Columbia Paints & Coatings manufacturing plant in Helena closing

January 24, 2008

Ten jobs and a significant slice of Helena’s industrial history will disappear in March with the closing of the Columbia Paints & Coatings manufacturing plant on Dodge Avenue.

Founded in Helena in 1947, Columbia Paints was bought late last summer by Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams, which announced earlier this month that the local plant will be shuttered.

The local plant manufactures white and light tinted water- and latex-based paints for both interior and exterior use. Conway declined to say how much paint is produced locally, but it represents about a quarter of Columbia’s total output, and sales for the firm surpassed $30 million a year a decade ago.

By: JOHN HARRINGTON - Independent Record

Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2008/01/24/top/top/50lo_080124_paint.txt