They’ve got the touch
by Brian Welch
Media Producer
askMANDO.com
Published November 1, 2008
Saying that The Refinishing Touch has an impressive list of references might just be an understatement. There are countless resorts, lodges and hotels the company has worked with. Add to that the dozens of universities on the list. Then there are military facilities from across the country, as well as several other government properties. But how about having the White House as a reference?
The Refinishing Touch was founded in 1977 by Mario Insenga, who serves as president. The company provides on-site, environmentally-safe furniture refinishing and re-upholstery services and products to governmental agencies, universities, resorts and hotels nationwide and overseas.
The people at The Refinishing Touch have worked with more than 20,000 customers, transforming more than 1.5 million rooms of furniture, preventing the destruction of the equivalent of 500,000 hardwood trees for fabrication of new furniture. They also point out the renewed life of the customers’ existing furniture, saving it from the landfill.
“We found ourselves to be an environmental company, not really expecting to be years ago. But we found that by recycling existing furniture assets, in fact, we were doing something extremely green,” said Insenga.
“Our business model has always been managing existing assets and getting a greater return on customers’ investments in those assets. Rather than looking at assets as a series of disposable goods, we take existing furniture and extend the life of that furniture.”
Most people agree that recycling and cutting down on waste is simply the right thing to do. And with the current state of the economy, reducing costs while trying to maintain and even increase the level of customer satisfaction can be a juggling act.
“At a time when economists and investors are shocked with the state of Wall Street and the global economy forecast, we must take a long hard look at the way enterprises conduct business,” Insenga said.
“Hospitality is an industry that will continue to be an indispensable part of our economy. Current conditions are having a crippling effect on expansion plans across all industries, and hospitality is no exception. Statistics show that while travel may be down, an increased focus on the customer experience has paid off. Hospitality Net released figures, just a few months back, indicating an increase in customer satisfaction within the hospitality industry within the first half of 2008.”
Insenga points out that while expansion projects are being put on hold, hospitality industry players are using the opportunity to focus on the quality of service to existing and new customers, while also reviewing existing resources.
“As an industry leader in providing a means for sustainable asset management, it is an important practice to consistently look to existing assets to keep costs down and look at how the bottom line is affected, whether in an economic downturn or a steady economy,” said Insenga.
At The Refinishing Touch, they know we are all familiar with the “Three R’s” of consumer action for protecting and preserving the environment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They like to add “Refinish” to the list.
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