Celebrities Quality Painting Inc.: A Small Business Feature
Starting a construction company was the last thing on Dr. Nneka Bell’s mind, but the universe had other plans.
In 1998, Dr. Nneka was a young mom working hard to provide for her two children. She started her career in the United States Navy, painting aircraft carriers. After her military service, she worked for the MTA as a bus operator for 13 years, not thinking much about her job as an aircraft painter. And when she opened her fashion truck, Celebrities Boutique, her career from over 20 years ago really wasn’t on her mind.
It wasn’t until she got a phone call from a government employee in 2018 from New York City Small Business Services that she realized how valuable her military career was for her future:
“I received a phone call from a woman hired by New York City to contact women of color and ask them why they’re only opening boutiques, nail salons, and hair salons. She explained that the government was looking for more women to certify as Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) and open businesses in construction,” Dr. Nneka explains. “I told her, well, that doesn’t sound like me.”
But as soon as she hung up, Dr. Nneka realized that her experience as an aircraft painter made her the perfect fit for a job in construction. She wasted no time taking advantage of the demand, and two days later, Celebrities Quality Construction was born. Juggling two businesses at once was no walk in the park, but Dr. Nneka did what exemplary leaders do – lead with transparency.
“I got nervous. My followers looked to me for beauty services, so I wondered how to introduce my construction business. So, I decided to share my story. I said, ‘I know you love me to paint your face, but how about I paint your walls?’ and people started calling.”
As Celebrities Quality Painting grew, she closed the salon to focus on expanding services to commercial real estate construction, carpentry, flooring, and renovations. They are scaling to take on various contracting projects, including residential, commercial, government, and facilities maintenance projects.
“We offer quality service at reasonable rates, and we don’t close a project until our customers are 100 percent satisfied,” says Dr. Nneka.
As she marks five years in business, she also celebrates her recent doctorate in executive leadership. Her enthusiasm for her team and her client’s success is infectious, and we are so glad to support her and Celebrities Quality Painting Inc. with a small business loan and our trusted New York banking solutions to help grow her business.
“Other banks in NY would not even consider me. I was starting at the bottom and had to build, but Spring Bank still gave me a chance. They said we’ll revisit the loan amount every year, and if I keep growing, they’ll keep growing with me,” Dr. Nneka shares.
As a community bank in New York, it’s our mission to provide small business owners like Dr. Nneka with the opportunity to take their businesses to the next level. We’re grateful she finds value in our small business bank accounts and transparent lending options.
Celebrities Quality Painting Inc. welcomes new clients and custom projects. Learn more about their services. Learn how we can help you get started with a business bank account and other small business services.