Sherwin-Williams Announces and Celebrates 2023 Vendor of the Year Award Winners

Continued Innovation in Product Development, Customer-Focused Service and Collaboration lead to substantial non-paint category sales growth in 2023

CLEVELAND, Jan. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sherwin-Williams Company honored eight 2023 Vendor of the Year award winners across four categories this week during its annual National Sales Meeting in Orlando, FL. Five companies were named Vendor of the Year, and three additional winners were selected in the Innovative Product of the Year, Productive Solutions Award and Marketing Innovation Award categories. Award winners were honored for providing high-quality products, customer-driven innovation and an unwavering commitment to the success of Sherwin-Williams through their unique efforts to deliver on customers' needs.

"Following a successful year in 2023, Sherwin-Williams has continued its growth in non-paint categories thanks to the support, innovation and collaboration from our vendor partners and suppliers," said Tracey Gairing, Vice President of Procurement at Sherwin-Williams. "We are honored to recognize those that have contributed to sales growth, customer satisfaction and product innovation. We are thrilled to continue to excel together in 2024."

2023 Vendor of the Year

Vendor of the Year Award recipients are top sales performers who continue to raise the bar in delivering outstanding quality, innovation, and value to Sherwin-Williams stores and superior service to our distribution centers.

Advance Equipment: A Sherwin-Williams partner for over 70 years and first-time winner of the Vendor of the Year Award, Advance Equipment's efforts resulted in a double-digit increase in sales volume in 2023. The company takes a hands-on approach to understanding how professional painters are leveraging their products in projects. They consistently achieve 100% compliance and are always reliable when sourcing products and tools for the commercial contractor segment.

Festool: Last year's winner of the Productive Solutions Award and first-time winner of the Vendor of the Year Award, Festool's achievements have led to their second year of double-digit volume growth for the company. They collaborated with Sherwin-Williams to develop a new stocking program, efficiently reducing working capital while maintaining excellent service. Contractors also note that Festool's product provides effective labor-savings. 

MetalTech: First-time winner of the Vendor of the Year Award, MetalTech provides proactive support at the field level by attending Pro Shows and selling events that have led to double digit sales growth. In addition, they assisted in marketing their products to Sherwin-Williams wide customer base and promoted renewed interest in their core products. 

ROMAN PRODUCTS: A three-time winner of the Vendor of the Year Award, ROMAN PRODUCTS' customer service in the wallcovering business led to double-digit sales growth in every month of 2023 with perfect service to Sherwin-Williams distribution centers. They proactively work with trade associations and specifiers to drive demand for their industry-leading products and Sherwin-Williams as a source. They also work closely with Sherwin-Williams supply chain organization to provide products in a timely manner.

Simple Green: First-time Vendor of the Year Award recipient, Simple Green has doubled its sales team this year to support Sherwin-Williams in training store managers, sales reps and customers on their cleaning products. Their field efforts help them to identify customer needs and provide a high-performance portfolio of sustainable and environmentally friendly products, two pillars of their business and commitment to their customers.

2023 Innovative Product of the Year

Ultimate QuickShot by Graco: Three-time winner of Innovative Product of the Year, the Ultimate QuickShot by Graco exceeded its original forecast and sold more units than any other paint sprayer category. Its breakthrough technology delivers a higher quality finish and provides results faster. Built with extreme spray control, this has become a new contractor favorite especially for applying Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series™ Waterborne Topcoat.

2023 Productive Solutions Award

The Sherwin-Williams Productive Solutions Award honors a vendor working alongside Sherwin-Williams toward fulfilling its important goal to be a productive partner for the professional painter, providing products and services to help the Pro contractor achieve more in less time.

Mi-T-M: Achieving double-digit sales growth for the third straight year, Mi-T-M earns the Productive Solutions Award for their line of Job Pro 4000 Pressure Washers. By increasing labor-saving benefits for professional painters, they helped cut cleaning time by up to 50% versus the typical entry level pressure washer. Mi-T-M also provided extensive training to Sherwin-Williams sales teams and resource groups.

2023 Marketing Innovation Award

The Sherwin-Williams Marketing Innovation Award highlights a partner that collaborates to better understand how Sherwin-Williams customers shop and reach them in a new way.

Trimaco: The Marketing Innovation Award winner Trimaco earns this honor for their investment in deeper learning about the Sherwin-Williams professional painter customer base. Their research and understanding enabled the company to identify gaps and opportunities to increase sales. Trimaco's insight helped increase sales and the number of stores selling to this category. Their work also reached new audiences and drove increased engagement. 

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For more than 155 years, Sherwin-Williams has been an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings. As the nation's largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies, Sherwin-Williams is dedicated to supporting both do-it-yourselfers and painting professionals with exceptional and exclusive products, resources to make confident color selections and expert, personalized service at its more than 4,800 neighborhood stores across North America. For more information, visit sherwin-williams.com. Join Sherwin-Williams on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Sherwin-Williams