 In 1866 , Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams founded Sherwin @-@ Williams , a general building supplies company , in Cleveland . Their first factory was opened on the Cuyahoga River in 1873 , and today the company has four manufacturing and distribution facilities in Ohio , located in Columbus , Cincinnati , Grove City , and Bedford Heights , and numerous locations throughout the country and world , with their world headquarters maintained in Cleveland . The company employs 3 @,@ 394 residents alone just in the Cleveland @-@ area . 
