NEWARK, DE – For more than three decades, Mike Purvis has made a living with a paintbrush in his hand, transforming homes across Newark one room at a time. Now, the founder of J Michael’s Painting is picking up a different kind of tool: community leadership. On January 22, 2026, Purvis announced the launch of the Newark Home Project Initiative, a free community program designed to help homeowners and aspiring tradespeople master the practical skills needed to care for their homes and build sustainable careers in the trades.
The Man Behind the Brush
Purvis founded J Michael’s Painting in Newark, Delaware, back in 1991, starting with little more than a willingness to work and a small set of tools. Over the past 35 years, he has built the company into one of the area’s leading residential painting contractors, earning a reputation for meticulous planning, attention to detail, and unwavering customer service. His business philosophy centers on a simple belief: “People notice when you care about the small things”.
Now, Purvis is sharing the hard-won lessons of his career with the wider Newark community. “My goal with this initiative is to give people the kind of practical guidance I had to learn the hard way on real jobs,” Purvis said in a statement announcing the program.
What the Newark Home Project Initiative Offers
The Newark Home Project Initiative is structured around three core components, all offered free of charge to local residents:
Free Evening Workshops: Participants can attend hands-on sessions covering topics such as project planning, understanding materials, managing timelines, and delivering reliable customer service. Each workshop is designed to stand on its own, so residents can attend as their schedules allow.
Small Group Mentorship Circles: For those seeking deeper engagement, the initiative offers intimate mentorship circles where aspiring tradespeople and small contractors can receive personalized guidance on business systems, estimating, and client communication.
Open Office Hours: Purvis and his team will host regular office hours where residents can drop in with specific questions, project photos, or early-stage business plans for one-on-one advice.
Who the Initiative Is For
The program is designed to serve three distinct groups within the Newark community:
- Homeowners who want to understand how to plan painting and small home projects, reducing the intimidation factor that often leads to postponed maintenance.
- New or aspiring painters and tradespeople who want to learn about logistics, estimating, and customer service—the business side of the trades that technical training often overlooks.
- Small local contractors who feel confident with their tools but less confident with planning, scheduling, and client communication.
Participants do not need prior experience. Sessions are built around simple language, real-world examples, and step-by-step workflows.
Addressing Real Gaps in the Community
Purvis launched the initiative in response to several persistent challenges facing Newark residents. A significant number of homeowners postpone needed maintenance, which ultimately increases long-term costs and can lead to more serious property issues. Many small service businesses struggle with scheduling and communication, not just technical skills. And busy families often want to hire reliable contractors but feel unsure how to judge quality and process.
By bringing homeowners and tradespeople together in the same room, Purvis hopes to demystify what a well-run project looks like from both sides of the transaction. “Most people only see the final coat of paint,” Purvis observed. “The real work is the planning that gets you there”.
A Philosophy Rooted in Planning and Persistence
Purvis often describes success as a combination of careful planning, attention to detail, and a “never-quit” mindset that he learned early and tested on job sites across Newark. His approach to business treats logistics and customer service not as extras, but as “the frame that holds the work together”.
“I built my business one room at a time by showing up, fixing what was wrong, and learning from every job,” Purvis reflected. That same incremental, persistent approach now shapes the Newark Home Project Initiative. The program is structured so that participants can benefit even if they can only attend occasionally, with each session offering clear take-home guides and practical checklists.
Homeownership and Trade Gaps in Newark
The launch of Purvis’s initiative comes at a time when Newark—both the Delaware city and its larger New Jersey namesake—is grappling with significant housing challenges. In Newark, New Jersey, city officials have set out to create or preserve 6,600 units of affordable housing over the next five years as part of a new plan aimed at helping lower-income and homeless residents. Meanwhile, Newark, Delaware has seen its own affordable housing efforts, including the $26.6 million George Read Village redevelopment, which will bring 72 affordable housing units to the city.
At the same time, the trades face a growing skills gap as experienced professionals retire and fewer young people enter the field. Purvis’s initiative directly addresses this challenge by offering aspiring tradespeople a low-barrier entry point to learn business fundamentals from a seasoned professional.
What Participants Will Gain
Through workshops, mentorship circles, and office hours, participants will learn practical skills including:
- How to scope a painting project from first walk-through to final cleanup
- Practical checklists for surface preparation, materials, and room sequencing
- Simple frameworks for scheduling work around family routines
- Communication scripts for estimates, updates, and follow-ups
- The ability to ask specific questions about their own homes or early-stage businesses
For those with limited time, the initiative offers one-hour sessions focused on a single theme, short resource sheets and checklists to review at home, and occasional remote Q&A sessions for people who cannot attend in person.
How to Join
Workshops and mentorship circles will be held on weeknights in Newark, with office hours offered in short blocks so residents can stop in with questions, photos, or plans. Residents can join by:
- Registering in advance for a free workshop seat
- Dropping into posted office hours with a specific project in mind
- Joining a small mentorship circle for a limited series of sessions focused on business systems
Looking Ahead
For Purvis, the Newark Home Project Initiative represents a natural extension of the values that have guided his business for more than three decades. “Logistics and customer service are not extras,” he has said. “They are the frame that holds the work together”.
By sharing the lessons he learned the hard way—through late nights, challenging projects, and a relentless commitment to quality—Purvis hopes to give Newark residents a head start on their own home improvement and career journeys. The program is free, accessible, and built around the simple belief that with the right planning and support, anyone can take better care of their home and build a better future in the trades.
