We Do Lines featured in Turf Magazine

We Do Lines appeared in the September 2012 issue of Turf Magazine. The article illuminates the transition of We Do Lines CEO Chris Couri from the world of professional landscaping to the parking lot striping industry and franchising. The parking lot business, an industry with an estimated value of $29 billion, is very fragmented.  However, it does offer growth potential for outdoor property management companies. The article talks about how the We Do Lines' management team seized on the untapped opportunity in parking lots, expanding their former landscaping company to include parking lot management and then eventually branching out into the successful, rapidly growing franchise it is today.

Earning Your Stripes

Is parking lot striping the hot new revenue opportunity for landscapers?
By Pamela Walton of Turf Magazine

(L. to R.) Thomas E. Darrow, COO; Daniel Rella, CFO; and C. J. Couri, CEO, of We Do Lines were in the landscape business and came up with We Do Lines and the parking lot striping idea during a "brainstorming" session.

As the song goes: "They paved paradise and put in a parking lot" - and a new parking lot striping franchise is promising outdoor property management companies a new revenue stream. New England-based franchisor We Do Lines says landscape companies are positioned to deliver these services for their commercial and industrial clients.

Some companies have already added the franchise to their operations.

As of this writing in mid-summer, We Do Lines (WDL) had 12 franchise units across the United States, and it's projecting 100 units over the next five years. With the parking lot striping industry being so fragmented, WDL also entertains the conversion of existing businesses.

After having taken over and operated Young's of Ridgefield, a commercial and residential landscape company, rental equipment and power equipment service center in Ridgefield, Conn., Chris Couri, CEO of We Do Lines, along with partners, Tom Darrow, company COO, and Dan Rella, CFO, sought an additional business opportunity to leverage their client databases, relationships and equipment.

Couri and Rella were partners in 65-year-old Young's of Ridgefield, with Darrow, who started Pennacle Landscaping in Ridgefield and operating Tedco Management Group LLC, Calabash, N.C., joining them to start and grow the We Do Lines business.

The idea for WDL sprang from intense brainstorming sessions with Darrow, coming up with parking lot striping. This eventually led to related parking lot services. The company's website (www.wedolines.com) lists curb painting and pavement stencils, handicapped spaces, wheel stops, traffic sign installations, warehouse floor striping and staging, and parking lot cleaning and light sweeping as services, as well.

Click here to read the entire article.

We Do Lines Partners with artist Jason Brockert

Recently We Do Lines was contacted by artist Jason Brockert about a parking lot painting series he had done. He came across our company and thought obviously this would be a good match, being the parking lot connoisseurs that we are, we absolutely agreed. So we decided to help share his art with the world! So for the next couple of months we will be periodically highlighting pieces from his parking lot series, and here is the first piece titled "Parking Lot #55 • Perfect Parking", enjoy.

Parking Lot #55 • Perfect Parking

Artist: Jason Brockert

Painting Size : 15×16
Medium : Watercolor and Gouache on paper
Series : American Landscape
Framed Size : 26×27
Frame Type : Black Stained Wood (1 ½ x ¾)
Matting : Cresent acid free museum board and acid free linen tape. Framed under glass.
Materials : Archival and lightfast Winsor Newton professional grade watercolor paints painted on Arches hot pressed watercolor paper.

Painting Intent : This piece is From the American Landscape series and plays with symbolic car shapes, seen from above and cascading across the canvas. They are lit with an almost divine light that begins to transform shape into divine icon.

Care : This piece is made with the highest quality archival materials but any paint is susceptible to fading and damage if exposed to direct sunlight. Do not expose artwork to direct sunlight or extreme humidity changes. With reasonable care this piece will remain vibrant and unchanged for generations to enjoy.

Click here to view the entire series.

