Earl Scheib Inc., ceased operations nationwide effective
July 16 and the corporation will no longer honor its customer
warranties. Each store is now independently owned and
operated by individual owners.
Earl Scheib was owned by Kelly Capital LLC, which acquired
the company in the second quarter of 2009 following
shareholder approval of a merger agreement. On February
18, 2009, Earl Scheib and Kelly Capital, a private equity
firm, announced the signing of the merger agreement.
Earl Scheib, founded in 1937, was a nationwide operator
of 85 automotive paint and collision repair shops
located in approximately 77 cities throughout the United
States. Through a wholly owned-subsidiary, Earl Scheib
manufactured paint-coating systems that were used by its
company-owned paint and collision repair shops. The paint
also was sold to original equipment manufacturers and used
by architectural construction firms.
Founded by Earl Scheib in Los Angeles in 1937, the
company grew quickly following World War II and by 1975
had company-owned location branches in Germany and
England. The company was known for inexpensive paint
jobs, one-day service and production line techniques.