SHW company e-mail sent to employees regarding staffing etc.

Sherwin-Williams official maps showing sites for new HQ and

R&D facilities, as well as their current facilities in downtown

Cleveland (Iryna Tkachenko). CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Email sent to all corporate employees at about 8 a.m. Feb. 6. It was not edited in any way...

Dear Fellow Employees,

I am writing to share an exciting update with you regarding the planned locations for our new global headquarters and new R&D center.

After many months exploring multiple sites nationally, I’m pleased to share with you that we are finalizing plans to build a new global headquarters in downtown Cleveland and a new R&D center in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville. The plans are contingent upon completion of standard due diligence, approvals of incentives and other matters at state, county and city levels, and resolution of business and legal matters that accompany such major real estate investment projects.

The planned new global headquarters would be in downtown Cleveland just west of Public Square between Saint Clair Avenue and Superior Avenue and is expected to be approximately 1,000,000 square-feet in size. The planned new R&D center would be located in Brecksville, just off I-77 at Miller Road and Brecksville Road. The R&D center would serve as the corporate anchor for a new mixed-use development project and is expected to be approximately 500,000-square-feet in size. 

With these new facilities, we plan to create a next generation workplace environment that attracts and retains top talent and further ignites the creativity, collaboration and industry-leading innovation that our customers have relied on throughout our long history. The plan to stay in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio builds on the 154-year legacy of Sherwin-Williams as one of the region’s top employers and drivers of economic activity. This major planned investment in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio reflects our confidence in the continued strength of the region and its people and our project partners’ ability to deliver on their commitments.

Preliminary plans call for Sherwin-Williams to invest a minimum of $600 million to build both facilities. Combined, the two facilities would house more than 3,500 employees with room to accommodate significant future growth. We estimate adding a minimum of 400 jobs at these facilities over time, an increase of 11 percent to the Company’s current local workforce. Many of these jobs will be professional staff, engineers and chemists.

Current plans will have R&D roles transfer from the Breen Technology Center and Warrensville Heights, Ohio locations to the planned new R&D center in Brecksville. Employees located at Landmark Office Towers and Skylight Office Tower in Cleveland will transfer to the planned new global headquarters along with non-R&D professional roles currently located at Breen Technology Center and Warrensville Heights. The Company has no plans to move other facilities to the new R&D center or the new global headquarters at this time.

I want to emphasize that this process will extend over several years. As previously announced, any transition to the new facilities is not expected to occur until 2023 at the earliest. During this time we will continue to update employees as new information becomes available.

Later today we will issue a press release announcing our plans. This release and additional materials will be available on buildingourfuture.com. Please visit mySherwin to view additional employee-specific materials, including FAQs.

Today’s press release will likely generate considerable media coverage on a wide variety of channels, including social media. Only the Sherwin-Williams Corporate Communications Department is authorized to speak publicly or communicate externally on behalf of the Company. If you receive any inquiries from the media or other third parties, please politely explain that you are not able to comment on behalf of the Company, gather their contact information and let them know a Company representative will get back to them. It’s also important to remember that any mention of Sherwin-Williams on social media could be quoted by the press. Please be thoughtful if you engage in social media, express only your personal opinions and do not identify yourself as a representative of the Company.

Forward all media and public inquiries as well as any media activity outside of a Sherwin-Williams store, office or facility to:

Julie Young, Vice President, Global Corporate Communications
corporatemedia@sherwin.com
216-515-8849

Thank you for your hard work, dedication and patience as we work through this important process. This is exciting news that will shape our Company’s future success. In the meantime, let’s continue to focus our efforts on the service, quality and innovations that fuel our commitment to help customers around the world succeed.

Sincerely,

John G. Morikis
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
The Sherwin-Williams Company