Let Them Eat Paint!

Whether you navigated to this page via my LinkedIn profile, a Google search of my name or by typing this blog’s URL directly into your browser you maintained a semblance of anonymity.  One of a bourgeoning army of paint geeks who meet here each Thursday leaving little more than a click as evidence of your presence.

But if you subscribe to receive notifications there’s more that I know, such as the frequency of your visits, which blogs you read and which ones you linger on.  THE invasion of privacy ends there though, subscribing to my blog does not grant me access to your all of your email.

No matter what Brian Carson may believe as he reads the rest of this blog!   

Last week MSA-The Safety Company announced to their employees that they had, “Closed on a strategic real estate investment that will support the long-term growth of our business” according to an unattributed post on their internal web site.

THE post went on to say that MSA had been “working for several years to address space constraints,” problems resolved with the acquisition of more than 100,000 square feet of class A office space located at 400 Bertha Lamme Drive in Cranberry, Pennsylvania. 

The current corporate headquarters of Pittsburgh Paints.

THE listing referred to the building as a “mission critical location for the Pittsburgh Paints company,” though it does not seem that MSA bought the building to be a landlord. 

THE purchase gives MSA the “flexibility to meet our long term [sic] space needs,” while collaborating with Pittsburgh during “the coming months” on a transition plan which “benefits both sides.”

And nothing could benefit Carson more than relief from that lease, so expect a short collaboration! 

Last week I opined that with no buyer for their nationwide network of stores Pittsburgh would have no choice but to sell them off regionally or even locally if they intend to divest themselves of that “asset.”

A forecast which came to fruition even faster than I expected.

Not 24-hours after posting that screed I received a tip that Pittsburgh was in talks with another paint manufacturer to divest themselves of a large segment of their retail stores. Not long after that sources at the prospective buyer confirmed that the parties were engaged in those talks and are determining “how we can move forward”. 

Well short of ink on a deal, but a clear message regarding the intentions of Pittsburgh’s new owners. 

Let Them Eat Paint

Participants in a survey of dealer sentiment I was recently engaged to administer were given a $200 Amazon gift card as honorarium for their time, though two of the dealers turned down that loot.

Seeing honor in their desire to participate without the renumeration I offered to inquire if the funds could instead be donated to a Stamford-based charity I’m familiar with, the Lower Fairfield Food Bank? 

Last year the Lower Fairfield Food Bank distributed more than 1,000,000 pounds of food to over 350,000 people across Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk and Wilton Connecticut. Feeding the hungry who reside within America’s wealthiest zip codes.

My client agreed to pay out those funds going further and offered to match them donating $800, which I brought up to $1,000 just so I can say that I am with the dealers.

More than 80% of the food that money buys will go to food pantries, where one in six Americans currently buy their food. A staggering 49 million people hungry amongst the bounty.

THE remaining gets sent to soup kitchens, shelters and other programs to assuage the country’s deepest pangs, from the stomachs of more than 18 million Americans who are food insecure.   

And paint knew how to feed them!