LYNN — JDM Painting is celebrating one year of being in business. Owner, Justin Morley, said he is happy to see how his company has grown, but also how it has been able to give back to the community.
In the past year, Morley has donated to local organizations including the Jean Charles Academy, Concerned Citizens of Lynn, Timmy’s Angels, Lynn Tech Tigers and a nonprofit arts and culture organization he founded called Bridgin Gaps Inc.
“I wanted to start a company that really brings value to the Lynn area and beyond,” he said.
JDM Painting consists of Morley, who is from Lynn, and one other employee, also from Lynn, but he hires more people for specific projects that require extra help.
He also has a relationship with the New American Center in Lynn, which helps refugees get settled, and refers people to Morley for work.
“One of the things that was really important to me about starting was making sure that it has within its DNA this give back or pay it forward type of model where it’s not just about making money,” Morley said. “But creating something that can make money and pay it forward and actually have a relationship with the community that it’s in so it’s not just a business, but it’s doing things and showing support for things that matter in the community.”
Morley has been a painter for nearly 10 years, working for other contractors including his uncles, and has painted numerous properties in Lynn including Lynn English High School and Cobbett Elementary School.
Although he didn’t always want to be a painter, he said the opportunity came to him because it’s a “family thing.” Morley’s grandfather was a painter as well as his uncles.
“Painting was something that I tried when I was a teenager, but then I didn’t pick up a brush again until later on in life,” he said. “It was an opportunity that was there.”
Morley moved out of Lynn a few times, attending high school in Rhode Island, but said he kept coming back and realized he had unfinished business here, referring to the idea of starting his own company.
After working for his uncles and other contractors for years, he decided to venture out on his own.
Morley began JDM Painting in his dining room, using that space as storage, before renting a storage unit on the Lynnway. This past month, Morley upgraded to a larger storage unit, as his company continues to grow.
Reflecting on the past year as a business owner, Morley said it was very busy, as JDM Painting completed 32 projects.
“Just looking back on some of the things that we were able to accomplish that we didn’t plan and also looking at some of the goals and milestones that we did reach, I thought it’s been really cool,” Morley said.
JDM Painting specializes in larger residential work, painting the interior and exterior of homes, but is open to more commercial work.
“If a business is opening up, a retail store, or an office is looking to repaint, we do that stuff as well,” he said.
Morley not only hopes to expand JDM’s range of work, but he hopes to continue to grow his team over the next few years, with a focus on hiring more people from Lynn.
“I’d like to be able to see the company grow with more employees and develop a training program to bring more unskilled labor, or low skill labor, workers in and teach them a trade,” Morley said. “I’d also like to be able to say that we’ve painted a lot more homes in Lynn.”
JDM Painting services within a 50-mile radius and prices vary depending on the project and how much time is needed to prep and complete the job.
More information on JDM Painting can be found on its website at jdmpainting.biz.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
