FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cary Bowdich
(805) 756-5713
cbowdich@calpoly.edu
Ray Fernando
(805) 756-2395
rhfernan@calpoly.edu
Dunn-Edwards Corporation Contributes $600,000
to Cal Poly’s Western Coatings Technology Center
SAN LUIS OBISPO-Dunn-Edwards Corporation of Los Angeles and company
owner Ken Edwards have teamed up to contribute $600,000 to the College
of Science and Mathematics Western Coatings Technology Center (WCTC) at
Cal Poly.
The university will name the new Dunn-Edwards Coatings Formulation
Laboratory in honor of the donation. The laboratory will be located in
the WCTC. The university has so far raised more than $1 million toward
the campaign goal of $5 million to fund the center.
“Dunn-Edwards Corporation and Ken Edwards in particular are continuing
to provide leadership for this important research center,” said
College
of Science and Mathematics Dean Philip S. Bailey. “The WCTC is the
only
such center on the West Coast, and Cal Poly students, as well as the
coatings and polymers industry, will benefit greatly from the modern
research facilities.”
The Dunn-Edwards Coatings Formulation Laboratory will be named in
perpetuity, recognizing the leadership and generosity of both the
Dunn-Edwards Company and Ken Edwards, said Bailey. Edwards has been
involved with the coatings and polymers program in the university’s
Chemistry and Biochemistry Department for more than two decades and is
the current chair of the WCTC fund-raising campaign.
The WCTC will expand industry-sponsored research on campus, while
providing state-of-the-art facilities for students to learn and conduct
real-world research with faculty and industry mentors, according to
Bailey. Cal Poly currently offers an undergraduate degree program with
a
concentration in coatings science and polymers, as well as an
industry-focused master’s degree in the same area.
Edwards praised the program for its ability to enhance Cal Poly’s
efforts in research and development, thereby benefiting industry. “Two
associates and I visited Cal Poly in the mid-1980s and liked what we
saw. We were impressed by the quality of the students, the faculty and
the hands-on training,” he said. “Cal Poly is the only university
in the
West where students can receive such intensive education in coatings and
polymers.”
This is the second major gift from Dunn-Edwards to Cal Poly’s College
of
Science and Mathematics. In November 2002 the company contributed the
lead gift of $500,000 to create the first endowed professorship at the
university. More than 21 donors representing a broad spectrum of the
coatings and polymers industry added to the fund, bringing the group
gift total to $1 million. It created The Arthur C. Edwards Endowed Chair
for Coatings Technology and Ecology in honor of Ken Edward’s father,
the
co-founder of Dunn-Edwards. Professor Raymond Fernando was appointed to
the chair in 2002.
About Dunn-Edwards
Founded in 1925 and family-owned, the Dunn-Edwards Corporation is a
manufacturer and supplier of premium quality architectural coatings. In
2001, the company became the largest employee-owned paint manufacturer
in the United States. "The Dunn-Edwards Corporation has always focused
on making the best can of paint for professional painters,” Edwards
said.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional manufacturing facilities
in Arizona and New Mexico, it is one of the largest independent paint
companies in the Southwestern United States, with more than 1,500
workers and 78 stores.
“Dunn-Edwards prides itself on always providing the best products
to our
customers” said Denny Kromer, Dunn-Edwards’ senior vice president
and
chief financial officer. “We know that we can only accomplish this
with
the best paint chemistry, and that requires the quality of education
that we consistently find at Cal Poly. We are happy to assist in
providing resources which will facilitate Cal Poly’s continuing
success.”
For more information about the Dunn-Edwards Corporation, go to
www.dunnedwards.com.
About Cal Poly
Cal Poly is a nationally recognized leader in polytechnic education.
For
details about Cal Poly, go to www.calpoly.edu.
For more information on the Western Coatings Technology Center on the
Web, go to http://www.polymerscoatings.calpoly.edu/wctc/html.
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