About Us

History

Jeff Chasen (left), Irv Chasen (right), and founder Nathan Chasen (painting)

The founder of N. Chasen & Son, Inc., Nathan Chasen learned the trade of wall paper hanging as a teenager. He grew up in Baltimore, Maryland at the turn-of the century, working as an apprentice for a wage of thirty five cents an hour. In 1912 he set out to begin work as a paper hanger and found himself filling a position in Richmond, Virginia. In 1914 Nathan went into business for himself and established a legacy of quality work.

For fifteen years Nathan Chasen acted as an independent contractor providing wall covering services. When in need of extra assistance he called on a close friend to paint where paint was needed. As the business approached the early 1930´s painting was added to the list of company services.

In 1946 Nathan´s Son, Irv joined the team after serving as a combat officer in World War II. From this point on the company was named N. Chasen & Son. With two paper hangers and three painters the company began to grow steadily into the future. Nathan passed away in 1963 leaving the company to Irv. The business was very small in early years, but as the 1980´s approached N. Chasen & Son, Inc. began to expand. Quoting Irv from Goldhirsh Group (Inc. Magazine) in 1985, "For 35 years, it was literally a mom-and-pop operation. Oh, we´d add a few people here, a few people there, but growth was real gradual. In contracting, you know, rapid growth can be very dangerous. Lately, though, it seems like we´ve been in the right place at the right time."

PDCA

N. Chasen & Son are members of The Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA). One of the philosophies of The PDCA is to promote an attitude of ethical responsibility in business.

Mission Statement of the PDCA: "PDCA exists to lead the industry by providing quality products, programs, services, and opportunities essential to the success of our members."

Fully licensed and insured.

Employs over 50 tradesmen, including skilled painters, paper hangers, carpenters and artisans.

Does not subcontract work.

Performs criminal background checks and drug tests on all employees.

Has long term, experienced employees (our employees have an average length of employment of 12 years with our company alone).

Adheres to EPA and OSHA regulations.

Current president Jeff Chasen joined the company in 1977 after obtaining his degree from Randolph-Macon College. Soon after Rolling Stone magazine named him as one of the top CEOs under age thirty. The article which was published in 1985, also featured Bill Gates of Microsoft.

Presently N. Chasen & Son, Inc. employs over fifty talented tradesmen. Some of which are skilled painters, carpenters, paper hangers and artisans. Many things have changed from the time Nathan Chasen started the company, but our business philosophies remain the same. We serve our customers with diligence and respect paying attention to every detail and providing conscientious care.

Awards

The Al Quilici Award

Apr. 5--IRV CHASEN received the Al Quilici Award at the Painting and Decorating Contractor of America annual convention in Las Vegas. The award is the association´s highest honor. Chasen has conducted programs helping contractors understand and manage overhead expenses. He is retired from N. Chasen and Son Inc.

Additonal Articles

Finan Publishing Company

By being present in the PDCA community, you come into contact with people like Irv. Irv´s painting company, N. Chasen & Son Inc., has been in existence for over 90 years. Although Irv is now retired and his son is running the business, he is still an incredible asset to our organization. He has touched many lives and helped countless numbers of contractors move their companies to the next level. And I´m pleased to learn that Irv will be doing a series of articles on overhead beginning in the next issue of PWC.