Rufus "Jack" Allen started in the paint business when he was hired by E.B. Finely Contractors as Superintendent on a painting job for a federal housing project in Aberdeen, Mississippi. Finely eventually quit the job and Rufus finished it as a contractor. By the end of the job, Rufus Allen was firmly established in the painting business.

For the next ten years Rufus worked for JT Harold and other contractors on projects for federal housing developments and Mississippi State University. He and his son Jack, then 12 years old, were there when sheetrock mud first began to be used by the industry. They watched as brick masons tried to figure out how to spread it on the walls, and were among the first to add drywall work to their list of services.

The move to New Orleans

In 1962, Jack left Mississippi and moved to New Orleans to work for Avondale Shipyard as a painter. Rufus followed three years later and established Jack Allen Paint Company. After five years in shipyard work, Jack went back to the family business and worked with his Dad painting houses. Jack took over the family business when Rufus retired in 1972.

The Big Break

In 1976, the Jack Allen Paint Company started doing land rigs for Pyramid Drilling in Houston, Texas. They painted rigs for two years and then got a contract to provide 600 painters to Avondale Shipyard on a time and materials basis.
The company prospered, and by 1981 was doing $18 million in business for Avondale along with work for other firms. During the 1980’s the company firmly established itself in the contract labor business and the Marine, Industrial, and Offshore painting business — providing 100 contract workers at Halter Marine and workers at Baker Marine. Although, the Marine, Industrial, and Offshore side of the business was booming, the Jack Allen Paint Company was still doing some small commercial painting projects.

Jack Allen Paint becomes Tasch, Inc.

Jack (Randy) Allen, Jr. graduated from Loyola University in 1985 and went to work for International Paint Company where he began learning the science and application of marine and industrial coatings.

In 1993 Randy brought his business experience and marine coatings knowledge back to the family business. He implemented a diversification plan to take advantage of the family’s vast commercial and marine experience. As part of that plan, the company name was changed to Tasch, Incorporated and broken into two divisions: the Commercial Division and the Marine / Industrial Division.

The Commercial Division began to expand into other areas including: metal studs, drywall, acoustical ceilings, stucco, plaster, EIFS, masonry, brick, and stone. The division was strengthened when Jack Sr.’s brother Johnny Allen returned to the family business in 1998. Johnny had worked for the company in the 80’s as a sheetrock finisher and labor recruiter in the Caribbean. Now he used his recruiting skills to hire the top drywall, stucco, and masonry talent in New Orleans. These skilled specialists make Tasch a prime choice when commercial projects need reliable performance and old-world craftsmanship.

On the Marine / Industrial side, Randy has been instrumental in bringing new technology into the company. His application of Tasch film as a containment system for abrasive blasting on a Texas project became a model for that state’s Environmental Protection Regulations. And, his recent addition of Thermal Spray coatings provides customers over 30 years of corrosion protection, even in harsh marine environments.

Doing things right for three generations

Tasch may be the name on the letterhead but the strength, honesty, and integrity of the Allen family is behind it. Years ago, Rufus told his grandson Randy, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Randy knows that honest, hard work; development of employee strengths, environmentally protective practices, and offering the best service and quality are the key ingredients for Tasch’s success. It is what has put Tasch on the road to being the preeminent leader in the industry.