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Although this option was the "least remunerative" of his choices, Sherwin believed the paint industry promised the brightest future. After all, this was the post-Civil War era, circa 1866, and the Cleveland area, his hometown, was experiencing an economic boom. It stood to reason that northeastern Ohio -- as well as the rest of the nation -- would be undergoing significant building and development.
Sherwin’s business plan was to not only develop and market coating options (that’s paint) for corporate America, but he also wanted to aggressively tap into a relatively new market -- the homeowner -- and provide these newly prosperous "do-it-yourselfers" with a high quality, ready-mix paint.
Sherwin partnered with Edward P. Williams, who joined Sherwin in the late 1860s after dissolving his partnership with a small glass company in Kent, Ohio. Although both knew the company’s potential, neither could have dreamt that in a very short time the name Sherwin-Williams would become recognized for quality products and superb customer service.
But that’s exactly what happened.
Today, The Sherwin-Williams Company has more than 2,600 company-owned stores in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and is the U.S. market leader in distribution and sales of coatings and coating-related products. Sherwin-Williams has yearly revenues exceeding $5 billion and is ranked among the top U.S. Fortune 400 companies, while setting standards of excellence within the coatings industry.
To see how the company has grown, take a look at the markets we’re in today.
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Henry A. Sherwin had the heart and soul of an entrepreneur. So did his partner, the equally entrepreneurial Edward P. Williams, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Western Reserve College.
