Benjamin Moore & Co., also known as Benjamin Moore, is an American manufacturer of paints, stains, and other architectural coatings. The company was founded in 1883 in New York, N.Y. and is currently headquartered in Montvale, N.J. Benjamin Moore has major manufacturing and distribution operations throughout the United States and Canada, with global sales in more than 75 other countries. Benjamin Moore products are sold through independently owned retailers, including specialized paint-and-decorating centers, hardware stores, and retailers' cooperatives such as

Ace Hardware Ace Hardware Corporation is an American hardware retailers' cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. It is the largest non-grocery retail cooperative in the United States. Founded on October 25, 1924, as "Ace Stores", the co ...

Do it Best Do it Best Corp., formerly known as Hardware Wholesalers, Inc. (HWI), is a member-owned hardware, lumber, and building materials cooperative based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Do it Best Corp. is the second-largest co-op in the industry with over $6 ...

, and

True Value The True Value Company is an American wholesaler and Hardware store brand. The corporate headquarters are located in Chicago. Historically True Value was a cooperative owned by retailers, but in 2018 it was purchased by ACON Investments. In Oc ...

. The company founder, Benjamin Moore, was born in

Ballybay Ballybay () is a town and civil parish in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town is centred on the crossroads of the R183 and R162 roads. Geography The town is the meeting point for roads going to Monaghan, Castleblayney, Carrickmacross and ...

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...

, Ireland, in 1855. In 1872, Moore immigrated to the United States and settled in New York, N.Y. After working in the paint industry, Benjamin and his brother, William, founded Moore Brothers in 1883 with an initial investment of approximately $2,000. The company set up operations in a warehouse on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and sold "Moore's Prepared Calsom Finish." Soon after, William left, and another brother, Robert Moore, joined. The company was incorporated as Benjamin Moore in 1889. Benjamin Moore & Co., Limited was established in Canada in 1906. In 1917, Benjamin Moore stepped down at 62 and named his nephew, L.P. Moore, as his successor. In 2000, Benjamin Moore was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway.

Accusations of racism

In June 2014 a

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

former employee, Clinton Tucker, sued the company in New Jersey for discrimination, alleging that he was fired because he had complained multiple times about the names of two shades of brown. The colors are named "Tucker Chocolate", which Benjamin Moore's website claims is named after "the 1798 color requested by St. George Tucker for his home," and "Clinton Brown". The case was later

dismissed with prejudice ''Prejudice'' is a legal term with different meanings, which depend on whether it is used in criminal, civil, or common law. In legal context, ''prejudice'' differs from the more common use of the word and so the term has specific technical mea ...

. Artist Sonya Clark has used a shade of Benjamin Moore's red paint formerly known as "

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Red" as a lasting symbol of

American racism Racism has been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices, and actions (including violence) against Race (human categorization), racial or ethnic groups throughout the history of the United States. Since the early Colonial history of the Uni ...

in her exhibitions centered on legacy of symbols and power of propaganda since 2019. The color, which is also mentioned in Clinton Tucker's lawsuit, has been renamed to "Patriot Red" in 2015.

Awards

*2020 Awarded Best in Customer Satisfaction among Interior Paints by J.D. Power: #1 in Durability, #1 in Application, #1 in Offerings.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. 2. NorthJersey.com. “Benjamin Moore's R&D facility benefits from New Jersey's four seasons.” (December, 2018). 3. Azure Magazine. “Benjamin Moore’s Gennex Paints Pair Vivid Hues With Unparalleled Durability.” (July 2020).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin Moore and Co. Berkshire Hathaway Paint and coatings companies of the United States Retail companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in New Jersey Companies based in Bergen County, New Jersey Montvale, New Jersey American companies established in 1883 Chemical companies established in 1883 Retail companies established in 1883 2000 mergers and acquisitions 1883 establishments in New Jersey