Sheboygan Paint Company celebrated its 100th anniversary with a unique tribute. Here’s how it marked the occasion.

SHEBOYGAN -In August2021,Sheboygan Paint Company celebrated 100 years and four generations of business by burying a time capsule at the site of its Sheboygan location,1439 N. 25th St.

Items put inside the capsule were chosen by employees and other staff of the company to represent factors of the company and area that meant the most to them.

Employees wrote meaningful and confidential statements on pieces of paper for future employees to read. Photos of the company from the last 100years
and Sheboygan Paint Company memorabilia such as pens, watches and other merchandise were also included in the capsule.

“We are excited to have reached this accomplishment at Sheboygan Paint, and hopefully it will be around for another 100 years or more,” said Jay Brownrigg, product manager and a part of the fourth generation to run the company.

The ceremony had appearances from employees, members of the families, including Brownrigg and president of Sheboygan Paint Company, John Nelesen.

Just a few months after the Sheboygan celebration, the company hosted a similar event in Cedartown, Georgia. Its Cedartown location was opened in 1984, after its customer base began to expand into the Southeast.

It was important to the company to choose a location that was similar to the Wisconsin plant.

“Cedartown has been here a while also, and we were glad that we were able to open a plant down here,” said Brock Brownrigg, former president of Sheboygan Paint, in a Polk County article. “It’s because of the people that have been involved in the operations here that we’ve had some of our greatest successes.”

Items inside their time capsule included a full list of every Cedartown employee, a card signed by the current employees, memorable items from the pandemic such as a face mask and hand sanitizers, a sample of a new patent pending paint that the company proposed and a copy of a resolution passed by State Rep. Trey Kelly for the occasion.

Different members of the company made appearances at the ceremony, including former president and current chairman of the board Brock Brownrigg, members of the fifth generation of the Brownrigg family and CEO Peter Kirton.

“What’s going in here are mementos of how we’ve flourished and hope that the next generations will be celebrating 200 years and follow the same process,” Kirton said at the event.

In 1921, Sheboygan Paint Company was founded by the Brownrigg family to produce varnish for the wooden chair manufacturing industry. The company formulates and produces custom-made industrial finishing.

“The production process involves mixing, milling, tinting and filling techniques,” their website states.”Our quality control department ensures that every product receives the appropriate verification testing to ensure it meets the customers’ needs before it is shipped.”