John G. (Jack) Breen is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Sherwin-Williams Company. He joined the company as President and Chief Executive Officer in January 1979. In April 1980 he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.

  When offered the job at Sherwin-Williams, Breen did not hesitate long in accepting. "It was a CEO’s job with a large, bigboard company, in a turnaround situation, with both industrial and consumer product lines. I felt if I could get this under my wing, it would represent a significant accomplishment."

  Mr. Breen completed his eighteenth year with The Sherwin-Williams Company this past January. During this time, the Company’s stock price has increased about 50 times and earnings per share have increased about 5,800 percent to $1.33 per share by 1996 year end. Sherwin-Williams is a much larger and stronger company today, operationally, financially, and managerially than it was in 1978.

  A native Clevelander, Mr. Breen received a degree in business administration from John Carroll University in 1956. He joined the ROTC program during his first year and was commissioned at John Carroll University in 1956. He served on active duty and active reserve for almost 10 years. Following completion of his active duty assignment, Mr. Breen started his working career at the Leaseway Corporation as a terminal office manager.

  He joined the Clevite Corporation as a trainee in 1957 and started night school at Case Western Reserve in 1961.

  As a market analyst for Clevite, Mr. Breen developed and implemented his plans to put the company into the emerging market for electrodeposited copper foil for printed circuits. Operations were expanded to U.K., Germany and Japan. The company still is the world leader in this field. Mr. Breen was 27 years of age when he was given this assignment.

  Gould acquired Clevite in 1969. Mr. Breen was named President and General Manager of the Foil Division in 1969, General Manager of the Engine Parts Division in 1973, Group Vice President of the Industrial Group in 1974, and Executive Vice President of Gould in 1977.

  "The determination to succeed and the will to win are the product of the right values," according to Mr. Breen. "These values are hard work, self-reliance, fairness and consistency, sacrifice and a sense of responsibility."

  In addition to his responsibilities at Sherwin-Williams, Breen is a Director of Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, National City Corporation and Mead Corporation. He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of John Carroll University, and on the Board of University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Musical Arts Association. In addition, he is on the visiting Committee of Case Western Reserve Medical School.

  Mr. Breen has been the recipient of a number of awards, including top honors from The Wall Street Transcript in the Building Materials Industry. Most recently (summer of 1996) he was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame sponsored by Cleveland Magazine’s Inside Business. This award is presented to individuals who not only have achieved business success, but who generously shared that success with the community.

  Mr. Breen enjoys skiing, fishing, hunting and golf. He and his wife, Mary, have five children.

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