2007.08.22: August 22, 2007: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Small Business: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News: Gary Taylor took over his father's restoration business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Thailand: Peace Corps Thailand: Peace Corps Thailand: Newest Stories: 2007.08.22: August 22, 2007: Headlines: COS - Thailand: Small Business: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News: Gary Taylor took over his father's restoration business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps

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Gary Taylor took over his father's restoration business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps

Gary Taylor took over his father's restoration business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps

Taylor took over his father's business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps. He was drawn to the work because he wanted to be able to clean, rebuild or restore just about anything -- computers, porcelain dolls or carpet. "It looks hopeless to (the customers), but we know what we can do," he said. "I like the satisfaction of putt ng people's lives back together."

Gary Taylor took over his father's restoration business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps

Upholstery cleaning division completes business' plan for success

Aug 22, 2007 — Knight Ridder Tribune Business News

Aug. 22--When a Denair almond huller burned two weeks before harvest, Gary Taylor knew his restoration business would need to get cracking.

He drafted a plan to have the painters walk behind the cleaners as the electricians rewired the plant all day and all night to get the plant back to breaking open almonds. They whittled down a three-month job to 30 days. "That's just not something that happens in this industry," he said. Riding such successes, Modesto-based Taylor Renovation & Construction expanded to Merced in March, opening a carpet and upholstery cleaning division along 16th Street. Taylor has moved into the offices of Donjean, a longtime Merced institution which ope ated in the same business lines. The outfit will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting and a barbecue at 11:30 a.m.
today at its offices. Besides fixing fire and water damage, Taylor's family business also cleans carpet and upholstery. Repair work can run anywhere from $2,000 for a flooded small room to more than $1 million for projects like the almond huller. Carpet cleanings start at ar und $100, but increase depending on the size of the room. Taylor took over his father's business with his wife, Christine, in the late 1970s after they spent a couple years in Thailand with the Peace Corps. He was drawn to the work because he wanted to be able to clean, rebuild or restore just about anything -- computers, porcelain dolls or carpet.

"It looks hopeless to (the customers), but we know what we can do," he said. "I like the satisfaction of putt ng people's lives back together." When a competitor, for example, wouldn't try to wash the smoke smell from a woman's porcelain doll collection, Taylor rolled up his sleeves and soaked them in an electric water bath that vibrated the particles loose. The dolls came out pristine, and he new he had salvaged sentimental keepsakes that otherwise would been ruined. Taylor moved into the Merced market because he thought the area needed more local carpet and upholstery cleaners. The business has already been busy, even helping in the aftermath of the fire at Hoover Middle School.

Merced resident Carolyn Goings, 73, hired the company last month to remove a 4-foot olive oil stain from the carpet of her new motorhome. She was so pleased with the service that she had the carpet technician Scotch-Guard all the upholstery. The bill ca e to about $80, and Goings said she'd hire Taylor again. "He was so competent and professional," she said. Taylor, 58, said he's always looking for new areas to grow his business, and though he's grooming his kids to take it over, he has no intention of fully retiring. For him, that'd be like letting moss grow on a stone ... or letting dust settle on a clean carpet.
Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at 209-385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.




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Story Source: Knight Ridder Tribune Business News

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Thailand; Small Business

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