CEO Christopher Connor

A call from a lawyer colleague alerted me to the fact that Judge Laureen D'Ambra is being considered as one of the nominees for a position on our Rhode Island Supreme Court was enough to increase my concern for the people of our fair state. How many stories are there about Judge Laureen D'Ambra and the damage she caused to Rhode Island Families while she was assigned to the domestic calendarin Washington County for two (2) years on the Domestic Calendar? I know of six (6) families victimized by Judge D'Ambra's actions in the course of her duties as a Rhode Island Associate family ... Read Full Story

Shares of Sherwin-Williams Co. dropped Tuesday after the paint maker said its same-store sales fell during the second quarter. Shares of the Cleveland-based company fell $3.27, or 5.6 percent, to $54.22 in mid-afternoon trading. Earlier in the day, Sherwin-Williams told investors that its quarterly profit dropped 7 percent as the economic downturn cut into its sales. The company reported earnings of $158 million, or $1.35 per share, in the second quarter of 2009 compared with $171.7 million, or $1.45 per share, in the second quarter of 2008. Revenue dropped by 12.6 percent to $1.95 billion from $2.23 billion a year earlier. While the results ... Read Full Story

Sherwin-Williams is recalling about 76,000 Purdy paint scrapers. The recalled scraper's body can break away from the handle when struck against a hard object. This poses a laceration hazard to users. The firm has received four reports of the scraper's body separating from the handle. There have been no reported injuries. The recalled scraper is a 2-inch wide steel tool with a four-sided edge. The handle has a soft black grip with 'Purdy' printed in red letters on the side of the handle. The scrapers were sold at Sherwin-Williams Paint stores, Duron Paint stores, MA Bruder Paint stores, United Paint Stores, Norfolk Paint Stores, ... Read Full Story

The state is making progress toward its goal of cleaning up as many as 600 housing units contaminated with toxic lead paint, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch said Monday. The $6.7 million project is funded by DuPont and targets homes and apartments in low-income neighborhoods. Lynch, who spoke outside a low-income home in Providence currently undergoing remediation, said he hopes to complete the work by 2012. "As long as there is one child harmed and one family adversely affected, the eradication of lead poisoning in our state remains one of our foremost responsibilities, and a top priority," Lynch said in a statement. DuPont ... Read Full Story

Some interesting notables from Sherwin William's (SHW) earnings call . CFO Sean Hennessy had some of the more interesting disclosures: * $220 million stock repurchased at an average cost of $53.69. * Debt Expense: Saul Ludwig – Keybanc: "I don’t understand why your interest expense, just gross interest expense that you write for the amount of debt and the rate that you pay was down in the first quarter when your debt had to be up $250 million." Sean Hennessy: "I think when you take a look at the interest rates we went out there with some of the liquidity instruments that we have ... Read Full Story