Craig Bundren is a third-generation painting contractor out of Houston, Texas. He sat down with Emily Howard to talk about what he loves about being a painting contractor, how he is empowering his staff to embrace technology, and why he values his CPIA peer group.
Emily Howard: Tell me a little bit about Bundren Painting
Craig Bundren: We've been in business since 1984. I am a third-generation painting contractor and took over in 2011. When my dad started this business, he started doing Home Depot’s, then as we progressed through the years, it's been a mixed bag depending on what the economy is doing.
Right now, we’re mainly focused on hospitals, higher education, and multi-family high-rise buildings. Whatever the next big thing that comes out, I'm sure we'll end up doing.
EH: What are some of your favorite projects?
CB: There are so many. A lot of people think paint is boring. You know the saying about watching paint dry, but I’ve always found it so interesting. I have gone so many places that I never would have been able to go had I not been in this business. I’ve stood in the basement of the Federal Reserve building in downtown Houston with pallets of cash and guys with AR 15s. I've been in battleships and in a bomb shelter downtown.
We did some work in the Houston Medical Center after some flooding, and I walked by labs with doors closed and a red warning marked anthrax. So, it's I've gotten to see some really cool things.
I’ve always liked the hospital projects because you're working towards something that helps the community.
Overall, I think my biggest excitement is when we can use a different product to solve a problem or figure out a better option to access a tough area. Figuring out the tough projects is cool.
EH: How have you embraced change over your time running Bundren Painting?
CB: I have always been one of those people who want to be on the cutting edge of everything. Coating solutions like self-cleaning paint and odorless coatings are great innovations, and staying on top of those innovations has been a great way to get in the door for projects. We show that we can really solve problems with the right coating.
Technology has changed a lot, too. I remember several years ago, our office flooded twice in a very short period of time. Our IT person actually rebuilt our computer system and ran it out of his garage. That allowed me to have my team members work off-site while we rebuilt the office from the flood.
Because of that, when COVID hit, we were fully set up to work from home. We thought we were just on top of the world because we had everything.
Today, changes seem to be coming more quickly, especially in technology. Sometimes it feels like there's no way to get on top of it. I believe that we're on top of it, but it's a lot to keep up with.
EH: Looking into 2026, what challenges are you preparing for?
CB: I’m aware that you never know what you could potentially have to prepare for. There are so many unknown unknowns. The world has been really strange since COVID.
As a business, I’m focused on my numbers and making sure we get enough to feed the machine while ensuring we stay on top of technological advances. I’m asking, “How are we estimating? Should we bring AI into estimating? Should we bring AI into our finances?” I think AI is the thing touching everything, so there is a lot to look forward to.
But things are changing so fast that I, as a business owner, can't always keep up with it. In the past, you would say, " Oh, these robots are new. Cool, I'll go look into them.” But there are so many new things coming out, you really have to delegate.
Right now, I’m asking department heads to look at specific things and tell me if they think it will help them. I’m always asking what's going to improve their experience or make things easier?
We talk a lot about what technology others are exploring in my peer group, and everyone mentions things that others haven’t heard of.
EH: Speaking of peer groups, how did you get involved with the CPIA?
CB: You know, I came to the first Leadership Conference. Once I got to meet the other people and spent some time with Aaron, I was like, I’m in! It was like what they say about Texas, I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could.
The peer groups are so beneficial because you can get your questions answered. Just last week, I sent something to my peer group about how insurance is killing me and asked what they were doing about it. From that email, I got so many replies sharing experiences and things they have tried.
The other really cool thing is that a lot of our conversations end up on personal things that we are going through. If you are having a problem, business-wise or familywise, other people in the group have likely experienced it too and share how they got through it. It's people who really care.
Being in a position running a business, you can feel alienated. It’s good to have people to talk to.
Looking to join a CPIA peer group? Learn more here.
