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I'll Was There in Spirit!
My father was not bothered by the disrepair he allowed his paint store to fall into over his 30-years behind the counter. Irresponsible...

Mark Lipton
5 hours ago3 min read
Dear Desperately
Under the nom de plume of Silence Dogood founding father Benjamin Franklin helped establish the modern advice column, a Dear Abby for...

Mark Lipton
Jun 103 min read
But How Was Miami?
I spent much of last week surveying independent paint retailers on sentiments towards their brands, leaving Pittsburgh Paints CEO Brian...

Mark Lipton
Jun 43 min read


THE Wait is Over!
Last week Billy Joel cancelled all live performances after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus , a condition of the brain...

Mark Lipton
May 274 min read


THE Promise Keeper
In 2001 when Berkshire Hathaway purchased Benjamin Moore Warren Buffet promised independent retailers that THE brand would forever...

Mark Lipton
May 74 min read


THE Good Advice You Can't Take
Were it not for the 1099's and W2's in the trash I might not have noticed that my daughter Miranda had been home to visit. THE former...

Mark Lipton
Apr 303 min read


Riding THE Wave
In December of last year the private equity firm American Industrial Partners completed an acquisition of the architectural coatings...

Mark Lipton
Apr 233 min read


Can I Pick Another Color?
THE third largest city in a deep blue state my hometown of Stamford, Connecticut suffers a misfortune conspicuous in one-party rule:...

Mark Lipton
Apr 163 min read
Things My Daughter Never Told Me!
In the news last week were tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on all goods imported into the country. Those taxes, plus...

Mark Lipton
Apr 83 min read


Roman Holiday
Executives from Pittsburgh Paints gathered in Cabo San Lucas Mexico in March, assembling with the preeminent customers of their company...

Mark Lipton
Apr 23 min read
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner!
If you are an independent paint or hardware retailer please click here before reading this week’s blog, thank you. It’s been more than...

Mark Lipton
Mar 263 min read


Play it Loud!
After three-weeks on the road it was Netflix and chill with my fiancéeic last weekend, the longest traveling of my career forcing the...

Mark Lipton
Mar 193 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
Mar 112 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 272 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 193 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 122 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
Feb 43 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 292 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 223 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 153 min read
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