Soep "Family Tree" Series: The Traynors

Tim Traynor and Taylor Robin

Ben Soep, the founder of Soep Painting Corp, created the company in 1945 in order to meet the steadily rising demand for his one-of-a-kind services. Ben combined his knowledge of business with his inherent artistic abilities to create a company that uniquely catered to the needs of New England's builders and general contractors.

Ultimately, Ben wanted to be more than 'just another painting company' - and that is exactly what he created. For more than 70 years, Soep has remained family-owned. Today, we have three generations of Soeps leading the company and three generations of many families have joined us for that ride. To this day, the founding Core Values are a living legacy to the company's commitment to service and passion for the industry. One each and every project, Soep goes above and beyond to exceed the needs and expectations of each and every client.

Welcome to the Family!

Meet the Traynor family. Tim, now a Foreman, first joined the Soep family in 1997. Tim's father, Mike, who had been with the company for more than 15 years, encouraged his son to join the Soep family and took him under his wing. Tim spent his first three years with Soep as an apprentice, honing his craft and perfecting his skill.

With no prior experience with painting, Tim worked tirelessly to learn as much as he could from his father and the rest of the Soep family. In no time, Tim's hard work and true passion for quality earned him a position as foreman in the Soep family and he's never looked back.

Tim proudly explains that Soep is a "great place to learn how to do these things and do them right". Over the years, he's completed a plethora of successful projects and says he's done "pretty much everything that has to do with painting". Now, he proudly passes on everything he has learned along with the core values of the company to the next generation of the Soep family— which includes his beloved daughter Taylor Robin.

Passing on the Traditions of Excellence and Passion for Quality

Taylor and Tim going over some finer points.

Robin grew tired of lower-paying, unfulfilling jobs and gravitated toward the company that her father loves so much. A former art student, Robin explains that she loves the artistic aspect of it all and appreciates the opportunity to make a good living with honest, quality work that she's passionate about.

Taylor is currently completing her final year of apprenticeship and appreciates the fact that she works so closely with Nikki Derome, a long-time employee who actually got her start working as an apprentice for Taylor's grandfather. She can't wait to join the ranks as a journeyman and work her way up to earn the status of a master painter.

This father-daughter duo loves the tight-knit, family feel and honest business practices that Soep is so well-known for. Tim explains that when he first started working at Soep, he marveled at how everyone seemed to have gotten their start with the company by another Soep family member that they knew or were related to.

He goes on to say many of his friends and co-workers who have recently retired have been with the company for 30 years or more, and that's an amazing accomplishment. Tim feels that Soep's six Core Values have played an important role in this. He explains that building a 'highly-skilled and highly-trained" crew who share a great 'attitude' during any project. Tim attributes these values to the company's continued success and says 'it certainly makes the process much easier"!

We love having Tim and Taylor as part of the Soep family and are honored to share their story with the rest of our family. Be sure to stay tuned to see who we showcase in our next Family Tree blog!