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Do it Best members question more than just their cooperative's relationship with Sherwin-Williams, they question the leadership of the man who negotiated the deal, CEO Dan Starr. Plus other questions members had for Mr. Starr, which I'm being nice enough to pass along. Much more to come on this topic, Do it Best members text me here: 914-584-5889

Do it Best and True Value continue to abandon their independent values while deepening their "partnership" with Sherwin-Williams. A move which has left the cooperative with hardware's worst paint offering, after Benjamin Moore terminated their relationship with Do it Best, costing the group more than $50,000,000 in revenue and all standing with paint consumers. This story is not going anywhere and bigger than you think.

The Beige Book is published 8x per year by the Federal Reserve, in advance of their Open Market Meeting, to best inform fiscal policy. The new one is out so I thought I'd run through it as addresses the issues on all our minds: the demand for coatings and inflation. Which are currently trending in opposite directions.

I keep it short, since you might be sick of me by now but the paint news won't stop and so I can't either. Updated earnings from Big Paint and the merger between Akzo and Axalta, which cleared several milestones recently. Plus the bad news about inflation and as always highlighting Heidi's b******t.

Bonus episode this week because there was so much paint news. Charges have been dropped against David Hearn, plus what we learned about the peeling from the government's motion to dismiss. Which confirmed my reporting that the pool was already peeling before Hearn ever got there, though the document never mentions me by name, adding plagiarism to the list of charges US Attorney Janine Pirro may now be facing. Plus a new tranche of information for anyone following our national paint shame. If you make it to the end I tell you what it all means, though you may not want to hear it.

I spent last week investigating the situation at the Reflecting Pool, which will continue to peel until they blast it all off, which should be what happens if the contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings knows what's good for them. Which they may not, considering how it's gone so far. Also, I received another tranche of documents from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, in response to a Right to Know request, leaving lots to update.

Benjamin Moore CEO Dan Calkins abruptly ended that company's relationship with Do it Best, after the hardware co-op contracted with Sherwin-Williams to manufacture True Value Paints. YES, they still exist! Catch this episode and I'll tell you why he did it. And why True Value Paint retailers should #BoycottSherwinWilliams and exactly how to do it.

Why guess what went wrong at the Reflecting Pool in Washington, when you can just listen to this episode and know.

Lawsuits filed over the last 60-days portend lengthy court battles for the world's largest paint maker, exposing Sherwin to the risk that a jury might not be as forgiving as Pennsylvania's DEP. And these cases are just the beginning, because more and bigger are coming.

Recorded May 27, 2026, listen in as Jeff and I discuss the rising price of paint, Diamond Vogel's retail divestiture and the role of the American Coatings Association

I cover them all in this quarterly summary

As word of what #sherwinwilliams is doing in Rochester begins to spread, people have lots of questions. In the next two episodes I'll share the most common ones, with answers for them all. Because when you know what #sherwinwilliamspaint is doing in Rochester, you'll be as pissed as I am. #boycottsherwinwilliams Current market cap: $74bil.

As word of what #sherwinwilliams is doing in Rochester begins to spread, people have lots of questions. In the next two episodes I'll share the most common ones, with answers for them all. Because when you know what #sherwinwilliamspaint is doing in Rochester, you'll be as pissed as I am.

LIVE April 29, 2026 by Mark Lipton

Mark and Kim: Wage Disparity and Slogging for Corporate by Mark Lipton