As NewsChannel 34's Peter Quinn shows us, Golden Artist Colors is helping artists internationally create paintings.
It all started in 1980. Back then, Golden Artist Colors' main mission was to make paints for artists in New York City. Fast forward 30-plus years - Golden Artist now sells its products in 19 countries, including throughout Asia, Europe and Canada. It's also making headway into South America. Company President Barbara Schindler on what makes Golden Artist paint so great.
Barbara Schindler says, "our paint, whether you bought a tube ten years ago or yesterday and it was anter blue, it will be the same color tube after tube. It has to be because it's for artists."
Acrylic and oil paints are created here. Some of those are custom orders.
Barbara Schindler says, "We have a lab with 14 people here at this location. Artists can call up and say we would love to be able to do this with your product, can you make me a...? Our chemists will work on that and if it's one quart made for a specific artist we'll do that."
Golden Artist is an employee owned company. Chief Financial Officer Jim Henderson says workers in this small, rural community, want the company to succeed.
Jim Henderson "They're really part of this thing that grows, part of this beautiful magic that happens in this company where we just seem to make great products every single day. It shows in the product the quality and the care that they take every single day to make an acrylic product that is tops in the world."
All that hard work has meant Golden Artist needs more space.
Barbara says, "we're at a point where we're interested in developing a new product line that we'd like to bring to the market in 2014 and I'm out of space in order to that. So, we're looking at moving our warehousing part of our business to Norwich and expand manufacturing here."
That Hale Street warehouse will have 40,000 square feet. It's expected to be put to use in September.
Golden Artist employs 160 people.
