PPG recently marked the 135th anniversary of its founding with Michael H. McGarry, PPG chairman and chief executive officer, and members of the company’s leadership team ringing the bell to signal the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange.
Click here to view a video of the ceremony.
“Ringing the NYSE closing bell puts an exclamation point on our 135th anniversary,” McGarry said. “This is a milestone that few manufacturing companies reach. From its humble beginnings, PPG has endured, grown, evolved and transformed time and again.
“We’ve led technological change and have become a global leader through the strength of our products, manufacturing capabilities, sustainability, innovation, community engagement, and a dedicated, world-class workforce. We’re poised to lead, succeed, and protect and beautify the world for the next 135 years.”
PPG was founded in 1883 as Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company and listed on the NYSE on Dec. 17, 1945. Over its 135-year history, the company strategically transformed from a plate glass manufacturer based in Pittsburgh to a leading paint, coatings and specialty materials manufacturer, with more than 47,000 employees and 160 manufacturing facilities in 70-plus countries. PPG has paid uninterrupted annual dividends since 1899 and has raised its annual dividend payout for 46 consecutive years.
Over the company’s history, it has introduced “revolutionary” innovations that allow customers to be more efficient, effective and sustainable. These include the automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) electrocoat painting process, aerospace coatings that use eggplant-like technology to keep passenger cabins cool, OLYMPIC SmartGuard wood stain in a pouch, and SIGMA Air Pure paint that protects indoor air quality, to name a few.
Today, the company is known around the world for its consumer paint brands, including PPG paint, GLIDDEN, COMEX, RENNER, MASTER’S MARK, JOHNSTONE’S, LEYLAND Trade, Sigma and SEIGNEURIE paints.
PPG’s operations go beyond product innovation to extend to communities. PPG and the PPG Foundation collaborate and engage with employees, community partners and other stakeholders to make their vision of bringing color and brightness to communities a reality. Since its inception in 1951, the PPG Foundation has provided tens of millions of dollars to communities globally.
In addition, the COLORFUL COMMUNITIES program, PPG’s signature initiative for supporting communities, aims to protect and beautify the neighborhoods where the company operates around the world. Through the program, PPG’s committed volunteers contribute their time and PPG provides paint products to help transform community assets – from painting classrooms to bringing color to a maternity ward and redesigning a playground. Since 2015, PPG has completed more than 150 Colorful Communities projects, impacting more than 4.5 million people in 25 countries.
The company’s position as a manufacturing leader, employer and community partner has been recognized by a number of organizations, including Fortune, Forbes, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and more.