BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Bedford Heights will soon say goodbye to their Sherwin Williams Facility, which has been a long time staple in the community.
“We’ve had a good relationship with them in the past, as I said they’ve been a good corporate citizen,” said Mayor Fletcher Berger of Bedford Heights.
Yet, it’s a shocking surprise to Berger, who first heard about the news from News 5.
"Did you know about Sherwin Williams plant closure in Bedford Heights before we sat down at this table?" we asked.
“I actually did not know anything about their plan to close their facility in Bedford Heights,” said Berger.
When we read the statement from the company, Berger said it was the first official notice he has received.
“I have not communicated with the local people in the area that I normally communicate with, and it sounds like that information is certainly at a higher level,” said Berger.
According to the release, Sherwin Williams has been contemplating this decision for the last 12 months, pointing to reduced volume and capacity utilization as their reason for discontinuing operations by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
“Sherwin Williams is a big operation that’s got a lot of things going on in other parts of the county, and so maybe this is just a part of their consolidation,” said Berger.
It further says remaining specialty products will transfer to other Sherwin-Williams facilities, adding this is not a reflection on the performance of the plant’s employees.
“I’m sure Sherwin Williams is a quality corporation, and they will certainly treat their employees right,” said Berger.
Still, Berger says he is sad to see the company leave their community.
“We are not happy about it because...everybody’s valued, and we want to retain everyone that we have,” said Berger.
While the company’s closure won’t have any impact on this year’s budget, Berger says going forward, it’s a different story, as Sherwin Williams contributes $100,000 a year in taxes to Bedford Heights.
But the mayor hopes to bring three to four new operations into the city by next year.
In the meantime, Berger says he will do more research to understand what’s going on and to get a better timeline of events.
We also reached out local United Steelworkers Spokesman, and at this time he says he cannot comment due to negotiations.
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