Who Moved Into Kelly-Moore Paint's Market After It Shut Down?

Monte Lewis says Dunn-Edwards moved into the market Kelly-Moore Paint left by hiring Kelly-Moore people and opening stores. In less than three months the company added 17 stores and about 125 people, a jump he calls unprecedented in Dunn-Edwards history. Of the 125, 124 or all 125 were former Kelly-Moore employees. Set against the business already in the States, the gain was about a 10% growth point overnight.

The customer stayed the same. Dunn-Edwards still supports the professional painter and still aims at the best service and products. Culture is the part that changes. Kelly-Moore had a long history, and 15 months of Flax Group ownership did not erase it. People hired from Kelly-Moore bring the wins, the losses, and the battle scars. Dunn-Edwards is folding the new experience into the Northern California team.

Mark Lipton puts the move in the series he calls the opportunists, people who moved aggressively into the open space. Dunn-Edwards is not Nippon. He puts Nippon at $10 or $12 billion and calls Dunn-Edwards a small local subsidiary. Monte Lewis calls Nippon a rich uncle that stands behind the company. Dunn-Edwards stands on its own feet, and Nippon is there if needed. They counted on the backing for the expansion.