Direct Answer
The Sherwin-Williams Company was founded in 1866 in Cleveland, Ohio by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams. In 1880, Sherwin-Williams introduced the first ready-to-use pre-mixed paint sold in a resealable can, a product innovation that created the modern consumer paint market. The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1905 and became the first national paint company in the United States by 1900, with more than 100 stores. Sherwin-Williams joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average on September 24, 2013, replacing Alcoa. In 2017, the company completed the $11.3 billion acquisition of Valspar Corporation, the largest acquisition in its history, creating the world's largest paint and coatings company by revenue.
Origins
The Sherwin-Williams Company was founded in 1866 in Cleveland, Ohio when Henry Sherwin purchased an interest in a paint and varnish business from Truman Dunham and partnered with Edward Williams to operate it. Sherwin recognized that paint sold in a standardized, ready-to-use form could reach a far larger market than the custom-mixed products available at the time. The partners opened their first dedicated Sherwin-Williams paint store in 1873 and introduced the company's "Cover the Earth" logo in 1884, one of the most recognized brand marks in American commercial history. By 1900, the company operated more than 100 stores and had become the first national paint company in the United States. It listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1905.
Key milestones
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1866 | Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams found The Sherwin-Williams Company in Cleveland, Ohio; Sherwin purchases a paint business from Truman Dunham |
| 1873 | First Sherwin-Williams paint store opens |
| 1880 | Sherwin-Williams introduces the first ready-to-use pre-mixed paint in a resealable can, transforming how paint is sold and used |
| 1884 | Famous "Cover the Earth" logo created, one of the most recognized brand marks in American commercial history |
| 1900 | Sherwin-Williams operates more than 100 stores, becoming the first national paint company in the United States |
| 1905 | Sherwin-Williams listed on the New York Stock Exchange |
| 1920s | Major expansion through acquisitions of regional paint manufacturers |
| 1940s | WWII-era production of industrial coatings and camouflage paints for the U.S. military |
| 1971 | Sherwin-Williams acquires Martin-Senour, expanding its professional and contractor coatings business |
| September 24, 2013 | Sherwin-Williams joins the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Alcoa |
| June 2017 | Sherwin-Williams completes the $11.3 billion acquisition of Valspar Corporation, the largest deal in company history; adds Valspar, Cabot Stain, and major industrial coatings brands; combined company becomes the world's largest paint and coatings company by revenue |
| 2018 to 2022 | Post-Valspar integration under CEO John Morikis; record paint demand driven by housing activity and the COVID-19 DIY surge; significant price increases to offset raw material cost inflation |
| 2022 | Heidi Petz becomes President of Sherwin-Williams |
| 2024 | Heidi Petz becomes CEO, the first woman to lead Sherwin-Williams, succeeding John Morikis |
CEO timeline
| CEO | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Henry Sherwin (co-founder) | 1866 to 1909 |
| Walter Cottingham | 1909 to 1922 |
| Various leaders | 1922 to 1969 |
| Marvin Schorr | 1969 to 1979 |
| John Breen | 1979 to 1999 |
| Christopher Connor | 1999 to 2015 |
| John Morikis | 2015 to 2024 |
| Heidi Petz | 2024 to present (first woman CEO of Sherwin-Williams) |
Four eras of Sherwin-Williams history
Foundation and national expansion (1866 to 1920)
Henry Sherwin's central insight was that paint could be standardized. In the 1860s and 1870s, paint was typically mixed on-site by craftsmen, making color consistency and quality hard to control and limiting reach to professional painters. Sherwin's 1880 introduction of ready-to-use paint in a resealable tin can changed both the product and the distribution model. A consumer could buy, store, and reuse paint without needing a specialist to mix it. The company built its retail store network through the late 1800s and reached 100 locations by 1900, making it the first coast-to-coast paint retailer. The "Cover the Earth" globe logo introduced in 1884 communicated the brand's ambition directly and became one of the most recognized commercial images in American history. The 1905 NYSE listing gave the company access to capital that would fund its twentieth-century acquisition strategy.
