Keeping It In The Community: Pineapple Paints and Ed Setliff of State Farm
 Regional Chamber membership brought together Ed Setliff of State Farm and Pam Guffey of Pineapple Paint; the two have been doing business together ever since. Here, they celebrate the success of their partnership in Ed’s newly painted Tackett’s Mill office. |
The story of the business alliance between
Pam Guffey of Pineapple Paint’s and Ed
Setliff of State Farm Insurance is a classic
example of Prince William Regional Chamber
of Commerce networking at its most
effective.
It begins three years ago, when
John Walvius of Norman Realty, Inc. became
a client of State Farm. John, who is active in
the Region’s Chamber, encouraged Ed to
become more involved, and touted the
benefits of networking with other members.
Several months later, Pam Guffey, then of Pineapple Designs, sought out John’s realtor services. Pam had decided to take her design business to the next level by opening a one-stop paint and decorating store. John successfully found a “home” in Dillingham Square for her new venture.
As with Ed, John discussed the benefits of Chamber membership, leading to Pam joining the Chamber in July 2003. He also recommended that she consult with Ed Setliff for guidance on navigating through the new business issues she would face. Pam followed John’s advice, and became Ed’s client. Little did Ed know that he would soon wind up on Pam’s client list as well.
Pam, with her interior designer instincts, could not resist from making decorating suggestions for Ed’s office. “I was always telling him that the walls needed some color,” laughed Pam.
Ed had gotten used to his white walls and did not initially jump at the idea, but Pam’s persistence eventually paid off. Appropriately, it was during a luncheon where Pam’s contributions to the Region’s Chamber’s renovations were being recognized that Ed approached her about redecorating his office
“I wasn’t sure when she started talking about blue walls,” said Ed, “But it turned out great. The office looks very inviting; everybody who comes in says how warm the colors are and how much they like it.” Ed was so impressed with Pam’s work that he refers his own customers to Pineapple Paint, and another State Farm office turned to Pam for decorating guidance.
Ed has worked with State Farm since 1997 and has operated from his Tackett’s Mill office since 2002. He offers a full range of services: In addition to tailoring auto, home and business insurance plans to the needs of each customer, Ed provides full financial and business planning. Ed says that his favorite part of his job is being able to help people. He takes pride in showing his customers how to protect what they already have and build what they dream of having.
To deliver this level of service, effective communication is key. As Ed’s number of customers from the Hispanic community increased, he wanted to ensure that language barriers did not get in the way of him understanding and meeting customer needs.
The solution was adding Tatiana Busch, a native Spanish speaker, to his staff last year.
“Business has doubled since Tatiana has come on board,” said Ed.
Pam had launched Pineapple Designs in 1996. As much as she enjoyed the design business, her husband, David Guffey, and she shared a dream of opening a store together. Two and half years ago, she found herself lamenting, “"I am so tired of driving 15 miles to get Benjamin Moore paint, I wish we had a store here in Woodbridge." David thought she had hit on a real need—and a great idea for their store. Thus the decision to open a Benjamin Moore Signature store where customers could shop for high-quality paint, wallpaper and home-fashions was born. In addition to the convenience of the all-in-one decorating concept, there are three professional decorators on staff to guide customers through the design process. Pineapples are the Southern symbol of welcome, which is exactly how Pam wants her customers to feel, so naturally she stayed with the theme and christened the new store Pineapple Paint. Says Pam, “My favorite part of the job is using my decorating skills to help people—I love it when they come back and say how great it all turned out.”
When asked why he sought the design advice of Pineapple Paint, Ed explained, “When I deal with other Chamber members, I know that I am dealing with people I can trust. There is no need to go outside the community for services when there are so many inside who can help.”
Pam, who has recommended Ed’s services to her customers as well, elaborated, “Referring customers to Regional Chamber members helps other people build their businesses, which in turn helps you build yours.”
Pineapple Paint is located in Dillingham Square in Woodbridge, and is open Monday through Friday, 7:00am to 7:00pm and Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm. Ed’s office is on the upper level of Tackett’s Mill, and is open Monday through Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm and by appointment on Saturdays.
