Over 600 Employees Work Together at National Sales Meeting to Build and Assemble 700 Shop Supply Kits for Vocational Students Around the Country
Sherwin-Williams Teambuilding Helps Mold the Industry’s Future
CLEVELAND (March 9, 2026) — At the recent Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes National Sales Meeting, more than 600 team members participated in a teambuilding activity focused on assembling more than 700 shop supply kits for donation to aspiring vocational students and their schools around the country.
Thanks to products from associated product vendors, each assembled Sherwin-Williams shop supplies kit, worth more than $130 a piece, included over a dozen pieces of practical, real-world shop floor items, including personal protection equipment, shop tools and a special coupon good for future equipment or repair project needs at any Sherwin-Williams Automotive branch.
“This kind of industry-driven team building boosts employee engagement and collaboration while enhancing communication among our own teams,” Not to mention, it provides a significant sense of pride and personal achievement in knowing we’re helping the industry’s future talent, today. All these shop supply kits are destined for vocational schools to provide essential tools and supplies to students, helping bridge the gap between education and real professional practice.”
Vendors supplying items to the kit included 3M, SAS, Motor Guard and FASTLINE™ (Sherwin-Williams collection of professional-grade associated products). To help identify the recipients, Sherwin-Williams worked with CREF (Collision Repair Education Foundation), which also handled the shipping and distribution logistics.
“Our hats off to the professionals at CREF, who helped identify a vocational school in each of the regions that make up our North American sales force,” says Scott Walton, Marketing Director, Associated Products, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes.
Selected Automotive and Collision industry repair vocational schools receiving close to 100 kits apiece include:
· Ohio Technical College, Cleveland Ohio
· Medina County Career Center, Medina, Ohio
· Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Nashville, Tennessee
· Ivy Tech Community College, Fort Wayne, Indiana
· New York Automotive & Diesel Institute, Jamaica, New York
· Ogden High School, Ogden, Utah
· Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville Arkansas
· El Camino College, Torrance, California
“Supporting the next generation of collision repair professionals is one of the most meaningful investments we can make as an industry,” continues Walton. “By assembling and delivering 700 plus shop supply kits to vocational programs across the country, our team — and our incredibly generous vendor partners — are helping students start their careers with the tools and supplies they need to succeed. We are deeply grateful to each supplier who contributed to this initiative. Their commitment to giving back reflects the true spirit of our industry, and together we’re helping empower the future technicians who will keep it strong.”
For more information about the Sherwin-Williams Automotive line of associated products, click here.