Meet Mat & Pat

Patrick Foley and Mathew Giovanello have been lifelong friends, actually growing up together on the same block as kids on the South Shore of Massachusetts. After high school, Pat joined the MA Painter Union and Mat went off to college for Industrial Design. In 2004 Patrick and Mat bumped into each other at a mutual friend’s home and were catching up on old times.

Mat had started working in the real estate field and was also re-habing properties at the time. Pat had his own successful painting company. On the subject of paint, Mat brought to Pat’s attention some new stronger coatings that he had heard about and how they would last much longer than a typical paint job. Being in the Union Pat was familiar with these coatings and had also worked with some variations in the past.

They both thought it was pretty exciting type of product and decided to look into this as a business opportunity. After almost a year of research into all the different products, Mat and Pat came to the conclusion that Rhino Shield was the best product available.

The major factors why Rhino Shield stood above the rest:

Rhino Shield had the most established dealer network, with over 45 dealers. This was very important, without the strength of a large established dealer network what is a warranty worth?

All Rhino Shield dealers had a terrific BBB record. This was critical, because it proved that the network of dealers were responsible and also the product was performing well.

So Mat and Pat contacted the Rhino Shield headquarters in Florida to inquire about the New England territory. Patricks paint experience in the Union and Mat’s business experience in real estate and rehabbing were thought to be a great fit by Rhino Shields owner Steve Dominique.

The first year in business Rhino Shield of New England completed 15 jobs. Mat and Pat wanted to follow the crawl, walk, run method and make sure all installs were 100%.

Fast forward to 2009 and Rhino Shield of New England is one of the largest Rhino Shield dealers in the country. We were awarded 2008 Dealer of the Year. Locally Rhino Shield is consistently chosen by architects and business. Thayer Academy, Harvard and Babson College are just a few that chose Rhino Shield and Rhino Shield only. Nationally Rhino Shield has worked with NasCar, Disney and the Comfort Inn to name a few.

Finally, we are very proud to be the only coating company contacted to work with ‘This Old House’ on their 30th Anniversary Season.

Why Rhino Shield? All these coatings are the same right?

During their research they came across many different options for a coating solution. One popular option many smaller coating companies do is relabel an existing product (sometimes a product you could buy at your local hardware store) and carry it as their own coating with a new fancy name.
Essentially what these dealers do is invest and market in their company name not their product name. This is a risk free way for them to do business. If the product fails or they want to switch in the future they can still keep their business name and just switch out the product. For example ‘Boston Exteriors’ and a product called ‘Ultimate Guard’

The home improvement industry is a tough industry and Mat and Pat thought this to be very unethical. Everyone has had the issue of calling a company years later for service on something they bought from them and you get the line….‘Sorry we don’t carry or warranty that product any longer, you would have to talk to the manufacturer’ We carry a new product called ‘XYZ now, would you be interested in that?

This is why, when you hear a Rhino Shield commercial, it’s Rhino Shield and Rhino Shield only. We are not using a company name and hiding our products name.

If you are really serious about a true coating system. Why would you believe in a company that doesn’t even believe in their product? If they did, they would spend advertising dollars on marketing their products name?

Rhino Shield of New England on This Old House!

RHINO SHIELD OF NEW ENGLAND TO APPEAR ON THE PBS TELEVISION SERIESTHIS OLD HOUSE®

Pembroke, Mass., (September 16^th, 2009) - Rhino Shield of New England announced today their company has been selected to perform exterior work on a project that will be featured on the upcoming season of the Emmy-winning PBS home improvement series This Old House.

The 30^th anniversary season of This Old House premieres nationally on PBS Thursday, October 8. The first project of the season focuses on the renovation of a 1915 Dutch Colonial located in the Boston suburb of Newton Centre. This Old House will be televising the progress of the renovation from start to finish as the homeowners add 330 sq.-ft. to the existing structure. Rhino Shield will provide the exterior finish to both the current home and new addition.

The Newton Centre homeowners, Bill and Gillian Pierce, purchased the property in 2004. Their goal was to eventually add to their living space, but the space needed to be in-sync with the look and character of the original home. Teaming with their architect they accomplished both goals, designing a two floor addition that will seamlessly meld the old with the new.

“A homeowner’s desire to maintain the original look of their home is an important factor when customers choose Rhino Shield,” said co-owner Pat Foley. “Rhino Shield’s ceramic based coating offers them improved durability over conventional paint, but they don’t have to sacrifice the appearance of a traditional paint job.”

Rhino Shield will strip, seal, and repair the existing siding, then spray a bonding primer and two coats of their patented ceramic based finish product. The exact color match and traditional “paint like” coating will tie the original home to the new addition and create the unified look the homeowner requires.

Rhino Shield co-owner Mat Giovanello said his company is looking forward to showing TV viewers the Rhino Shield process. “We’re excited to be working with the team at This Old House. It is the most respected home improvement series on TV; they invented the genre.” Giovanello added that despite the bright lights of TV they expect to handle this project like any other. “Whether it’s This Old House or any other house, Rhino Shield treats every project with the same care and respect.”

The This Old House Newton Centre project premieres nationally on PBS Thursday, October 8 (check www.thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule for listings). Visit www.thisoldhouse.com to access a project overview, photo gallery, and live webcams featuring 24/7 progress of the This Old House Newton Centre project.

-Mat & Pat

Welcome To The Rhino Shield Blog!

We would like to welcome everyone to the Rhino Shield blog! Here you will find pictures of current projects, updates with the company, and everything having to do with Rhino Shield of New England.

Thank you for reading.

-Mat & Pat