Ellis Paint

About

Ellis Paint Co. was founded in 1887 by the Ellis family in Montana. After moving to Long Beach, Calif., in the early 1930s, its products were targeted at the industrial market. The company grew alongside the expansion of the Southern California market by serving customers like Southern California Edison, the City of Long Beach and McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). The company was run by the Ellis family and descendants until its purchase by Robert 0. Berg in 1969. Berg, who owns Berg Lacquer Co. (of which Ellis is a part), acquired Pacific Coast Lacquer (PCL), a solvent distribution company, in 1964. Berg combined Ellis and PCL in 1976 when he purchased a West Coast Sherwin Williams plant at 3150 E. Pico Boulevard, which is now the headquarters of Ellis Paint. In the early '80s, Berg tackled the situation of solvent waste generated by his customers with the inception of Ellis/PCL. In 1991, the waste-management activities were spun off into a new company, Pacific Resource Recovery Services.