courteous, and attentive to my thoughts/concerns and were extremely knowledgeable. They paid great attention to the detail and it shows.”

— Mark & Roberta Gross

“Hello Matt,Just another notice of thanks to your wonderful crew, Rigoberto, Javier and John. They did fantastic work, with Rigo providing meticulous and conscientious attention to the details and excellent woodwork finishing, as evidenced by the beautiful fireplace. Javier did a fantastic job in the bathroom especially, it looks "brand new," and John always does quality work, both with the interior and exterior. I can tell they care about what they do. Rigo's "punch out" was very thorough, too. I will call again when I need some more work and will definitely recommend your company and fine crew. I also felt as a homeowner, I could leave my house in their good hands during the day and that took a lot of worry from me, they were honest, prompt and reliable. They were also very kind, respectful and clean in their work, very professional. Thank you.”

— Beth Marx & Melissa Kirsch
Oakland

“The completed 'Client Satisfaction Survey' we sent in only modestly reflects our total satisfaction with the work. As a retired small business owner, I compliment you on setting 'best practices' that are consistently followed. Everything described in your marketing materials was a reality! The crew is a super bowl team and our neighbors commented on how quiet they were. We are very happy to be a client of MB Jessee.”

— Richard
Orinda

“I can't say enough about how courteous and professional my foreman was. He was on time every morning and arrived cheerful and ready to go. He is highly organized and very thoughtful. He was extremely careful and respectful when moving my belongings - a mature professional.”

— Nora Robinson

“The kitchen looks NEW! You guys are amazing.”

“In September, MBJessee finished painting two sides of our 3-story condominium building (six owners). We were impressed by the professionalism of the company and every one of its workers, Matt Jessee couldn't have been more helpful in planning the project. His painters were well-trained, easy to communicate with and eager to please. In addition to painting the stucco, they made extensive repairs on windows and frames, which will save us considerable money in the future. They finished earlier than anticipated, with as many as five men working on the job, and the scaffolding came down the next day. All of us were delighted with the results. Now my husband and I are looking forward to having MB Jessee paint our own apartment later this month. Matt and Gustavo (who will be our crew leader again) have explained how they will work to make the painting proceed smoothly while we're living here, and they have been endlessly patient with our protracted decision-making process. If you look at their website, you'll learn that MB Jessee is an exemplary company that takes good care of its workers as well as its customers, and contributes public service projects to the community. All in all, we can't recommend MB Jessee highly enough.”

— Jayne W.
San Francisco, CA

“The people at M.B. Jessee are great – from the painters to the office staff to Matt. Talk about leadership from the top.”

— Kevin Ames, Mark Becker Homes

“MB Jessee just finished our exterior and we couldn't be happier with our experience. The foreman (Pedro) and lead painter (Ricardo) were incredible to work with: they communicated scheduling clearly, Ricardo was a joy to be around every day, the showed up early every day, were incredibly tidy and did great paint work. The final walk through experience was incredible. Pedro pointed out items I missed demonstrating a clear desire to complete another quality project. I highly recommend them. As others have noted they definitely aren't the cheapest but you quickly realize that you're getting what you pay for. The 3 year guarantee is also a nice touch since there are likely touch up items that will show up after the job is done.”

— Joshua Jansen

“It was a great experience working with MB Jessee. The crew was careful and thorough as they painted the house, sealed stucco cracks, repaired dry-rotted wood, stained the deck, etc. Robert, Gersson, Jose, and all of the people involved in the process from the estimate to the job completion were friendly and professional.”

— Mike C.
Livermore, CA

“The painters at MB Jesse are top notch! Cesar's team was super friendly and helpful. They were very polite and accommodating. Their expertise in everything painting related was evident in their attention to detail and efficiency painting tricky spaces. The apartment looks brand new!”

— Adam Swisher

“Charles finished yesterday and did a fantastic job. We really enjoyed meeting Charles and having him in our home. He is a great guy in addition to his attention to detail in his work, the protection of our floors, walls and furnishings, and his overall interaction with us both. I would be pleased to recommend him to any of my clients.”

— Ken Morrison
Oakland

“We just wanted to let you know how pleased we are with the work of MB Jessee Painting and your employees. Everything turned out beautiful. Our foreman was great! He was punctual, professional, neat and very accommodating ... and went the extra mile. We will definitely recommend you to our friends and family.”

— Michelle & Rivers Gee