Beyond the bucket

By Emma Peterson. 

How Gaco has their contractors’ backs on and off the roof. 

Gaco’s story started over 70 years ago with one customer and a challenge to solve. Today, they have a portfolio that spans seven different high-performance sub-brands, serving contractors across North America. But even with that significant growth, the heart of their operations remains dedicated to helping their customers problem-solve. To learn more about how Gaco helps their contractors succeed on and off the job site, we sat down with Ed Klonowski for an episode of CoatingsCast™.  

Ed is the product manager for the liquid applied waterproofing segment within Gaco. In his own words, he shared, “I work with everything from your traditional roof coatings to decking and even below grade waterproofing.” In this role, he has seen firsthand how Gaco’s support for their contractors extends beyond the bucket of product. He explained:  

We're trying to do more than just selling products and making money. We want to design products for specific applications that contractors can trust to perform consistently and solve their problems. Really, we're focused on partnering with the contractor and allowing them to put their best foot forward anytime they use a Gaco product.  

A testament to this prioritization of contractor support beyond selling products is the technical acumen of Gaco’s sales team. Ed shared, “Our guys aren’t just trained to sell products. We actually bring them in to train on all the different brands, apply all the different brands in the lab, in the warehouse and in the field. That way, they know exactly what they should be looking for, how best to apply the products and then are able to pass that education down to the contractors.”  

In this way, Gaco’s sales team is a prime example of how the company goes above and beyond to support their contractors. Ed shared, “Our team is not just trying to sell the material in the bucket, they're acting as technical advisors for contractors and helping them build success with every project.”  

Read the transcript, Listen to the episode or Watch the recording to learn more about how Gaco supports their contractors.