Dunn-Edwards Announces Retirement of CEO Karl Altergott, Names Successor

Los Angeles, CA – (November 22, 2024) – Dunn-Edwards Corporation announced today the retirement of Karl Altergott from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer in February of 2025 after 16 years of dedicated and significant contributions across the brand. The Dunn-Edwards Board of Directors and the Co-Presidents of Nippon Paint also announced that Chief Operating Officer Monte Lewis has been promoted to CEO, effective March 1, 2025.

Karl Altergott joined Dunn-Edwards in 2009 and has continued to be a dedicated and decisive leader, and the company has made many significant advancements throughout his tenure. Under Altergott’s leadership, Dunn-Edwards established a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, completed a new corporate headquarters, expanded 75 new store locations, invested in multiple IT and product development platforms, sold/transitioned Dunn-Edwards as a family-run business to Nippon Paint, and built a competent leadership team. He plans to continue his service and devote part of his time to Nippon Paint as an Executive Advisor in support of organizations globally.

“Serving as the CEO of Dunn-Edwards has been one of my greatest privileges as the company and the coatings industry is full of great people and customers,” said Karl Altergott, outgoing President and CEO of Dunn-Edwards. “Dunn-Edwards is in great hands with Monte Lewis, and I look forward to watching the brand’s continued growth.”

Alongside the news of Altergott’s retirement, Dunn-Edwards is excited to announce the appointment of Monte Lewis as incoming CEO of Dunn-Edwards. Having spent nearly 16 years leading the company’s sales organization and exemplifying proven growth and excellence, Lewis was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in February 2024. The Dunn-Edwards Board of Directors and Co-Presidents of Nippon Paint have expressed their complete confidence in Lewis’ ability to help Dunn-Edwards grow its architectural footprint further in the United States.

In other leadership news, Dunn-Edwards is honored to announce the promotion of Nick Hess to Executive Vice President. Hess has led the Dunn-Edwards Stores team for more than two decades and has helped the brand grow in the markets it serves. In this role, he will continue to be a powerful voice on the Executive team and work alongside incoming CEO Monte Lewis.

“I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead Dunn-Edwards, a company deeply committed to serving our customers, communities, and industry,” said Monte Lewis, incoming CEO of Dunn-Edwards. “I am fortunate to begin this journey on the solid foundation that Karl and his team built over the past 16 years. Looking ahead, we will continue to strengthen our presence in our core markets while expanding into new geographic and product segments, ensuring a thriving future for Dunn-Edwards and the customers we serve.”

This news comes at an exciting time for the legacy paint manufacturer as it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2025. To learn more about the long-standing legacy of Dunn-Edwards and its vision for the future, visit www.dunnedwards.com.

About Dunn-Edwards Corporation

Dunn-Edwards – Apply a Higher Standard. Dunn-Edwards is one of the nation's leading manufacturers and distributors of premium architectural, industrial, and high-performance paints, coatings, and paint supplies. It operates over 170 company stores in California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas, and over 100 domestic and 250 international dealer locations in 12 countries. Dunn-Edwards is dedicated to preserving and protecting the environment and produces its coatings in a LEED ® Gold-certified manufacturing plant. Based in Southern California, the almost 100-year-old company has approximately 1,700 employees. Dunn-Edwards is a wholly owned subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Nippon Paint Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO 4612), one of the world's largest paint companies. For more information, visit www.dunnedwards.com.

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