AkzoNobel’s donation marks 130 years here

AkzoNobel is celebrating 130 years of operations in Columbus by giving back to the Linden community.

The Dutch paint and coatings company donated a $10,000 Community Program grant to St. Stephen’s Community House on Monday at its manufacturing site at 1313 Windsor Ave. in the Linden neighborhood.

Marilyn Mehaffie, CEO of St. Stephen’s Community House, said, “With this generous gift, we will be able to continue our mission of strengthening families and empowering our community by providing families in the Linden community who are struggle with food insecurity the opportunity to receive food of their choice with respect and dignity.”

St. Stephen’s, founded in 1919, is a nonprofit organization that serves the Linden area.

AkzoNobel’s Columbus location moved from a six-story building Downtown to Linden in 1954.

Mehaffie said of the gift: “We’ll be able to feed an additional 4,000 families with this money and be able to purchase really nutritious foods that they need for their family.”

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said AkzoNobel can play a special role in the One Linden community plan, which he announced last week at St. Stephen’s. The plan focuses on 10 “Big Ideas” that include improving housing, getting Linden residents jobs, supporting education, building businesses and reducing crime. The city of Columbus has been working on the plan for 18 months.

“Our hope is that this company and all its great employees will continue to work with us and bring that One Linden plan to fruition,” Ginther said.

AkzoNobel — founded in 1792 and headquartered in the Netherlands — produces specialty chemicals, paints and coatings to clients throughout the world. AkzoNobel CEO Thierry Vanlancker said this is a special moment for his company and the Columbus site.

“We talk about sustainability in the company, and that’s mostly around environment, but it’s also about being able to sustain a business over time,” he said.

Nate Norris, AkzoNobel’s Columbus site manager, attributes the company’s success in the city to a partnership with Columbus.

“I’d like to say we’ve grown with the city,” he said.