Chris Connor

The CEO and chairman of The Sherwin-Williams Company will share his perspectives on business leadership and managing in difficult times when he speaks to an audience of students and faculty members March 26. His talk, “Surviving and Thriving in a Down Economy,” takes place in Hall Auditorium at 4 p.m. It is open to the public free of charge.

In his 25-year career with Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams, Connor has risen from director of advertising for its Paint Stores Group to the company’s top spot. Since 1999, he has led the global paint and coatings company to sales of approximately $8 billion. Sherwin-Williams retail network consists of more than 3,000 stores.

Through the past year’s major downturn in the housing industry, Conner has exercised rigorous cost controls and promoted sales in international markets to maintain the company’s level of profitability.

In 2008, Sherwin-Williams was listed among the nation’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For by Fortune magazine. The company’s workforce longevity was a major factor in its ranking.

Connor is a graduate of Ohio State University. His talk, presented by the Farmer School of Business, is part of the school’s Executive Speaker Series.

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