We Do Lines featured in Bloomberg Businessweek

We Do Lines has been featured in Bloomberg Businessweek! The article discusses how unique the “We Do Lines” brand and the parking lot striping industry are. CEO Chris Couri details how he was able to launch and grow We Do Lines to 17 locations across the country, starting with major clients like Doral Golf Resort & Spa in southern Florida, which Donald Trump now owns. Chris notes the importance of parking lot striping, as almost 20 percent of car accidents occur in parking lots and that their employees must be very meticulous for each job. Chris also includes his dream parking lot job, The Mall of America. Click here to read the entire feature.

Odd Jobs: The Picasso of Parking Lots

By Eric Spitznagel

Chris Couri, 36, is well aware that at least part of the reason for his company’s success is its racy and admittedly juvenile name: We Do Lines. “People are always taking pictures of our vehicles and the trailers, posting them on Facebook (FB),” he says. The name is intended to call to mind a certain illegal narcotic that’s typically imported from Columbia and consumed through the nose. “What better way to grow a brand,” offers Couri, “than free publicity that’s generated from the name?”

The actual lines done by the Ridgefield, Conn., company are of the pavement variety: It paints lines in parking lots. This is a peculiarly small specialization that has grown from a three-person operation in 2008 to a nationwide enterprise, with 17 locations from New York to North Carolina to Ohio. It recently expanded to the West Coast, opening a franchise just outside Phoenix. “Dry and hot is the best weather for us,” says Couri. Most of the paint jobs can take up to 30 minutes to dry, but in Arizona’s triple-digit temperatures, “our paint dries within minutes.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Tire Safety TIps

Knowing how vital your tires are when driving it is important to keep them in tip top shape. They are a part of almost every major function of your vehicle and if compromised can cause major trouble for you. We found this great article by msn.com detailing some great tire safety tips any good driver or car enthusiast should always have in mind! Click here to read the entire article.

Top Ten Tire Safety Tips

By Gerry Malloy of MSN Autos

1. Check tire pressures and adjust at least once a month.
According to studies conducted by the 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on tire-related crashes, the leading cause of tire failure is underinflation.

Underinflation can have many causes, including a gradual loss of pressure through membranes in the tire itself. It is typical for pressure to drop approximately 1 psi per month and 1 psi for each 8-degree loss in ambient temperature.

Underinflation has immediate effects on vehicle handling (as well as fuel consumption), but its potential impact on overall safety and tire life are even greater. It results in premature and uneven tread wear on the outer edges. Underinflation also increases stress on the carcass itself, through flexing and overheating, which can lead to structural failures such as tread separation.

That's why it is imperative to check and adjust tire pressure at least once a month and before every long trip (over 250 miles). Recommended pressures are printed on a label located on the driver's doorframe or in the glove box.

2. Inspect tires regularly for abnormal wear or damage.
To ensure maximum tire life and safety, give your tires a visual inspection at least once a month and before long trips. This is easily done at the same time you check pressures.

Look for:

Excessive or uneven tread wear, which may indicate improper inflation or steering and suspension misalignment;
Cracks or bulges on the sidewalls or tread;
Chunking of the tread or any indication of tread separation from the carcass;
Signs of puncture, or nails, screws, glass, pieces of stone or any foreign object imbedded in the tire.

If you detect any of these conditions, take the vehicle in for further diagnosis immediately. In most cases, punctures can be repaired if their size is not excessive.

In general, external "plugs" are not recommended. Repairs should be made from the inside, and a complete inspection made while the tire is off the rim. Sealing compounds and other emergency aids should be treated only as a means of moving the vehicle to a safe location for repair.

If abnormal tire pressure loss occurs, check the valve stems for leakage, as well as the tire itself.

3. Rotate tires every 6,000 miles or according to owner's manual.
Tire rotation is essential to achieve even tread wear and maximum tread life. On front-wheel-drive cars, for example, most of the braking, steering and driving forces are carried by the front tires, which inevitably wear much faster.

