From father to son:
The story of Heo Yun-yeong at Geonil Development in Busan
The father has walked the path of painting work and sales all his life. The son, who has grown admiring his father from behind, is now a spitting image of his father. Heo Yun-yeong and Ji-hun, the father-son team at Geonil Development, hold the past, the present, and future of their business in their hands.
Established in 2003, Geonil Development has been an official Samhwa distributorship for nearly two decades. It is also one of the leading painting service providers in Busan that Yun-yeong, the father, has cultivated as his life work. His son, Ji-yun, joined him as office manager six years ago to learn the trade from his father and plan a brighter future for the business.
Ji-yun has help from Choi Cheol-won, his friend and manager at the shop. The two young men continue to develop new engines of growth for their business. As the demand for DIY painting and interior renovations is on the rise, the two stay on top of the trends, preparing to deal with more retail customers directly. They continue to study painting and engage in active marketing experiments to increase their online sales. While 80 percent of today’s sales for the company comes from painting jobs and 20 percent from sales, the young leaders are seeking to bring that ratio into a more balanced 50:50.
Youth is the greatest asset
at Geonil
Yun-yeong has been painting for over four decades. He worked in the Middle East during the Middle East boom and took part in a variety of major construction and development projects in and around Busan. He is a seasoned veteran whose expertise can never be doubted. Yet he thinks youth is Geonil’s biggest asset.
“So many people think painting is essentially dirty work that pays less than it deserves. We live in 2019 now and our GNI per capita has exceeded USD 30,000. Yet today’s young people continue to avoid hard work like painting, afraid that they will not get the recognition and respect they deserve. At Geonil, though, we have a lot of young people working, including Cheol-won and Ji-yun. We have young technicians in the works department as well. It’s a great asset that we have these young, agile people working with us on site.” Yun-yeong says he’s delegating a lot of his work to his son and increasingly limiting his own role to that of advisor and final supervisor. “I intend to move back to Hapcheon, my original hometown, after retiring in about three years. I want to live my life the way I truly want once I retire.” Ji-yun, who is well aware of what Geonil means to his father, feels the weight of responsibility placed upon him. “I still have so much to learn from my father. I am nowhere near his ability when it comes to the techniques of painting or dealing with unforeseen issues on site.” He’s relieved, though, that he has someone he can count on in Cheol-won, with whom he has been friends for nearly a decade.
Yun-yeong is proud of Ji-yun. He thinks his son has been doing a fine job ever since he joined the company six years ago. Both Ji-yun and Cheol-won are determined and persistent, and possess what locals call jeijeongshin—dedication to one’s craft. Yun-yeong, too, has been a model of hard work and work ethic for decades. Bae Gyeong-hee, in charge of accounting, says she decided to marry Yun-yeong because she admired his work ethic. The wife calls him “a real man,” who was born the eldest son of his family and has spent his lifetime sacrificing himself to support his younger siblings and his own family.
“Yun-yeong has been working single-mindedly for his family all his life. I’m always grateful to him. To be honest, I think he’s got that manly handsomeness about him, too. I have no doubt that my son and his friend will continue working hard and innovating to carry on Yun-yeong’s legacy,” says Gyeong-hee, patting her son on the back with a proud smile.
Ji-yun did his parents proud by giving them a grandson that they wanted so badly. “I have an endless range of things to learn,” he says. “I’m still not as good at dealing with situations on site, so I wonder what I will do without my father. He’s always known far more than me. Now that I’m working alongside him, I’m beginning to see and feel things the way he must have seen and felt. I also admire my mother a lot, who has been indispensable to running this business alongside my father. She is a computer whiz—probably more skilled with the computer than anyone else in her generation.” The son, who looks exactly like his father, is now ready to walk in his father’s footsteps. Yun-il has been leading his company and family well, withstanding the weight of livelihood and pioneering new paths for him. “I was a star back when I was working in the Middle East. I’d sing and dance on any stage I was given,” Yun-yeong boasts, making everyone smile and laugh just when the camera needs them to smile.
Core items
A portfolio of the works Geonil has performed to date (picked by Ji-yun and Cheol-won)
“We created this portfolio when we began working together. It shows our clients what we’ve been doing so far, and helps our sales greatly. We’re so proud of this.”
A picture of the grandson (picked by Yun-yeong)
“I look at this picture when I get tired and need a break. It gives me so much joy and energy. There’s nothing more important to a grandfather than his grandchild.”
Protective gear (picked by Gyeong-hee)
“I’m all the more anxious about my husband’s safety since his accident three years ago. I work in the office only, but I want all our workers to be safe out there.”
