Some would say the entrepreneurial journey for Daniel and Leane Owen has come full circle. They say they’re just getting started.
Earlier this year, the husband-and-wife team founded Tenec Coatings, a contracting business offering concrete coatings installation, flooring removal, and specialty flooring services to residential, commercial, and industrial clients statewide.
While this venture is new, the Owens are hardly new to the industry. The couple previously owned and operated Arizona Polymer Flooring (APF), a leading manufacturer of concrete coatings, which they grew from a local niche operation into a globally recognized brand known for quality and high performance. The Owens sold the company in 2018.
“For nearly three decades, we had a challenging yet highly rewarding ride,” Daniel says. “We developed products and systems that met some of the toughest environmental demands, and we gained a fast and loyal following because we never wavered on the highest level of customer service or the quality of our materials, practices, or processes.”
APF was originally founded in 1985 by Daniel’s parents, Dean and Carol Owen. As established concrete coating contractors, they sought to manufacture their own coatings that would better withstand the desert heat. They succeeded, and word about their superior products spread throughout the contracting community.
Daniel literally grew up in the industry, sweeping the plant floors as a boy, and then moving on to serve in virtually every production, technical, and leadership role within the company. He gained additional experience as a concrete coatings subcontractor during this time, fine tuning coating installation processes and gaining a deeper understanding of raw materials and chemistries used in the industry. He ultimately took over the business with Leane – a marketing and customer service expert – and together the couple transformed APF from a mom-and-pop operation into a national powerhouse.
“We reached the pinnacle, building an incredible team that delivered incredible products. For us, the excitement throughout our journey came from growing and refining the business,” said Leane. “The decision to turn the page wasn’t a sign of slowing down, but a sign that we were ready for a new adventure.”
With an entrepreneurial fire burning inside, the Owens dabbled with a few new business ideas in other trades. Yet Leane says that venturing outside of the concrete coatings industry – an industry they knew intimately and completely – just didn’t feel right. “After careful thought, we decided to dive into contracting, where APF got its start. But this time, we were launching with a lifetime of learnings from the manufacturing side.”
Invigorated, the Owens have set out to do it all again, refocusing their energy on the contracting side of the industry in an effort to elevate the level of service and technique available to homeowners and businesses throughout Arizona and the Southwest.
“We come to the table with a deep understanding of the products, equipment, installation processes and resources that are necessary to complete any job,” Daniel added. “We really do thrive on new challenges. It’s the successful troubleshooting that makes the job so rewarding.”
Tenec Coatings offers a wide range of concrete coating installation and specialty flooring services, from traditional offerings such as a decorative overlay, color chip flooring, and metallic coatings, to more complex projects involving flooring removal, concrete moisture remediation, and concrete polishing. For more information, see www.teneccoatings.com.
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This article originally appeared in the Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, Nov/Dec 2019 issue, Vol. 8, No.6. The Arizona Contractor & Community magazine is a bi-monthly publication.