A "cross-rotation pattern"—that is, moving the left-front tire to the right-rear axle, the right-front tire to the left-rear axle, etc.—can best balance tread wear and maximize tire life. That sequence can be performed on any vehicle equipped with four non-unidirectional tires. Designated by an arrow on the sidewall, unidirectional tires must be rotated only front to rear and rear to front, on the same side of the vehicle, so their direction of revolution does not change.

All-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles are best suited to a lateral rotation—left to right and right to left—at the same end of the vehicle.

Click here to read the entire article.

What To Do When Your Car Gets Stolen

Car theft is something that few people ever want to consider the possibility of, but it is also a fact of life these days. As such, it's important to know what to do in case such an unfortunate thing happens. Luckily, automotive blog Jalopnik asked its readers and put together a step-by-step outline of what to do when your car goes AWOL. Click here for the full article.

What To Do When Your Car Gets Stolen
Thomas McIntyre, Jalopnik

One of the worst things that can happen to you is having your car stolen. To take the guessing out of such a horrible situation, Jalopnik readers have a to-do checklist for when it happens.

10.) Make sure your car is actually gone
Suggested By: Nate Mason
Why: Everybody has walked into a parking garage or out of the grocery store and not been able to find their car. Maybe you parked on a different level, or in a different row, but either way, your car isn't gone, you just can't find it. Don't confuse this with it being stolen.

9.) Ask yourself if it might have been towed
Suggested By: Nate Mason
Why: There's also a good chance your car was towed. Think if you have a ton of outstanding parking tickets, if there's a chance it could be repo'd, or if you parked in a terrible spot.

(Read More)

Lost Medieval Church Discovered

The hunt for King Richard III is on and archaeologists think they may have found his grave underneath a church parking lot. Read the full story here.

Lost Medieval Church Discovered Beneath Parking Lot

By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer

The hunt for King Richard III's grave is heating up, with archaeologists announcing today (Sept. 5) that they have located the church where the king was buried in 1485.

"The discoveries so far leave us in no doubt that we are on the site of Leicester's Franciscan Friary, meaning we have crossed the first significant hurdle of the investigation," Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the dig, said in a statement.

Buckley and his colleagues have been excavating a parking lot in Leicester, England, since Aug. 25. They are searching for Greyfriars church, said to be the final resting place of Richard III, who died in battle during the War of the Roses, an English civil war. A century later, Shakespeare would immortalize Richard III in a play of the same name.

After his death in the Battle of Bosworth Field, Richard III was brought to Leicester and buried at Greyfriars. The location of the grave, and the church itself, was eventually lost to history, though University of Leicester archaeologists traced the likely location to beneath the parking lot for the Leicester City Council offices.

(Read More)

5 Kid Safety Suggestion for Kids Playing in Parking Lots

Offbeat Mama, an online blog about parenting against the grain, has a blog post about suggestions for kids to play safely when your "yard" is a parking lot. To read the full article click here. 

5 suggestions for playing safely when your "yard" is a parking lot
Guestpost By ASHLEY

It's April 2011: my two-year-old is snoring in the backseat. I follow the landlords into the apartment complex, noting the "Slow! Children at Play!" signs at both entrances. I spied the little nook where everyone's bikes and outdoor wheeled toys were jammed together. I ask if there are other families — yes — and are there any noise complaints — no, but the bar across the street can get riled up at peak times. After two years of being parents in college-oriented complexes, I was ready for a place that seemed more family-friendly. Except for the weird amount of grass between the ten buildings, it was perfect.

Oh, how I've wished for more grass! I grew up in military housing, where the houses are duplexes and everyone's yards are smushed together into these huge patches of grass. We ran around with bare feet and more than once ran into the wrong back door. But here? Two of the buildings have smushed patches behind them that could count as yards — one unit inexplicably has a back door, even — but it's not in a place where the kids can really play safely and supervised. What's the alternative? The parking lot? With cars?!

(Read More)