Since 1907 we've been bringing your inspiration to life in your home, thanks to our Benjamin Moore paint and interior design products & services. When in 1907 Jacob Christian Licht opened his first paint store in Chicago at 3150 West Twelfth Street, he simply thought of himself as a business person ready to give his first customers what they wanted: “top quality painting products and superb service.” Since its inception, the business started by Jacob Licht has flourished and grown to a group of 48 stores in the Chicagoland area.
JC Licht was purchased by Benjamin Moore & Company in 2000 as a company-owned store. The vision at J.C. Licht Co. was to have the “best paint and decorating stores in the communities in which we are located,” offering best-in-class products and best-in-class customer service. The company achieved this vision by consistently providing customers with a shopping experience that surpassed their expectations. That meant offering premium Benjamin Moore branded products that met every customer need at fair prices, and having clean, well-organized stores in convenient locations.
Epco Paint & Decorating was started in 1936 in Evanston by Marc Puls' grandfather, Elmer H. Puls. When he was about seven years old, Mark started working at the business, stocking and sweeping. Marc finished college in 1982 and came to work immediately after graduation. Married in 1983 to his wife Nancy, Marc pulled her into Epco from the banking business, where she had been a loan officer. Marc and Nancy worked in the business until April 1st, 2009, when they sold to Benjamin Moore. They had 17 stores at the time of the sale.
Benjamin Moore & Company sold JC Licht to Elliot Greenberg in 2015. For Elliot, it's a matter of pride that he can't get the paint off his hands. He worked in his family's paint business for 17 years, starting the day after he graduated from Colgate in 1979, when he singlehandedly unloaded two truckloads of Benjamin Moore paint. In 1994, he moved to Ring's End in order to develop their paint business; by 2006, he was the company's VP of operations. Acquiring JC Licht is the realization of a life-long dream.
Elliot's passion is to give unparalleled service to JC Licht customers. The company's mission is to offer the finest paint and paint-related products, along with advice at the highest levels, to create an unmatched shopping experience within the industry. The daily focus is to fulfill each order with utmost speed and efficiency while engaging customers about how best to meet their needs, to solve their paint and decorating-related problems, and to make every job a success. His vision for the future includes strengthening the can-do, service-oriented company culture, reinvesting in the business and its employees, and expanding products and locations.