Hotspray Industrial Coatings
Achieving long-term success as a small business is never simple. The challenges are constant: finding and retaining customers, building a strong team, establishing efficient processes, and consistently turning a profit. After more than 30 successful years in business, Lyle Cummings—president and founder of Hotspray Industrial Coatings—knew his company had met those challenges well. He also believed there was still room to strengthen Hotspray’s position as an industry leader in polyurea coatings, secondary containment, industrial floor coatings, and sandblasting services. To take the next step, he turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award‑winning Advisory Board Council program.
With locations in Orlando and Mims, Florida, Hotspray Industrial Coatings specializes in high‑performance industrial coatings engineered to withstand harsh conditions and deliver long‑lasting protection. Its technicians are highly trained in applying specialized coatings—expertise that sets the company apart from traditional painting services. “The key to our success has been being able to deliver high‑performance coating jobs, from floors all the way up to heavy industrial, high‑up areas, especially for the Space Center and the theme parks, but also across many other industries and for many municipalities,” describes Cummings. “We’re talented in a variety of different coating solutions with a crew of roughly 60 trained technicians who pride themselves in the quality of their work.”
Despite the company’s strong track record, Cummings sensed untapped potential. “You reach a point in your career running a business that you have to do something different or you’re going to get the same result,” he explained. While Hotspray’s results were good, he believed they could be even better. “We needed some assistance. We were able to have a board of advisors provided to us from the FSBDC. They put together experts at the table with us that really helped us get going and really grow.”
The FSBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council is a high‑impact business support service that matches established Orange County companies with a customized board of volunteer advisors. These professionals bring expertise in areas such as strategy, finance, marketing, operations, and HR—providing insight, accountability, and guidance at no cost to the business. For Hotspray, the fit was immediate. “We had folks on the Board who were good at marketing, finance, HR, business development,” Cummings recalls. “At each meeting, we would bring up issues that we had with our business, they would share their expertise and knowledge and hold us accountable to solve those problems by the time of our next meeting. We were able to talk freely about the issues we were having and this helped us out in our business growth.”
The results speak for themselves. “While working with the Advisory Board Council, we were happy that we achieved a 40% increase in revenues and a 50% increase in headcount,” Cummings reports. Reflecting on the experience, he adds, “If I would have a wish, I would have had the FSBDC’s Advisory Board Council sooner. It definitely helps in your growth and development, and getting you headed in the right direction.”
For information about Hotspray Industrial Coatings, please visit https://hotspray.com/