From father to son:
The story of Heo Yun-yeong at Geonil Development in Busan
The father has walked the path of painting work and sales all his life. The son, who has grown admiring his father from behind, is now a spitting image of his father. Heo Yun-yeong and Ji-hun, the father-son team at Geonil Development, hold the past, the present, and future of their business in their hands.
Established in 2003, Geonil Development has been an official Samhwa distributorship for nearly two decades. It is also one of the leading painting service providers in Busan that Yun-yeong, the father, has cultivated as his life work. His son, Ji-yun, joined him as office manager six years ago to learn the trade from his father and plan a brighter future for the business.
Ji-yun has help from Choi Cheol-won, his friend and manager at the shop. The two young men continue to develop new engines of growth for their business. As the demand for DIY painting and interior renovations is on the rise, the two stay on top of the trends, preparing to deal with more retail customers directly. They continue to study painting and engage in active marketing experiments to increase their online sales. While 80 percent of today’s sales for the company comes from painting jobs and 20 percent from sales, the young leaders are seeking to bring that ratio into a more balanced 50:50.
Youth is the greatest asset
at Geonil
Yun-yeong has been painting for over four decades. He worked in the Middle East during the Middle East boom and took part in a variety of major construction and development projects in and around Busan. He is a seasoned veteran whose expertise can never be doubted. Yet he thinks youth is Geonil’s biggest asset.
“So many people think painting is essentially dirty work that pays less than it deserves. We live in 2019 now and our GNI per capita has exceeded USD 30,000. Yet today’s young people continue to avoid hard work like painting, afraid that they will not get the recognition and respect they deserve. At Geonil, though, we have a lot of young people working, including Cheol-won and Ji-yun. We have young technicians in the works department as well. It’s a great asset that we have these young, agile people working with us on site.” Yun-yeong says he’s delegating a lot of his work to his son and increasingly limiting his own role to that of advisor and final supervisor. “I intend to move back to Hapcheon, my original hometown, after retiring in about three years. I want to live my life the way I truly want once I retire.” Ji-yun, who is well aware of what Geonil means to his father, feels the weight of responsibility placed upon him. “I still have so much to learn from my father. I am nowhere near his ability when it comes to the techniques of painting or dealing with unforeseen issues on site.” He’s relieved, though, that he has someone he can count on in Cheol-won, with whom he has been friends for nearly a decade.
Yun-yeong is proud of Ji-yun. He thinks his son has been doing a fine job ever since he joined the company six years ago. Both Ji-yun and Cheol-won are determined and persistent, and possess what locals call jeijeongshin—dedication to one’s craft. Yun-yeong, too, has been a model of hard work and work ethic for decades. Bae Gyeong-hee, in charge of accounting, says she decided to marry Yun-yeong because she admired his work ethic. The wife calls him “a real man,” who was born the eldest son of his family and has spent his lifetime sacrificing himself to support his younger siblings and his own family.
“Yun-yeong has been working single-mindedly for his family all his life. I’m always grateful to him. To be honest, I think he’s got that manly handsomeness about him, too. I have no doubt that my son and his friend will continue working hard and innovating to carry on Yun-yeong’s legacy,” says Gyeong-hee, patting her son on the back with a proud smile.
Ji-yun did his parents proud by giving them a grandson that they wanted so badly. “I have an endless range of things to learn,” he says. “I’m still not as good at dealing with situations on site, so I wonder what I will do without my father. He’s always known far more than me. Now that I’m working alongside him, I’m beginning to see and feel things the way he must have seen and felt. I also admire my mother a lot, who has been indispensable to running this business alongside my father. She is a computer whiz—probably more skilled with the computer than anyone else in her generation.” The son, who looks exactly like his father, is now ready to walk in his father’s footsteps. Yun-il has been leading his company and family well, withstanding the weight of livelihood and pioneering new paths for him. “I was a star back when I was working in the Middle East. I’d sing and dance on any stage I was given,” Yun-yeong boasts, making everyone smile and laugh just when the camera needs them to smile.
Core items
A portfolio of the works Geonil has performed to date (picked by Ji-yun and Cheol-won)
“We created this portfolio when we began working together. It shows our clients what we’ve been doing so far, and helps our sales greatly. We’re so proud of this.”
A picture of the grandson (picked by Yun-yeong)
“I look at this picture when I get tired and need a break. It gives me so much joy and energy. There’s nothing more important to a grandfather than his grandchild.”
Protective gear (picked by Gyeong-hee)
“I’m all the more anxious about my husband’s safety since his accident three years ago. I work in the office only, but I want all our workers to be safe out there.”
Wall paint
친환경 벽지 페인트
