It was the start of the work week, and Mark Foutz’s cell phone was chirping like a cricket on steroids. “That was a commercial property manager,” he explained, apologizing for the interruption. “He has a water fountain that’s in bad shape, and he wants it restored.”
His phone kept chirping, though, and finally he had to turn it off. Sitting outside a Starbucks in western Henrico County, he told the story of why his services were in such demand.
Foutz, 36, started Black Forest Contract - ing Inc. in 2002 “as a residential painting company. Now I’d say we’re transitioning into a commercial and industrial company.” This growth in Henrico led him to plan to move his offices to an industrial park off Parham Road this fall.
Foutz is fielding calls from commercial real estate managers, manufacturing executives, and owners of historical homes in need of his company’s expertise in coatings and materials that can make old properties look like new or help keep them from deterio - rating. He has diversified into high-end renovations—and knowledge of the chemistry and makeup of new floor and wall products. This specialization was necessary,
he said, “because if you’re just a painting contractor you’re a commodity.”
Pointing at the stucco exterior of Starbucks, he explained, “We don’t do that, but we’ll restore it. We fix a lot of things, but we don’t do brand new. It’s more maintenance and decorative work. We like to work on ‘old bones.’”
Clients praise Foutz and his Black Forest team for staying on top of the latest trends and products in the field.
“He keeps himself very well educated in regard to coatings and sealers,” said Fred Shorey, a vice president at Monument Con struction in Richmond. “For commercial applications, such as landowners who own properties, or retail, a lot of what Mark can do involves things like staining concrete, resurfacing, and giving a new look to structures.”
Shorey continued, “One of the things that impressed me about Mark is that he really and truly loves his industry.” He reserved special praise for some of the toughest work Black Forest undertakes: renovating historical structures. Given state requirements for renovation
work that gets tax credits, Shorey said, “They don’t just let you go in and rip and tear plaster apart…very often you have to go to plan B. I usually turn to Mark and his people for those things because they know the methods and the products…. Mark and his people know how to go in and remove old wallpaper without damaging the original plaster…you can’t go to Home Depot or Lowe’s” for the right mate- rials and knowledge of how to use them.
Foutz is a 1996 graduate of Virginia Military Institute with a degree in civil engineering. He has a fondness for historical ren- ovations, though these can be some of his most challenging jobs. “I’m a big history buff. The challenge compared to new construction is you have to be much more precise and expect the unexpected.”
Converting a Petersburg trunk factory into condominiums has been “challenging trying to maintain the historical character, while being efficient and profitable working alongside other fantastic contractors.”
Another challenge is “trying to take a vision of what someone has in their mind and converting it to a real, tangible product that they really like. Finding solutions to our clients’ issues is very challenging, but also very satisfying.”
