What's So Surprising?

Benjamin Moore suddenly terminated their relationship with hardware cooperative Do it Best last week, as a result of the co-op’s decision to partner with Sherwin-Williams to  manufacture True Value paints. 

A move which should not have caught DiB’s CEO Dan Starr by surprise, though sources tell me that it did. 

Proving two things with the first being that Dan Starr does not read my blog with the second being his misunderstanding of the rabidity of the anti-Sherwin sentiment in the independent channel, which has already turned their backs on Pratt & Lambert, Duron, Krylon, Cabot, Thompson’s, Minwax and Purdy when they were acquired by Sherwin. And now that they've "partnered" with True Value, they'll turn their backs on that brand too. 

The move by Benjamin Moore chief executive Dan Calkins was not at all surprising, considering the mortal combat he waged against Sherwin to climb up to that post.  With twenty of those years served in the field fighting Sherwin’s dark forces one painter at a time,  leaving little taste for the proximity at DiB’s table.  Making the decision an easy one for Calkins, who unlike Starr speaks the language of his customers. 

One in which Sherwin is a four-letter word. 

Plus Moore should maintain 100% of the estimated $45,000,000 it billed through DiB last year, spread across 450 locations, which can all now buy directly from Montvale.  For the same pricing and terms they were receiving from True Value, making the inconvenience no more than a few keystrokes entered in at point-of-sale. 

Sources shared that Benjamin Moore was “blindsided” by the news, having expressed an interest in acquiring the Cary, Illinois plant when Do it Best came to own it during the True Value bankruptcy.  Interest which had been reaffirmed I’m told, leaving Moore feeling jilted, making an easy choice even easier.  A confounding decision on the part of Starr, considering the natural alignment with Ben Moore and that it’s better to have two buyers than one.  Likely costing the group a couple of bucks while costing his members access to the only relevant paint line in that segment, surely not how Starr saw this one playing out. 

Though he should have. 

Dealers who prefer the distribution model, can still purchase Benjamin Moore through Ace, Emory-Jensen and Orgill, strapping True Value into the seat as its brand careens closer towards irrelevance.  At just $75 million (estimated) per year in purchases, that journey seems mostly in the rearview mirror, with this move filling up the tank for the trip’s last leg.  Already True Value Paint was so inconsequential that if you Googled the words they led directly to Do it Best’s homepage, where there’s no mention of that brand.      

Or now, Benjamin Moore.

I’m rarely surprised when I learn of new wrongdoings perpetrated by Sherwin-Williams, having cried with mothers who lost children in #RochesterPA, I understand the callous.  Still, like Dan Calkins I was blindsided last week, jarred by the response to my blog’s mention of a sexual discrimination case filed against Sherwin by a former employee in Nevada. 

But I should not have been surprised, knowing the ethics of that company and having already taken similar testimony.  Still I was caught off guard by the more than dozen messages I received within 72 hours of that post going live, all from current and former (female) employees of Sherwin-Williams.  A staggering response considering the limited distribution of that blog and evidence enough to ensure further investigation.  In messages and on calls these women testified to their experiences, accusing Sherwin-Williams of engaging in sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment for women.  Heaping more shame on the shoulders of that company’s first female CEO Heidi Petz, who seems more concerned about other things. 

*From the Reddit for S-W Employees

But Petz’s boundless depravity will be matched by my obsession to investigate so that her secrets become known and her company is held accountable, a time I suspect is coming as the cases pile up against Sherwin and the breadth of my investigations into their wrongdoing grows even wider.  Which it did last week even beyond the bounds of these civil rights allegations, when I was contacted by an individual alleging financial crimes perpetrated by Sherwin.  The second person I’m aware of who has claimed whistleblower status before reporting an alleged crime to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), granting special legal protections from the vindictive paint maker. 

Which should be enough to cause True Value Paint retailers to rethink their current supply chain, now that Sherwin-Williams is onboard.  Which I’ll help them do by connecting any TV dealer who contacts me with a reputable paint manufacturer in their region, most of which are family-owned with programs in place for the hardware segment. 

Most likely willing to lift the old True Value and replace it with a product you can sell and willing to consider an investment in a business plan to grow paint sales.

Which I’ll be happy to give you. 

#BoycottSherwinWilliams.