by Paula Peters Chambers | Jul 20, 2026 | Employees
Wallpaper installer Dannon Featherston cares more about what he has learned – and how he shares those lessons – than the number of years he’s been with H.J. Holtz & Son. “One of the best things I’ve done in my career is getting to a point in my knowledge where I’m masterful enough to pass it on,” he says.
Featherston, who is one of a handful of employees who have been with the company for more than 20 years, credits his mother for impressing upon him, from an early age, the importance of internalizing what you learn.
“Mom would say people who read a book but can’t talk about it after haven’t really read it,” he says. “True understanding means you can expand upon something. If you can’t expand upon something, you can’t understand it.”
Featherston lives that lesson every time he helps coworkers with the intricacies of paper-hanging.
“There’s always going to be stuff I can learn in my trade, and through teaching, I’ve learned even more,” he says. “To teach somebody well, you have to explore how they may be looking at [a situation], and that will take you out of your way of doing it,” he says. “Some people learn by doing, some by explanation, some both. I take it very seriously to look into the perspective of someone else. I have to understand how a person does things. So we have to take time to get to know each other. Once I know [the other person is], it’s easier to teach them.”
Another benefit of longevity, Featherston says, is the ability to develop relationships, with other Holtz team members and with clients. He remembers the birth of company president Rick Holtz’s youngest child and has been around to see colleagues retire after years of service. He’s also returned to client homes over the years, watching children move from toddler to adulthood. He’s even worked in a home owned by the grown son of a longtime client. “It’s definitely like I’m old now,” he laughs.
Outside of work, Featherston stays busy with a variety of home projects and motorcycle repair, both for himself and others. “My wife wants me to slow down, but I’ve become the graybeard everybody calls,” he says. A year ago, he showed several bikes at the Party at the Pen East, a vintage motorcycle show held on the grounds of the Ohio State Reformatory (formerly Shawshank Prison).
“I like to have a project; it’s good for my mind,” he says. “Like wallpaper, working on bikes is like a puzzle: you have to figure out how to put it together. There’s a right way and a wrong way, and you’ll find out real quick if you’ve not done it right.”
Happy anniversary, Dannon!
by Paula Peters Chambers | Jun 30, 2026 | About Our Company
Foreman Edilberto Gálvez regards H.J. Holtz & Son as his forever home. His forever work home, that is.
“I’ve told [company president] Rick [Holtz] many times, I think I’m part of the family here,” Gálvez says. “I don’t think I could be anywhere else.”
Gálvez joined the company in 2016 at the recommendation of a friend. Though Gálvez was already working as a painter, he had come up against a reality that many painters experience in smaller firms: unreliable hours, especially in the winter. Because cold weather limits exterior projects, it’s common for workers to find themselves idle when cold weather persists. No work means no pay.
“[My friend] said that we always have a job here in the wintertime,” Gálvez says. “Where I had been, sometimes we do [have work], sometimes we don’t.”
Gálvez became a foreman after three years, responding to a coworker’s suggestion. “I had been working with Gary [Benton], on his team, and he told me they were looking for a foreman. So I put in my name. I always liked to be responsible for what I do, so it seemed like a good idea.”
Now, his responsibility as a foreman extends beyond his own work. At the completion of every job, before doing the walk-through with the client, Gálvez performs his own inspection. “I make sure the whole thing is the way it’s supposed to be,” he says. “I want it to be 100% done before I go to the customer. When I see everything is right, then I go to the customer. I have to do it myself; I have to make sure it’s right. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”
Family is important to Gálvez . He and his wife have a 20-year-old daughter who needs special assistance. During the workday, Mrs. Gálvez takes the lead. But when Edilberto Gálvez goes home, he steps in. “My wife takes care of [our daughter] during the day, so I want to give her a break,” he says. “I spend time with her when I’m not working; we go to the mall, be together.”
He sees the same emphasis on family at H.J. Holtz & Son. “One of the things I like about Holtz is that it’s a family business,” Gálvez says. “We are busy year-round. There’s always something to do.”
Happy anniversary, Edilberto!
by Paula Peters Chambers | Jun 18, 2026 | Client Work, Commercial Painting
Some say the journey is just as important as the destination. That’s especially true when working in an historic home, where history must walk hand-in-hand with modern living and needs. H.J. Holtz & Son is proud to be a partner in the restoration, renovation, and reimagination of 2315 Monument Avenue, one of the seven residences on the boulevard designed by noted architect William Lawrence Bottomley.
Known as the Parrish House, the Mediterranean Revival home was built 1922-1924. Originally intended to depict the Colonial Revival style, Bottomley modified the plan after the owners traveled to Spain and Italy, and wanted their new home to have a European flair. Coincidentally – or not – Bottomley published his book, “Spanish Details,” in 1924.
The home is now owned by Den and Megan Cralle. Den Cralle is president and CEO of Green Front Furniture and has been documenting the changes to the house with online posts, showing progress in real time.
One area that has largely remained the same is the dining room, which features Gracie wallpaper that Holtz hangers had installed previously. That paper has been protected during this work, which includes an expansion on the first floor to enlarge the kitchen and add a sitting room. Upstairs, the second and third floors have been reorganized via wall removal to allow for an expanded primary suite, completely redone bathrooms, and a multipurpose room on the third floor.
Holtz painters have been working in the house for weeks, providing painting and carpentry services as construction moves along. Michael Praught, project manager for general contractor R.A. Praught Construction, says that in a project of this size and scope, it’s important that all parties involved keep in close contact.