Industrial era and mid-century growth (1920 to 1980)
Sherwin-Williams expanded aggressively through acquisition in the 1920s and 1930s, purchasing regional paint manufacturers to consolidate the fragmented American coatings market. World War II brought a new customer: the U.S. military needed industrial coatings and camouflage paints in volume, and Sherwin-Williams' manufacturing scale made it a major supplier. Post-war housing booms created sustained consumer demand, and the company's contractor-focused brands served professional painters renovating and building homes across the expanding suburbs. The 1971 acquisition of Martin-Senour deepened the company's position in professional architectural coatings, a distribution channel that Sherwin-Williams would continue to treat as its highest-priority segment for decades.
Public company maturity and the Valspar deal (1980 to 2020)
Under Christopher Connor's leadership from 1999 to 2015 and John Morikis's tenure from 2015 onward, Sherwin-Williams maintained a disciplined focus on its paint stores network while selectively acquiring competitors. The company's addition to the Dow Jones Industrial Average in September 2013 reflected its status as one of the largest and most economically significant consumer-facing companies in the United States. The defining transaction of this era was the June 2017 acquisition of Valspar Corporation for approximately $11.3 billion. Valspar brought retail paint brands, Cabot wood stains, and significant industrial and packaging coatings businesses. Sherwin-Williams divested certain Valspar operations to satisfy antitrust conditions, then integrated the remainder into a global coatings platform that generated the largest revenue of any paint company in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 produced a surge in DIY home improvement demand as homeowners spent more time at home; Sherwin-Williams stores remained open as essential businesses and saw significant volume increases.
Pricing power and leadership transition (2021 to present)
From 2021 through 2022, Sherwin-Williams faced sharp increases in raw material costs, particularly titanium dioxide and solvents. The company demonstrated pricing power by raising prices significantly while maintaining volume, a reflection of the strength of its contractor relationships and the limited substitutes available at the professional tier. Record paint demand driven by housing renovation and new construction activity supported those price increases. In 2022, Heidi Petz became President of the company, and in 2024 she succeeded John Morikis as CEO, becoming the first woman to lead Sherwin-Williams in the company's 158-year history. The company continued operating more than 4,900 company-operated stores across North America alongside its industrial coatings and automotive finishes businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Sherwin-Williams founded?
The Sherwin-Williams Company was founded in 1866 in Cleveland, Ohio by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams. Sherwin purchased an interest in a paint business from Truman Dunham and partnered with Williams to build what would become the first national paint company in the United States. The company opened its first dedicated paint store in 1873 and by 1900 operated more than 100 locations.
What was Sherwin-Williams' most important product innovation?
In 1880, Sherwin-Williams introduced the first ready-to-use pre-mixed paint sold in a resealable can. Before this innovation, paint was mixed at the point of sale, making consistency and convenience difficult to achieve. The resealable can allowed consumers to purchase a consistent product, store unused paint, and apply it themselves, fundamentally changing how paint was sold and used. This innovation is widely credited with creating the modern consumer paint market.
When did Sherwin-Williams join the Dow Jones Industrial Average?
Sherwin-Williams joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average on September 24, 2013, replacing Alcoa in the index. Inclusion in the Dow Jones Industrial Average reflects the company's position as one of the largest and most economically significant companies in the United States, spanning consumer, professional, and industrial coatings markets.
Why did Sherwin-Williams acquire Valspar in 2017?
Sherwin-Williams completed its acquisition of Valspar Corporation in June 2017 for approximately $11.3 billion, the largest acquisition in the company's history. The deal added Valspar's retail paint brands, Cabot wood stains, and significant industrial and packaging coatings businesses to Sherwin-Williams' existing portfolio. The combined company became the world's largest paint and coatings company by revenue. Sherwin-Williams had to divest certain Valspar businesses to satisfy antitrust regulators as a condition of the deal.