Sherwin-Williams
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| Type |
Public |
| Founded |
1866 (Cleveland, OH) |
| Headquarters |
Cleveland, OH |
| Key people |
Christopher Connor Chairman, CEO, President
Sean Hennessy, CFO, Senior VP-Finance |
| Industry |
General Building Materials |
| Products |
Wall coverings & Paints |
| Revenue |
$7.19 billion USD (2005) |
| Employees |
25,789 est. (2001) |
| Website |
www.sherwin-williams.com |
The Sherwin-Williams Company NYSE: SHW is an American company in the general building materials industry. The company primarily engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers primarily in North and South America. The company is mostly known through its Sherwin-Williams Paints line.
Founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in 1866, the company operates through four segments: Paint Stores (known as Sherwin-Williams Stores), Consumer, Automotive Finishes, and International Coatings.
In 2005 and 2006, Forbes named Sherwin-Williams as one of the top 100 places to work in the United States.
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Contents
- 1 Sherwin-Williams Paints
- 2 Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes
- 3 Lead Paint in Sherwin-Williams Products
- 4 External links
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Sherwin-Williams Paints
The Paint Stores Segment, known as Sherwin-Williams Paints, was the first section of the company to be established, in 1866. These stores market and sell Sherwin-Williams branded architectural paints and coatings, industrial and marine products, and original equipment manufacturer product finishes and similar items. As of December 31, 2004, the Paint Stores segment operated 2,983 individual paint stores. The Consumer segment develops, manufactures, and distributes various paints, coatings, and related products to third party customers and the Paint Stores segment.
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes
The Automotive Finishes segment develops, manufactures, and distributes various motor vehicle finish, refinish, and touch-up products. It also licenses certain technology and trade names worldwide, as well as distributes Sherwin-Williams branded automotive finish and refinish products through its network of automotive branches. The Automotive Finishes segment operated 190 automotive branches, as of February 2, 2006. The International Coatings segment develops, licenses, manufactures, and distributes various paints, coatings, and related products worldwide through 76 company-operated specialty paint stores, as of the above date, and by outside selling functions to other dealers and distributors.
Lead Paint in Sherwin-Williams Products
Lead paint was commonly used in the exterior and interior of homes until the Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/) issued a ban against lead-based paint in 1978. The effects of lead-based paint on children may range from reduced IQ's and learning disabilities to stunted growth and kidney damage. Sherwin-Williams pledges to "observe the highest ethical standards in business conduct" (http://sherwin.com); however, the company has no mention of the history of the lead paint issue or the efforts of the companty to combat the problem on its website. Houses built before 1978 may still contain lead; therefore the issue remains and continues to affect those who live in or remodel older homes.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Sherwin-Williams continued to promote lead based paint after they knew it to cause negative health affects.
In February of 2006, Rhode Island successfully sued Sherwin-Williams for being public nuisance. The complaint pointed out: “In 1904, before it became a manufacturer of Lead, Sherwin-Williams published an article warning that ‘white lead is poisonous in a large degree, both for the workmen and for the inhabitants of a house painted with white lead colors.’"
External links
- Sherwin-Williams website
- Sherwin-Williams Company Center of Excellence
- Sherwin Williams Logo Info
- Lead Paint Reparation Campaign
Categories: Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange | Companies established in 1866 | Companies based in Ohio | Fortune 1000
