Introduction: My name is Patrick O’Brien. I am a market manager with Sherwin Williams Paint Company. I started with Sherwin Williams in January of 1999. I have held various positions within the last 9 years.

Initial Interest: I began my career as an MTP (Management Training Program). I attended a job fair and was very interested in the entrepreneurial aspect that went along with the job.

Schooling: I received a bachelor degree in business management and a minor in economics from Eastern Illinois University. My position of market manager with Sherwin Williams prefers a college degree or similar experience elsewhere. We have current market managers that began as part-time employees and are now running their own store.

All of the stores are company owned. As a market manager, we run the stores as though it was our own. The more the store benefits, the more we as managers benefit financially.

Training: This is provided by the company through the MTP Program (Management Training Program). Initially this a 4-6 week course when you start. As you grow within the company there are 1-2 weeklong trainings at our corporate headquarters in Cleveland.

Salary Info.: With this job it is both sales and management. Your salary is uncapped. By that I mean, the more the store sells the more you can earn. Our company provides a very competitive rate.

Typical Day: One of the best things of my job is that no two days are ever the same. At times you might be taking orders from customers. Then you might have a couple of sales calls to go on, or unload stock from a truck. Color matching, helping my D.I.Y. choose a particular product, or attending job fairs with the District Manager to find new employees are the tasks that I perform. I work anywhere from 8-12 hours a day. We work with an outside sales rep to try and grow our business. We sell to both homeowners and contractors. The market manager is responsible for the growth of the store and territory.

Closing: Working in the paint industry has been very rewarding for my family and myself, which consists of my wife, Jennifer and my three children. The opportunity for growth at Sherwin Williams is endless.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I can be reached at sw3262@sherwinc.om or by phone at (815) 254-3272.

Plainfield Community Consolidated School District #202

Plainfield North High School