The Refinishing Touch Blog

A mission that we work towards at The Refinishing Touch is to reduce the carbon footprint we leave behind at each project. By refinishing furniture instead of replacing it, we are able to cut down on emissions from shipping items, and reduce the pollution from creating new items, plus we use materials that consider the environment.

We recently came across this video that helps explain our motivation towards minimizing the impact on our environment.



This video was produced by Conservation International, a group dedicated to environmental protection. To learn more about our work The Refinishing Touch's environmentally focused work, visit our page on furniture refinishing and its environmental impact.

Labels: Green

The Refinishing Touch's Green Team just returned from the Association of College & University Housing Officers - International (ACUHO-I) annual conference, which was held at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The conference is held every year for University Housing Officers to make decisions about purchasing for college housing facilities- a perfect opportunity for The Refinishing Touch. The drive down to Orlando was an eventful journey, with Mickey Mouse dreams and the hot Florida sun awaiting The Refinishing Touch staff and when TRT staff arrived, tourism was is full force.

Registration at ACUHO-I was effortless and the booth set up was even simpler. The vendors and ACUHO-I staff were all working together to make the show the best it could be. The Refinishing Touch has been an exhibitor of the ACUHO-I Trade Show for almost a quarter of a century. There were varieties of attendees from all over the world, even from a few Australian universities. Helpful volunteers and smiles from Disney definitely made the show one of good spirits.

Exhibitors ranged from MTV-U to dormitory furniture suppliers and the exhibits and giveaways were colorful and eye-catching. Even though Mickey Mouse was right down the street, everyone stayed focused as business transactions were taking place over golf outings and dinners with clients.

Overall, the show was a positive experience. Next year, the ACUHO-I show will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland. We hope that it will be just as rewarding and worthwhile as the 2008 Spring Conference.

For more information, visit the ACUHO-I website.

Labels: university

We hear it time and time again in business: "You have to spend money to make money." The statement is more than a cliché, it may be bad business.

Of course, investing in a business is crucial, but making money is not about acquiring assets. It's about managing them.

When we make a major personal purchase, we take care of the item. We paint our houses, and change the oil in our cars in order to prolong the investment's life. The same should be true for business purchases, but many organizations do not practice good asset management.

The federal government gives industry a seven-year write-off for new equipment. As a result, many business owners believe that they are 'supposed' to throw away a purchase after that period of time, no matter how well-thought it was, and replace it with something new. Habits influence business decisions and this is a habit that businesses need to stop as it's often the source of completely unnecessary expense.

We need to address this 'rip and replace' mentality and encourage businesses to review the assets on their balance sheet, and how they can recondition these and extend their value. This practice can contribute directly to any organization's bottom line.

Meanwhile there is the pressure on organizations to 'go green' and reduce their impact on the environment, and to consider alternatives to the wasteful and damaging strategy of unnecessarily replacing equipment. Managing our resources, as business owners and responsible human beings, is more important that it has ever been.

So, take my advice - don't always spend money to make money. Take care of what you already have. If you are buying new equipment, furniture or fixtures for your business, make sure they are good quality, long-term assets. Then manage these assets: keep them in good condition, invest in their maintenance and watch your wealth grow.

My Best,

RMI

Labels: saving money

If you're in the hospitality trade then you likely already know about the pineapple, but as The Refinishing Touch has learned over its years working with the hospitality industry, the pineapple is an important symbol. For those outside the industry, we thought it would be fun to share a little background on the pineapple's involvement with hospitality.

It started back in the days of the early American colonies; sea captains were notorious for leaving for extended periods, venturing off to exotic islands in search of something grand. They left their homes and families to visit the Caribbean and gather foreign rum, spices, and of course, pineapple, along with other fruits.

As the legend goes, when upon returning home from their various sea journeys, they would lance a pineapple to their fence post, inviting the town into the Captain's home. The villagers would arrive with hopes of good stories, good rum, and exotic gifts. Consequently, the pineapple became a representation of the Captain's hospitality.

Tradition became practice and the symbol of the pineapple still exists in today's hospitality industry. The pineapple remains a welcoming symbol, one you might even see at your next hotel visit.

Labels: Hospitality

The color green has a variety of different meanings. It is the color of money. It symbolizes hope and growth and it most importantly, it is the symbol of nature.

