• Commitment Overview
• Supporting Underrepresented Communities in Cleveland
• Building Our Future Project 
• Project Benefits
• Project Objectives
• Project Goals
• Project Commitments

The Sherwin-Williams culture is built on trust, respect, execution and inclusion, which guide our commitment to take care of our customers, respect our employees and the environment, and support the communities in which we live and work. In Cuyahoga County, we have generated over $4 billion in employee payroll, more than $140 million in tax revenue and invested over $20 million in charitable endeavors over the last 10 years in Northeast Ohio. Our people are a force of good, collectively volunteering at hundreds of non-profit organizations, including more than 100 employees who serve on local non-profit boards.

We care deeply about supporting and being active in our communities while demonstrating our commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E). We have extended this commitment to our Building Our Future (BOF) project, which includes a new global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, and a new global research and development (R&D) center in Brecksville, Ohio. 

Sherwin-Williams is proud to invest in the future of our company and the future of the region, which has been our home since 1866. Our community impact commitments represent our support of underrepresented communities in Cleveland and surrounding areas through health, education, vocational training and the BOF project.

We support community health, education and vocational training programs that provide long-term benefits for underrepresented communities in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

COMMUNITY HEALTH: The Sherwin-Williams Foundation has long supported charitable work throughout the region. Recently, the Foundation made a significant investment in addressing social determinants of health by supporting a new facility and mobile imaging unit at University Hospitals to improve health outcomes, specifically for underserved women and babies. Additionally, as part of the Company’s support of the work of the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, we expanded our long-standing financial support for community outreach efforts designed to educate at-risk communities regarding strategies to reduce health hazards in the home, including lead. We executed a five-year agreement with MetroHealth that will expand Pediatric Lead Clinic services and accessibility for critical resources to more children in high-risk neighborhoods. The investment also extends our long-standing commitment to MetroHealth’s School Health Program, which provides children with access to critical health resources right at their school.

EDUCATION: We know that having a local, diverse pipeline of future talent is critical to the growth and success of our Company and Northeast Ohio. We are investing in the education and development of local students:

• The City of Cleveland estimates that when the new headquarters building is completed and occupied, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will receive approximately $4 million in additional annual revenue from Sherwin-Williams.
• The Company is a significant founding funder of Say Yes to Education Cleveland, an innovative program that provides wraparound supports for student and family success, as well as offers all graduating CMSD seniors a path to attaining a post-secondary credential.
• Through our partnership, JobsOhio will invest millions of economic incentive funds designated for our BOF project to develop science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career pathways and exposure for underrepresented youth in Northeast Ohio. The partnerships include local schools, colleges/universities and nonprofit organizations that serve diverse communities.  

VOCATIONAL TRAINING: Since its inception in 2002, the Sherwin-Williams HomeWork Program has trained individuals with no previous experience to begin careers as professional painters. HomeWork was created with the goal of providing employment opportunities to residents of public housing, former offenders and the homeless. Nearly 70% of HomeWork graduates secure employment as professional painters. The training includes certification under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) to ensure that graduates understand lead-safe work practices. We will offer HomeWork training for approximately 300 Cleveland-area residents over the next four years.

We made significant commitments to advance workforce development and economic inclusion for the BOF project, which reflect the diversity of Cleveland’s residents and our desire to promote ID&E. We are confident that the BOF project will benefit all our stakeholders for many decades to come, including our customers, our shareholders, our employees and our community.

Our plans build on our 156-year legacy as one of the region’s top employers and drivers of economic activity. Combined, the Company’s two new facilities will house approximately 4,000 employees with room to accommodate future growth. The BOF project will have a profound economic impact throughout Northeast Ohio driven by jobs, payroll, tax revenue, the growth of businesses supplying goods and services to support the BOF project, and the recirculation of wages.

• JOBS: Sherwin-Williams estimates adding a minimum of 400 jobs to these facilities over time, increasing the Company’s current local workforce by 11%. Many of these new jobs would be professional staff, engineers and chemists.

• ECONOMIC INCLUSION: Over the course of this multi-year project, our goals are to award a minimum of $112 million to minority-owned businesses, $53 million to female-owned businesses and $60 million to small businesses for a total commitment of at least $225 million.

We are excited about the opportunities to include local businesses, including minority-owned, female-owned and small businesses in the BOF project as part of our organization-wide commitment to support ID&E.

Since the BOF project was launched in 2020, Sherwin-Williams has gathered feedback from the City of Cleveland, the City of Brecksville, community leaders, faith-based leaders and other key stakeholders on opportunities to engage and support underrepresented residents and suppliers.

To advance our ID&E commitment in the BOF project, we seek to:

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to the future of Cleveland, Brecksville and their residents.
• Drive economic growth for underrepresented communities through workforce development and supplier diversity.
• Build a pipeline of talent to support careers in construction and building trades, as well as through investments in STEM programs.
• Integrate feedback from key stakeholders to support local areas of potential growth.
• Provide consistent, transparent reporting and updates on project status and opportunities. 

The below supplier requirements are aligned with the City of Cleveland’s and Cuyahoga County’s economic incentive packages to positively benefit the community.

*Required as part of the approved economic development packages

** Based upon project construction costs of $750M

Sherwin-Williams will focus on economic inclusion, supplier diversity and workforce development to establish long-term benefits to Northeast Ohio's economic growth while advancing the Company's goals and BOF project requirements.

ECONOMIC INCLUSION AND SUPPLIER DIVERSITY

The focus on an economic inclusion and supplier diversity approach is to understand and alleviate barriers to participation for Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, female-owned businesses and other underrepresented suppliers in project opportunities through:

• Collaborating with Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Hispanic Business Center, The President's Council and National Association of Minority Contractors to enable MBE business growth and sustainability.
• Partnering with the Urban League of Greater Cleveland to launch a new Construction Accelerator Program Powered by Sherwin-Williams to provide eligible minority-owned businesses with access to capital, mentorship, education on the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process, construction management best practices and an opportunity to build capacity.
• Facilitating capacity-building and mentoring opportunities aligned with project and procurement timelines.
• Embedding equity and accountability into the procurement strategy by unbundling packages to ensure opportunities align with the capacity of MBEs, FBEs and CSBEs.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

Our workforce development and training efforts are designed to build a pipeline of talent for careers in STEM, construction and the trades, while also engaging community residents in opportunities at the headquarters and R&D facilities.

We seek to attract and retain underrepresented groups into the talent pipeline for careers in STEM, construction and building trades by:

• Supporting programs to prepare community residents to work on the BOF project, along with careers in the construction and building trades.
• Developing a three-week pre-employment readiness course for Cleveland residents to obtain immediate on-the-job training and placements in pre-apprenticeship program and training.
• Investing in career pathway programs with local non-profits and colleges/universities to provide exposure for underrepresented students to develop interest in STEM careers.
  
• Partnering with JobsOhio to build a pipeline of talent for STEM careers at Sherwin-Williams.
• Ensuring alignment with our construction partners and trades on our ID&E goals and objectives.

Sherwin-Williams is thrilled to have an opportunity to further impact the community. We are proud to invest in our future and the future of the region, which has been our home since 1866. 

To learn more about our commitment, please visit buildingourfuture.com.