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Mark Lipton
6 days ago2 min read
Layoffs at Pittsburgh!
There were layoffs at Pittsburgh Paints’ corporate headquarters last week, the end of anticipation for an unlucky few. Riffed were as...


Mark Lipton
Feb 272 min read
GREAT Question!
Executives from American Industrial Partners gathered in Florida last week to meet the team at Pittsburgh Paints, including newly...


Mark Lipton
Feb 193 min read
Something (Else) Someone Told Me
On the February 6th episode of Mad Money , the show’s host Jim Cramer opined on the current share price of Sherwin-Williams stock; THE...


Mark Lipton
Feb 122 min read
Something Someone Told Me
I spent Monday and Tuesday this week in Chicago, passing the hours in a boardroom strategizing a path for a client’s innovative new...


Mark Lipton
Feb 43 min read
Irick's Folly
In an ongoing effort to monetize their investment the new owners of Pittsburgh Paints offer their assets for sale to anyone with...
Mark Lipton
Jan 292 min read
Better Left Unsaid
It’s been nearly two-months since American Industrial Partners completed their acquisition of PPG’s $2 billion architectural coatings...


Mark Lipton
Jan 223 min read
Can Someone Check on Dan?
Had I made a list of my top-ten most widely read blogs at the end of 2023 each post would have shared the same subject, Benjamin Moore...


Mark Lipton
Jan 153 min read
Irick Out at Pittsburgh
My mother’s passing more than five-months ago left a hole in my heart to deep for spackles, and a calendar containing a similar void. ...


Mark Lipton
Jan 83 min read
Independent Everything
While independent paint and hardware retailers continue to gain share , in other segments independents businesses falter. THE fallout of...


Mark Lipton
Jan 23 min read
Lincoln Was a Lawyer
A list of the ten-most honest United States Presidents has Abe Lincoln, Jimmy Carter and George Washington respectively in the top...


Mark Lipton
Dec 10, 20243 min read
THE Grammarians
In 1989 PPG acquired Olympic Stain for $134 million in cash, more than $340 million once adjusted for inflation . In 2013 the paint...


Mark Lipton
Dec 4, 20243 min read
Count Every Vote!
My daughter Miranda, the former Buck Wheat of these pages, arrived in Stamford last week thankful for a father willing to discuss the...
Mark Lipton
Nov 20, 20243 min read
Sitting at THE Adult's Table!
Earlier this month Sherwin-Williams reported earnings for the third quarter of the year, the company failing to reach their own revenue...
Mark Lipton
Nov 12, 20243 min read
He Thought it Was a Secret?
Since PPG announced their divestiture from the architectural coatings segment my devices and LinkedIn profile have been abuzz with...


Mark Lipton
Nov 6, 20243 min read
Buyers and Sellers
Sherwin-Williams announced their earnings last week reporting a meager .7% increase in revenue for the third quarter of 2024, middling...


Mark Lipton
Oct 30, 20242 min read
THE Bucket List!
With World Series ticket prices ascending beyond the responsible , I had planned to enjoy this season’s Fall Classic from the sports bars...


Mark Lipton
Oct 23, 20243 min read
All In a Week's Work!
Independent PPG paint retailers breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when the company announced the sale of their beleaguered...


Mark Lipton
Oct 9, 20243 min read
He's Out!
In August of 1989 baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti announced that, “One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of...

Mark Lipton
Oct 2, 20243 min read
Another One Bites THE Dust!
In an October 2023 blog I shared that an international manufacturer of paint applicators and sundries had hired me to help them...
Mark Lipton
Sep 18, 20242 min read
I'm Emphatic!!
THE paint industry seems dominated by the likes of Home Depot and Sherwin-Williams, companies which spend a combined $1.5 billion in...
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