The Sherwin-Williams Co. is sure to attract suitors from across the country as it looks for one or more locations for a new global headquarters and a new research and development center. BLS & Co.'s Michelle Comerford was interviewed by Jordyn Grzelewski at The Plain Dealer on this news.

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“The main drivers for a headquarters, and especially with what Sherwin-Williams is talking about … is all about talent,” said Michelle Comerford, who is based locally and serves as project director at New Jersey-based site selection firm Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. “They’re wanting to know, ‘Where is the best place for us to attract and retain the type of workers that we need?’ And that equation is very complex.”

Companies look at multiple factors that determine where prospective employees want to live, such as cost of living and quality of life.

In terms of workforce needs, experts said Northeast Ohio may have an advantage: Sherwin-Williams already has a large pool of employees here. There are about 3,000 employees at the downtown headquarters, about 320 at the nearby R&D facility, and a total of about 4,400 in Northeast Ohio as a whole. Statewide, Sherwin-Williams employs about 6,000 people...

The company will have to consider the cost of building new facilities, and what it would do with its existing space if it moves, experts said.

“It’s a very sensitive thing for most companies, and on all levels,” Comerford said. “On PR, on their current employee base, it’s a very challenging aspect of truly relocating a headquarters, and not ideal. And there’s a cost to it. To relocate a headquarters, there is a cost.”

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