Christopher Connor

Sherwin-Williams Company executive

Christopher Connor
Nationality	American
Citizenship	United States
Alma mater	Ohio State University
Occupation	Business executive
Employer	Sherwin-Williams Company

Christopher M. Connor is the executive chairman of the Sherwin-Williams Company, a Fortune 500 company in the general building materials industry. He joined the company in 1983, became the CEO in October 1999 and the chairman in April 2000, and was the president from July 2005 to October 2006. In 2009, he was one of the 200 highest-paid CEOs in the United States, receiving a salary of $1,268,986 and total compensation of $7,495,810.^[1]

Connor is on the board of directors of Sherwin-Williams, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the United Way Services of Greater Cleveland, the Playhouse Square Foundation, and Eaton Corporation; and is a member of the dean's advisory committee of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. He is also on the boards of the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Coatings Association; was on the board of directors of Diebold and National City Corporation; and was chairman of the boards of Walsh Jesuit High School, Keep America Beautiful, and University Hospitals Health System.^[2]

Born in Pensacola, Florida to a business-executive father and a stay-at-home mother, he grew up in Akron, Ohio, and graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School in 1974, and from Ohio State University in 1978, where he majored in sociology. After graduation, he worked at an advertising agency and at the Glidden paint company, then became an advertising director at Sherwin Williams. He said, "Joining Sherwin-Williams was the single best decision, other than asking my wife to marry me, that I've ever made, culminating in a 25-year career here." He has two sisters and is married with three children.^[3] When in September 2005 his high school launched a "For the Greater Glory of God" campaign to mark its 40th anniversary, he donated $1 million to the campaign and gave a speech at its celebration. He is a member of the general chairs of the campaign.^[4] A fourth generation Irish-American, he appeared on the Irish America list of 100 Irish-Americans.^[5]

References

Notes

^
Forbes.
- For 200, see 200 Highest-Paid U.S. CEOs: Christopher M. Connor Archived 2010-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, Equilar, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
^
"Dean's Advisory Council: Christopher M. Connor", Fisher College of Business, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
- For Diebold and National City Corporation, see Forbes.
- For Greater Cleveland Partnership, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, United Way Services of Greater Cleveland, and Playhouse Square Foundation, see "2010 Board of Directors" Archived 2011-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Greater Cleveland Partnership, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 9 November 2010.
- For his page at Eaton, see here, on 9 November 2010.
^
"Christopher M. Connor" Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Akron Roundtable, 15 November 2001, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
- For his parents and sisters, major, and early career, see Mrosko.
- For more about his high school, see "Testimonials", Walsh Jesuit High School, accessed 8 November 2010. by WebCite on 9 November 2010; "Frequently Asked Questions about the Jesuits" Archived 2010-12-21 at the Wayback Machine, Saint Peter's Preparatory School, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
^
"For the Greater Glory of God", Walsh Jesuit High School, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
- For general chairs, see "Campaign Leadership", Walsh Jesuit High School, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
^ "Business 100 Profiles" Archived 2011-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, Irish America, December 2007/January 2008, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 9 November 2010.

Sources

"Christopher M. Connor", Forbes, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
Mrosko, Terri. "History repeats itself: Sherwin-Williams' Christopher Connor takes lessons in leading the sixth-largest manufacturer in the state from those who came before him.", AllBusiness.com, 1 November 2007, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.

Further reading

Executive profile: Christopher M. Connor, Bloomberg Businessweek, accessed 9 November 2010. Archived by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
"Sherwin-Williams | Strategy and Financial highlights Information from ICIS", ICIS (Reed Infomedia India), accessed 9 November 2010. Archived by WebCite on 9 November 2010.
"Company Interview Excerpt: Christopher Connor – Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW)", The Wall Street Transcript, 24 April 2000, accessed 9 November 2010. by WebCite on 8 November 2010.
Shryock, Todd. "Master Innovator: Sherwin-Williams, True colors" (page 1) (page 2), Smart Business Cleveland, 1 September 2004, accessed 9 November 2010.
"The Sherwin-Williams Company", International Directory of Company Histories (2008), accessed 9 November 2010. Hosted by encyclopedia.com.
"Industry view: interview with Chris Connor, Chairman of American Coatings Association", JCT CoatingsTech (AllBusiness.com), 1 April 2010, accessed 9 November 2010. Archived by WebCite on 9 November 2010.