At Freeland Painting, relationships matter more than the brush or the ladder. Amanda Fulks, Freeland Painting’s Office Manager, lives and breathes that company core value every day!
When you call Freeland Painting to ask about our services — interior or exterior house painting services, commercial painting services, new gutters, gutter guards, roof repair or replacement, HardiePlank siding, or new window installation — Amanda is often your first point of contact. She answers the phone with her upbeat, positive attitude and will provide you with the information you seek.
The Freeland Painting staff is a close-knit group. When a team member celebrates a birthday or work anniversary, we acknowledge and celebrate it—as we did with Amy Stanitzke, Freeland Painting’s Relationship Liaison, and Jeremy Figuera, our Project Manager and Estimator.
Amanda is celebrating her third work anniversary with Freeland Painting! We asked her some questions so customers can get to know her a little bit better. Here’s what she shared:
What’s your favorite paint color?
I like blue-grays. My favorite is Network Gray from Sherwin Williams. We just moved into a new home, and I’m so happy that it has gray walls.
How did you find your job at Freeland Painting?
There’s a story about that! I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies. In 2019, my husband and I moved to Atlanta from New York, looking for a better life for our family—we have three daughters. My job search for an office position was frustrating.
I belonged to the same Suwanee-area Moms Club as Keri Ireland, Doug Ireland’s wife and co-founder of Freeland Painting. When I mentioned my job search, she told me they were looking for an office manager. When I met Doug, I knew immediately that this was a great fit. It’s a family-owned business where we all care about each other and our customers.
It’s the best place I’ve ever worked — and I’ve worked in a lot of places!
What does Freeland Painting do with leftover paint?
There’s a lot of leftover paint in the painting and construction industry. Some companies throw it away, but that’s a problem for the environment. When paint goes into a landfill, it can leak into the soil, rivers, or waterways.
At Freeland Painting, we don’t throw paint away. We donate it. We recently donated more than 30 five-gallon buckets of paint to whoever needed it: local theatres, schools, and people in the community. Instead of clogging up a landfill, we made sure it went to good use.
What does your role at Freeland Painting entail?
As Office Manager, I wear a lot of hats. The easiest way to explain what I do is that it’s a combination of data input and managing the flow of activities. Right now, I’m documenting our various procedures, and looking into different aspects of the business to make sure they mesh together for an optimized workflow. I’m also involved with marketing outreach.
I talk with customers interested in residential interior or exterior painting services and schedule their in-person estimates and jobs. I work with Jack Kain, our Project Superintendent, on the residential side of our business. For commercial customers, I work with Jeremy Figuera, our Project Manager and Estimator.
Since Freeland Painting strives to be paper-free by digitizing all information, I input a lot of data about each job into our Customer Relationship Management database. I pay bills and invoices in QuickBooks and work with our accountant to make sure everything is organized and entered correctly. If we have unpaid invoices, I collect them.
I make sure we’re up-to-date with all business and governmental licenses, insurance policies, tax documents, and various certifications necessary so we can bid on government-funded jobs. I’m also OSHA certified and hold a Line Clearance Arborist certification.
I work with Amy Stanitzke, Freeland Painting’s Relationship Liaison, to help build relationships with various Homeowners Associations (HOAs) and the other corporate organizations and general contractors we serve.
What’s your favorite part about working at Freeland Painting?
I’ve had the opportunity to build on my strengths and learn a lot. This job is the best job I’ve ever had, and I hope to stay here for many years. I once thought I might go into Environmental Law and work for the EPA—until I found Freeland Painting. The atmosphere and great relationships with the people I work with are perfect for me.
Do you have any unique hobbies or talents?
Yes! I’m good at tree identification, and I like talking about trees. I worked for AmeriCorps in New York, first in their urban agriculture program, where we taught young kids and at-risk youth how to grow and sell fruits and vegetables. Later, I was part of their tree planting and watering crew—I personally planted 2,012 trees. I learned structural tree pruning from the city arborist. And now I’m working toward earning my arborist license.
Do you have any pets?
We have a “Pomchi” (Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix) named Darth Vader and an albino leopard gecko named Ghost. We also have two fish tanks.
What do you do in your free time?
I read, play World of Warcraft, and poker. I play Texas Hold’em as part of the Atlanta Poker Club on Sundays and Wednesdays. I’m usually in the top 10 out of around 80 players. I grew up playing poker at home—starting around age 12.
What’s your favorite vacation memory?
My husband and I went to Universal Studios in Orlando for our honeymoon. Now we go back every other year and bring friends with us. It’s so much fun!
What’s your favorite movie?
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I love the epic fight scenes.
Why should people in the Atlanta area choose to work with Freeland Painting?
I’ve had interactions with other companies as a customer where I felt like I was just another number. It’s the exact opposite at Freeland Painting. We want to get to know our customers, we care about you, and we’ll treat you like we treat each other.
Our motto—Relationships matter more than the brush or the ladder—isn’t just a motto. It IS Freeland Painting. It’s our “Why.” It’s what we do. People matter to us.
Give us a call today to schedule your free, in-person estimate at 678.679.3126 —and we’ll show you what I mean!
