At the very young age of 18 years old, Mr. Manuel Almeida started on his way to make what is now
Almeida & Son Painting Inc. He started on his journey all the way from a small town called Gouveia in
Portugal. After 10 long, hard years, Manuel saved all his money, and brought he and his wife to America
not knowing any English or anybody except for his sister. Some years later, in 1973, his first child,
a son, was born. Then 3 years later, his wife gave birth to a daughter.
Over the years, Manuel continued his journey to make Almeida & Son Painting Inc. It was
not easy however; there were times when Manuel had to work 6 days a week, for 12-14 hours a day. Then there were those
times when, working for various painting companies, he had no work for up to 6 months at a time.
When things in Manuel’s life started to go the way he wanted, in 1985 he bought his Chevy work
truck, and the materials to start his business. In searching for a name for the business, he thought
of maybe, one day, passing it down to his son: Almeida & Son Painting Inc. was born.
At that time, his son, Dennis, was too young to work, but that did not stop Manuel from teaching him
things at home. When Dennis was of age, he went to work for various companies, but eventually came to
work for Manuel. Over the years, Manuel taught Dennis his "old school" work ethic and ways
of getting the job done to everyone’s satisfaction.
In late 1999, however, things took a turn for the worse, Manuel was diagnosed as having sarcoma,
which is stomach cancer. He was forced to retire earlier than he wanted to, but he was able to pass
the business down to his son, Dennis, like he wanted to. Over the last 2 years, Manuel was able to
watch Dennis build the business to what it is today.
Manuel has since passed on, but his work ethic and technique will always be alive through his son, Dennis Almeida.
