BW celebrates, strengthens ties with Fortune 500 employer Sherwin-Williams

Incredible internships and full-time job offers months before graduation?

Those are just two advantages that Baldwin Wallace University students enjoy with The Sherwin-Williams Company staying put as a Northeast Ohio neighbor.

BW currently has more than 275 graduates employed at the Cleveland headquarters of the global, Fortune 500 corporation, demonstrating longstanding, powerful ties with the coatings industry giant.

Talent pipeline

Through internships and job placements, BW Career Services works to fill a robust Sherwin-Williams talent pipeline that spans a variety of majors from chemistry and human resource management, to marketing and computer science.

Ian Walton '20, who is finishing up his final semester as a software engineering major, has already accepted an offer to join the Sherwin-Williams IT security department in May.

Walton, who is a member of BW's winning Cyber-Security team, said it feels good to have a job in hand four months prior to graduation.

"I'm excited to graduate and join the IT team at a respected global brand," Walton said. "It's nice to settle the question about next steps so early in the semester."

Two-way Street

Sherwin-Williams is also among the area companies that take advantage of custom training and consulting provided by BW's world-class professors through BW Professional Development.

Susan Kuznik, associate dean of graduate business programs in BW's School of Business, worked at Sherwin-Williams early in her career and now conducts some of that custom management training. She shared some of her memories of the company's rich history for an article in The Plain Dealer.

The business expertise flows both ways between BW and Sherwin-Williams and includes company officials acting as guest speakers and adjunct faculty in BW classrooms.

Win-win

"The overall relationship is a win-win," said Patrick Keebler, director of BW Career Services. "We work to foster synergies with as many area employers as we can, but the impact is magnified with a company as large and successful as Sherwin-Williams."

"BW is always looking for new ways to be relevant to the region's economic success," he adds. "That, in turn, helps our graduates succeed."