CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sherwin-Williams Co. on Tuesday announced the architectural and construction team it will use to build a new headquarters in Cleveland and a research complex in Brecksville, reaffirming its plan to invest more than $600 million into the sites.
In a news release, Sherwin-Williams Chairman and CEO John Morikis said the two sites will house more than 3,500 employees and made clear that working remotely is not part of the company’s long-term future.
“My deepest appreciation goes to our employees who have adapted quickly and safely throughout the pandemic to meet our customers' needs in new and unique ways,” Morikis said in the statement. “At the same time, we recognize that the development, engagement and sense of community our employees share has been essential to our success for more than 150 years and would be difficult to sustain over the long-term with a remote-based workforce.”
Delays caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis will force the company to adjust its timelines on the project, Morikis said. Sherwin-Williams had targeted 2023 for completion of buildings, but now expects they won’t be finished until 2024.
In February, the Fortune 500 company announced its plan to spend at least $600 million on the two sites to house more than 3,500 employees, with job growth expected.
The downtown headquarters, to be built at the west end of Public Square, would be a 1 million-square-foot building. In March, the company paid $49.4 million to buy the downtown property.
The research and development complex on 119 acres at Miller Road and Brecksville Road near Interstate 77 would have about 500,000 square feet of space.
The company has not scaled down those plans. It reaffirmed the building sizes and the investment costs Tuesday as it announced its partners for the two projects.
Those partners include:
- Pickard Chilton Architects, Inc. – Design architect for the global headquarters.
- HGA Architects and Engineers – Base building architect for the global headquarters and design, base building and interior architect for the research center.
- Vocon Partners – Interior architect for the global headquarters.
- Welty/Gilbane JV, a joint venture involving Welty Building Co. and Gilbane Building Co. – Construction manager.
- Mark G. Anderson Consultants, Inc. – Project manager, project controls and owner’s representative.
- CBRE Inc. – Real estate and economic development advisor
- Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP – Legal and economic development counsel.
- Hanson Bridgett LLP – Legal counsel.
- inSITE Advisory Group – Economic development advisor.
“The key partners we have selected are aligned with our vision of creating a next generation workplace that supports serving our customers at the highest level, retaining and attracting top talent, and igniting creativity, collaboration and industry-leading innovation,” Morikis said.
The company was awarded a broad package of development incentives from the state and its development arm, JobsOhio; the city of Cleveland; Brecksville; Cuyahoga County; and the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority.
Cleveland’s package amounted to about $100 million in grants and tax incentives. in exchange, Cleveland would retain more than 3,100 jobs with the potential for more. The city has said those jobs generate more than $8.7 million annually in income taxes.
And the incentives can increase if the company adds jobs to the downtown. The headquarters could yield a long-term gain in jobs for Cleveland, despite the company’s decision to move its main research facility and just over 300 jobs to Brecksville.
Sherwin-Williams said Tuesday it estimates it will add 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 include professional staff, engineers and chemists.