“Communication is a huge part of getting the job done correctly,” Praught says. “There are plenty of painters who can do the work. What separates good quality professionals from the not-so-good is the process and the experience getting you from start to finish. For as many people as they have [working at the house], things could get out of hand, but Rick [Holtz, company president] has everything and everyone in place.”
Praught also credits the Holtz team for their painstaking efforts to make sure the job is done correctly from the first step, noting that nothing can take the place of thorough preparation. Without a solid foundation, minor imperfections can loom large later.
“A good finished project is all about the prep work,” he says. “You prep, fill holes, sand, prime, sand again, prime again. That goes a long way to make sure you have a quality finished product. Holtz does that.”
Work at 2315 Monument Avenue is anticipated to be completed in the fall of this year. Follow along on Instagram at monumentbygreenfront.
by Paula Peters Chambers | Jun 1, 2026 | About Our Company
Patrick Picchi is eager to learn new skills and processes. That enthusiasm has propelled Picchi through 10 years at H.J. Holtz & Son, taking him from a starting position as a painter to his current role as the youngest project manager at the company.
A decade ago, Picchi was working as a painter for a family member. Picchi wanted to move to a larger firm, one where he would have steady work to support a mortgage. With the blessing of his then-boss, he made a list of established painting companies, places where he knew he would find reliable, year-round employment.
H.J. Holtz & Son was the first company he called. Carol Hudson, a Holtz family member then working at the firm, answered the phone. After talking with Hudson, Picchi didn’t bother to reach out to anyone else.
“Carol was the guilty one,” Picchi laughs. “She gets all the credit and the blame.”
Even though Picchi had worked as a painter, there was plenty for him to learn early on. “I had experience, but nothing like the Holtz way,” he says. He partnered for six months with Travis Gibson, now the firm’s estimator, then became a foreman of his own crew. After doing that for 18-24 months, he considered his next step. A project manager position had opened, but there was also a spot for him on the wallpaper team, which was enticing.
“I wanted to learn about wallpaper, but I saw a lot of potential [as a project manager],” Picchi says. “Rick [Holtz, company president,] said, ‘You choose.’”
The choice was hard. Picchi, a native Spanish speaker, knew he’d learn a lot from the Holtz wallpaper crew, but he wanted to work on his English-language skills. He also believed he could provide a good bridge for other employees who also spoke Spanish as their first language. Ultimately, he leaned into the challenge. “Other workers [who speak Spanish] needed help,” he says.
Picchi says he appreciates how he is able to explore new paths and expand his skill set. “Rick invests in us and gives us the time to keep learning different ways,” he says. “[Being here] is like school for me, and it can be school for everybody. You have to take advantage [of opportunities] if the place lets you.”
Additionally, Picchi says, he appreciates how H.J. Holtz & Son has an ethos of treating customers well. “We are here to make a profit, yes, but we try to please the customer first,” he says. “That’s the priority.”
Happy anniversary, Patrick!
by Paula Peters Chambers | May 13, 2026 | Client Work, Commercial Painting
Every project is important to H.J. Holtz & Son team members. But some touch the soul more than others. That was the case for Holtz craftspeople participating in the creation of a new chapel on the campus of Saint Gertrude High School in Goochland County.
“A lot of folks who work here are faithful people, and we take working in a church very seriously,” says Kelly Kutchey, Holtz production manager. “A project like this definitely adds a little weight to the work.”
Saint Gertrude relocated from its original home in the city of Richmond to its current campus in 2023. After a period of fundraising, the school turned to finishing its worship space in 2025. Named the Sullivan Chapel in honor of donors, the focal point of the space is the high altar, where hand-applied gold leaf provides a glowing backdrop for the school’s original wood crucifix and flanking angels.
Holtz team members painstakingly applied each piece of 23.5-karat gold leaf in the chapel – covering the front sanctuary wall and edging arches and wall elements. Gold leaf was also applied to the alcoves holding statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.
Kutchey says the project required 4,228 linear feet of gold leaf, each piece 4.25” wide. Laid side by side, that quantity of gold leaf would span the length of 14 football fields. “[Applying] that amount of gold leafing is not something we do all the time,” he says.
Applying gold leaf is challenging, Kutchey says, because it is so delicate. But even before the work could begin, the Holtz team had to source the material. “We had to find a supplier who could provide the amount we needed,” he says.
The company found SeppLeaf Products in New York City and developed a relationship that went beyond a simple purchase. “Lauren Sepp was extremely helpful,” Kutchey says. “We had experience with gold leaf, but because of the size of the job, we had to train more people. Lauren helped with that.”
Part of the training included how to handle the leaf. “It’s incredibly thin,” Kutchey notes. “A cross breeze through the space would blow it to pieces. You have to handle it with tools, not bare fingers, because it’s so delicate and will tarnish just like solid gold.”
In addition to applying the gold leaf, H.J. Holtz & Son team members installed six murals, painted, and stained a door. The scope of the project meant that Holtz often had half a dozen workers in the space daily for months.
A fall 2025 article in a school magazine notes a goal of the chapel’s design was for it to be beautiful, to reflect the glory of God. That’s a goal that Holtz team members strive for every time, Kutchey says.
“We always try to make everything look beautiful, whether it’s running white trim or adding wallpaper,” he says. “We want crisp, straight lines – clean and beautiful. Whatever we do, we want it to look the best.”
