The Elite Stucco Design, Inc. team, with President Paul Onchanu (center), at a Candlewood Suites location where the company installed EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) stucco.

The family-owned Elite Stucco Design, Inc. specializes in EIFS and stucco for commercial and residential customers. Pictured: An EIFS stucco project at Courtyard by Marriott.

Across Pennsylvania, from Wilkes-Barre down to Lancaster, Elite Stucco Design, Inc.’s work can be seen on hotels from Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott locations to the Comfort Inn & Suites. Specializing in EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) and stucco, the family-owned company earned its reputation for quality work from many general contractors.

“We are skilled certified masons with more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry,” says Elite Stucco President Paul Onchanu. “We install custom stucco on residential homes and commercial buildings with unlimited square footage. We thoroughly inspect all work on a daily basis to ensure quality and hold our work to the highest standards.”

That’s the experience that J&M Construction Specialty, Inc. CEO Brian Shearer says he’s had with Paul and his team.

“Paul has done multiple EIFS jobs for us, as well as some stonework,” Brian says. “He’s done everything from hotel exteriors to banks and shopping plazas. He has done many EIFS projects on Marriott hotels. It is an easy product to maintain for the hotels, which is why they like it. Paul always does a good job, and we don’t have callbacks with his team.”

Paul started Elite Stucco in 2006 and started working with Weaver Construction & Roofing (Weaver) in 2008. “He’s been doing a lot of EIFS work on hotels for us as well as some stone veneer projects,” says Weaver Estimator Ron Rohrer. “They’ll come in and put the waterproofing on, install foam and EIFS finish and sometimes do the stonework around the bottom. He has competitive pricing, and the price he gives us is what the price will be. He isn’t known for making change orders or coming in with extra costs.”

Those are some of the things in which Paul takes pride. “We do custom work and demonstrate great craftsmanship in all of our projects, which range along the entire east coast going south of Pennsylvania including New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. As a family-owned and -operated business, we do our projects at fair prices, and small jobs get the same attention to detail as the big ones,” he says.

He was trained in the industry by his father and has passed down everything he’s learned to his son, Sergey, who also works with him as a Project Manager. “We work with a variety of EIFS products and have certifications from multiple manufacturers including Dryvit, Senergy, Sto and Parex,” he says.

Unlike traditional stucco that utilizes natural ingredients and mesh, EIFS stucco uses layers that add in synthetic materials, he explains. EIFS can reduce air infiltration compared to standard brick or wood construction. And since walls are one of the greatest areas of heat and air conditioning loss, improvement in the wall insulation can be very meaningful in terms of energy conservation, Paul says. EIFS also provides better energy efficiency and design flexibility.

Elite Stucco specializes in EIFS stucco, Canamould exterior mouldings, stonework and liquid waterproofing membranes, which are applied like paint and form an elastic membrane with excellent waterproofing capability upon drying.

Keeping it in the Family

Paul says the industry has grown and products have improved since he learned how to install stucco at age 15 from his father. “I didn’t think I would go into this industry, but I started working for a company and my crew was doing the best companywide. That’s when I decided to start my own business,” Paul says.

“My father taught me the job and to take pride in doing good work. We don’t cut corners, and if we see a problem, we take care of it immediately,” Paul says, “I’ve passed that on to Sergey and everyone who works for me.” He jokes that there are some trade secrets that he doesn’t teach anyone.

Sergey is involved in all aspects of the business—even those secrets that Paul keeps close. “I want him to know everything about the business. He started by learning how to do the stucco and how to supervise and talk with the work crews. You’ve got to know all aspects of the business to make it run well. Being in the field and checking their work is something you have to be able to do,” he says.

“This is something I’m proud of; he doesn’t have to start from zero,” Paul says of having Sergey involved in the business. “He started when he was young. I was taking him to work with me and teaching him. He has more than 10 years of experience and he’s still young, but he has good experience with stucco.”

Sergey confirms his youthful start to the business: in the fifth grade. But, he says he likes being part of the family business.

“Working with family definitely changes the work environment,” he says. “If you have a close family, then the work challenges are a lot easier to overcome. When your dad is your boss, you don’t have the option not to get along at the end of the day. He helps me maneuver through each day.”

Building Blocks

“Most of our projects are for general contractors with some work done for owners directly,” Paul says. “We have built many relationships with general contractors that have been ongoing for 15 years.”

The father-son duo has worked for general contractors on a variety of projects over the years including Candlewood Suites, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton and Courtyard by Marriott. COVID-19 restrictions limited their workflow in 2020, but the company still did hotel projects for Weaver in Harrisburg and Lancaster last year, in addition to many smaller projects, Sergey says.

Paul says his crews vary in size with subcontractors that he uses regularly on projects. In many cases, they’re people he trained years ago. “I know the quality of their work because I’ve worked side by side with them. We don’t hire subcontractors that we’ve never used before,” he adds.

That pays off when it comes to safety, as well. Paul makes sure the teams are safety conscious, from building scaffolding properly to training them on using boom lifts and other tools. “We make sure they have necessary licensing, as well,” he says.

“We talk about safety on the job and if we see something questionable on a job site, we will set up a meeting and go over everything they need to know. We will teach you what you need to know, but if you get a ticket (for an OSHA violation) because you aren’t doing your part, then it is going to be yours to pay,” he says.

They know the safety procedures and he holds them 
accountable, he says. Additionally, there are many meetings with general contractors weekly to talk about projects. Then, he says, his leadership team will go to the work sites about once or twice a week to see how the crew is working and what they need, while also checking the quality of their work.

Another way that Paul and Sergey ensure their team is getting the job done properly is by completing the Doing It Right training from the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry. The education and certificate program offers instruction on the proper installation and inspection of EIFS according to industry standards.

Friendly Environment

While he likes to be a hands-on leader, Paul says he doesn’t really “come across like a boss.”

“I talk to them like I’m a co-worker; I want them to look over and see the boss is working even harder than they are. That helps me build relationships with them and it feels less like I’m their boss while also inspiring them to work harder. This has helped me to have good relationships with them, and they can talk to me,” he says.

Paul also likes to give back to the community. He has installed stucco on a local church with no labor costs to the congregation, which wanted to improve the aesthetics of their building.

“It is good to help people. We are doing another church’s stonework, as well,” he says.

Paul’s belief of treating others like he wants to be treated extends past his employees and the community. When it comes to those relationships with general contractors, he says it is important to give them a fair price for the best quality work available.

“We can negotiate and match prices and show them that we are the best at what we do,” Paul says. “Once we are in the trenches, they know what to expect from us. It has paid off because we get many repeat clients. Sometimes our price may be slightly higher than a competitor, but they receive the quality they were promised. One time, we didn’t get a project because the general contractor tried a new sub, but one-quarter of the way through the project, they failed to meet their obligations and the general contractor called us to come in and take care of it.”

Sergey has learned that lesson well. “If we sign a contract and something unexpected goes wrong—especially if it isn’t the client’s fault—we try to make it work out for everyone’s best interest without costing them more money,” he says. “I’ve grown up working in this industry and with many of the same people around me all of that time. Our crews are happy working with us; that demonstrates the level of care we all have in this job.”