We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jon Kopp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
28 years ago, Jon from Quality Epoxy® painted his first garage floor with hardware store paint. Today his 28-mil system is the global standard.
In 1998, Jon was working Intel’s compressed work week in a clean room: 12-hour shifts, four days off, then three. “I had too much free time,” he says. “I kept thinking, what can I build?”
The answer came from a friend who just bought a new house. “He asked me to help paint his garage floor. We showed up with a leaf blower to clean it, then rolled paint straight onto the slab.”
When they finished, Jon had his lightbulb moment. “I told him, this looks good. We should start a business. But I knew paint wasn’t the answer long-term.”
That day, Jon went home and made a flyer on his computer: _Get Your Garage Floor Coated_. Phone number only. “I walked neighborhoods every day off until someone called.”
Phoenix had one competitor in 1998. “No competition was great. But I had to figure out how to tell customer number one that they were, in fact, customer number one.”
The next 28 years became an R&D project. “I had to learn chemistry, prep, moisture, everything. I knew each job would teach me something. Concrete is a sponge. If you don’t seal it right, it fails. If you do, the garage becomes living space.”
Today, Quality Epoxy® has 22 global publications, the best reviews in the industry, and 2 million followers. Jon’s 3-coat, 28-mil FULL polyaspartic system is now 3x thicker than the industry standard he was competing against on day one.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Quality Epoxy® is now the longest-running decorative coatings company in the industry.*
Jon & Monica have spent 28 years perfecting one thing: installing the best-looking, fully functional, high-solids 1” flake floors on the market. We are the most respected coating company in the world because of one principle — *we never sell, we educate*.
With 22 international publications and 2 million Instagram followers, Quality Epoxy® dominates the industry through education, not ads. Our 3-coat, 28-mil FULL polyaspartic system has become the global standard for what a garage floor should be: another room in the house.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Something magical happened 15 years ago. His wife came on board.*
“That’s when Quality Epoxy exploded,” Jon says. “Together we created a brand, a vision, and we set the expectation bar to the max. She wasn’t just help. She was the other half of the company.”
The next 15 years became an R&D project and a brand-building mission. “I had to learn chemistry, prep, moisture, everything. She handled clients, marketing, and made sure every customer felt like our only customer. I knew each job would teach us something. Concrete is a sponge. If you don’t seal it right, it fails. If you do, the garage becomes living space.”
Today, Quality Epoxy® has 22 global publications, the best reviews in the industry, and 2 million followers. Jon’s 3-coat, 28-mil FULL polyaspartic system is now 3x thicker than the industry standard he was competing against on day one.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Something magical happened 15 years ago. His wife came on board.*
“That’s when Quality Epoxy exploded,” Jon says. “Together we created a brand, a vision, and we set the expectation bar to the max. She wasn’t just help. She was the other half of the company.”
The next 15 years became an R&D project and a brand-building mission. “I had to learn chemistry, prep, moisture, everything. She handled clients, marketing, and made sure every customer felt like our only customer. I knew each job would teach us something. Concrete is a sponge. If you don’t seal it right, it fails. If you do, the garage becomes living space.”
Today, Quality Epoxy® has 22 global publications, the best reviews in the industry, and 2 million followers. Jon’s 3-coat, 28-mil FULL polyaspartic system is now 3x thicker than the industry standard he was competing against on day one.
Find a partner you trust with your life. Then don’t stop learning after job one.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://QualityEpoxy.com
- Instagram: @qualityepoxy
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/QualityEpoxy
