KM Company History

Kelly-Moore Paints Company History

Kelly-Moore Paints is one of the largest employee-owned paint companies in the United States. With over 1,500 employees, major manufacturing facilities and approximately 163 retail stores in 8 states and new stores opening every month, we enjoy a reputation as leaders and innovators in the ever changing paint industry. The success of our company is based on our commitment to quality products and personalized service.

Our Mission
To be a service-oriented paint company that provides a broad selection of high quality paint and paint related products at fair prices to Painting Contractors, Commercial and Maintenance Accounts and Do-It-Yourself Consumers through strategically located neighborhood paint stores.

Our Founder
In 1946, William H. Kelly and William E. Moore recognized the unique needs of professional painting contractors for top-quality paint products and knowledgeable, efficient service at a fair price. This philosophy has allowed Kelly-Moore to grow from a single manufacturing facility and store in San Carlos, California, to one of the largest employee-owned paint company in the United States. Over 60 years later, Kelly-Moore is recognized throughout the paint industry as providing consistently great paints, while innovating to the needs of the market, truly "The Painter's Paint Store!"

Store Operations
Encompassing store staffing, floor merchandising, internal sales and inventory control, the Store Operations team plays a vital role in providing knowledgeable, efficient services to both the painting professional and the do-it-yourself homeowner.

The Store Operations department is further supported by Store Planning & Construction, Marketing & Advertising, Training and Sundry Purchasing. These multifaceted departments offer additional opportunities for growth and advancement within our company.

Sales Department
Kelly-Moore Sales Representatives are key employees in achieving excellent customer service – this is where the rubber meets the road. With such duties as assisting contractors with bid figures, product delivery when necessary, and solving substrate problems on jobs, our Sales Reps are more than just sales people. They write project specifications and submittals, find referral business for their accounts, and stay abreast with financial term options afforded to customers. The outside sales staff plays an integral part in helping our customers to become successful in their own businesses. This kind of extra service standards helps build a loyal customer for Kelly-Moore Paints, adding to our reputation within the coating industry as "The Painter's Paint Store."

Manufacturing & Distribution
With company-owned store locations, dealer partners and export partners to support, Kelly-Moore Paints has strategically located manufacturing facilities in key markets: San Carlos, California and Hurst, Texas, with a paint recycling plant in Sacramento, CA., and Regional Sales Offices throughout the distribution area. These state-of-the-art facilities manufacture nearly 20 million gallons of paint per year. Our reputation for quality products is unsurpassed in the industry because we manufacture and distribute all of our own paint, checking and re-checking the quality of each batch before it is shipped to a job. To support the manufacturing process, we have our own laboratories that not only ensure quality control but produce some of the most technologically advanced paint products available. We set the industry standard for new product development and quality control.

Finance Department
Several key support departments fall under the Finance umbrella; Accounting, Payroll, and Management Information Systems. The Corporate and Divisional Accounting offices handle such items as payment of store vendors, income taxes, vehicle licenses, payroll, property taxes, insurance and other centralized accounting issues. The Management Information Systems team has significantly changed and improved the way we run our business.

As a dealer or distributor of Kelly-Moore paint products and other brand related products, we would expect you to conduct your business practices with the same service and integrity as our stores. Exceed the expectations of your customers with great products and service – and make some money along the way!