Business

A bright future ahead for Brooklyn paint plant

When archrival Blick bought Utrecht Art Supplies last year from Topspin Partners, workers at the Brooklyn factory feared another tight-fisted owner.

Instead, Blick is pouring green into the 20,000 square-foot Sunset Park facility where the paint brand beloved by art students and pros alike has operated for more than 60 years.

Blick is spending $1 million upgrading the factory’s technology, and adding employee benefits, including bonuses and a lunchroom.

Many changes are already in place, from small perks like K-cup coffee for the staff, to new rollers on all the milling machines.

“They were a competitor, and I didn’t look favorably on them,” admits Robert Markus, director of manufacturing.

That changed when he and his staff realized Blick was willing to pay for badly needed repairs without delay.

“I was never told ‘no’ in the first 12 months for anything I wanted to fix,” said Markus, proudly showing off a new machine brought in by Blick.

Amid the ear-splitting racket of machines, workers mixed Yellow Ochre paint on a recent weekday morning.

The color is a top seller for Utrecht, whose retail distribution has more than doubled to 70 Utrecht and Blick stores, plus Web and catalog sales, since the acquisition.

Although terms were not disclosed, Blick CEO Bob Buchsbaum says the Galesburg, Ill.-based firm used only senior debt to finance the acquisition.

Utrecht has hired six factory employees, for a total of 20, and plans call for at least three more factory jobs to be added as production doubles to 1.5 million units a year.

Stephen Lebowitz, managing director of Topspin, said the private equity fund invested $500,000 in the factory from 2007-2013, but focused mainly on growing retail sales.

The new Utrecht is even attracting artists to the mix. Three months ago, abstract painter Timm Mettler traded a Utrecht retail job for days spent mixing paint. “I wanted to gain knowledge during the day that feeds into my leisure activities,” Mettler told The Post.