We at The Refinishing Touch, strive to be green in our everyday business. We think before we act and it is not always easy, but it is valuable...



Enjoy,
The Green Team

Labels: Green

It all started back in the 70's when Mario Insenga, the Principal of The Refinishing Touch (TRT) was just finishing his undergrad at Arizona State University. Mentor and Friend, the late Mr. Paul Franklin, suggested that he should peruse a career in the furniture restoration business.

Mario grew up as a 3rd generation musical instrument restoration expert, which gave him the talent and drive to succeed in the furniture restoration industry. At Mr. Franklin's proposition, Mario took on the task of restoring 40 hotels nationwide. The soft business that started in the 80's out of a Dodge station wagon blossomed into something a lot more complex.

Through relocating to the east coast, some trial and error, and some good contacts, The Refinishing Touch began to take on its name as a company. In the early 90's, TRT had a strong presence in the hospitality and university industries. From Five Star Hotels to State Universities, TRT was on the map and out of the station wagon.

In the 90's, Mario's vision moved towards government housing, while simultaneously functioning in university and hospitality industries. In 1998 TRT was awarded its first Federal Government schedule. During the Clinton - Bush transition, TRT had the honor of refinishing and restoring furniture in the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

What started as a college student finding his way in life has grown into a prosperous business venture. The Refinishing Touch influences social change while promoting industry and the environment.

To learn more about The Refinishing Touch visit our About Page

Labels: About The Refinishing Touch

The Refinishing Touch is a furniture asset management company that has been in service for over 30 years. We specialize in the hospitality, government, and university markets, restoring and maintaining resources. The Refinishing Touch's home base is in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta, but we operate all over the United States and overseas. Our day-to-day expertise is on-site furniture restoration, ranging from reengineering existing assets to upholstery and armoire modification.


The Principal, R. Mario Insenga, started TRT in 1977, taking the new furniture industry by surprise. Over 20,000 customers have been serviced by TRT, saving money and the environment at the same time.

The mission at TRT is to help business owners make an educated decision about asset management. The Refinishing Touch is based on financial, legal, and environmental principals.

Financially, our projects make sense. Saving money is one of the biggest concerns of the average business owner and our projects save them up to 80%. Instant ROI is a feature of our practices that not many companies have. Return on investment is crucial to maintaining a successful business, and we, at The Refinishing Touch, help business owners meet instant ROI goals.

Legally, our practices support USC Title 40, Executive Order 13101, the Pollution Prevention Act, the Clean Air Act, and ISO 14001. Our procedures are not only financially responsible, but legally conscientious as well.

Environmentally, we reduce the carbon footprint, save trees, and save air and water. We use environmentally friendly chemistry to refurbish furniture. Smog and particulate matter is also reduced by using our services. We are the winner of the prestigious GSA Evergreen Award for innovative and environmentally friendly practices. See our environmental impact by clicking here.

At the Refinishing Touch, we think both inside and outside the box. We would like to welcome you to our blog and invite you to share your ideas and thoughts with us.

Labels: About The Refinishing Touch

About the Green Team

The Green Team is made up of employees at The Refinishing Touch's headquarters, from accounting to marketing personnel. We are excited to share our ideas and insight on every aspect of our work here at TRT and we look forward to becoming more in touch with our clients' thoughts and ideas.

We will write about news around the TRT offices, furniture refinishing and management topics, as well as topics relating to our University, Government, and Hospitality projects.

We always want to hear from you so if you have any questions or ideas, please comment on any post.


About Mario

Mario Insenga is the founder and President of The Refinishing Touch.

Mario serves as a member of the GSA National Furniture Center QPC Board of Directors. Mario leads The Refinishing Touch in successfully completing projects ranging from large hotel groups and universities to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. In the past 30 years, The Refinishing Touch has restored over 1.5 million rooms of furniture.

Over the years, Mr. Insenga combined his broad knowledge of furniture remediation with his experience in asset management to change the face of unmanaged and unplanned furniture assets. Mario will blog about his thoughts on asset management, environmental issues, and his expertise in various industries.

We would like to welcome you to our blog and invite you to share your ideas and thoughts with us.

Labels: About The Refinishing Touch