In July 2021, Hound Paint was launched. This direct-to-consumer paint brand focuses on premium products that are sustainably manufactured and can be shipped right to the customer’s door. Niki Milanovic Lowry, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, has a history in the coatings and specialty chemicals industries, having worked at companies like Evonik, D.B. Becker, Alchemy Cloud and ChemCove Consulting. PCI recently spoke with Niki about her new company in a videocast. Below are some key takeaways from our discussion. To watch the full videocast, click here.

PCI: Why did you decide to start Hound Paint?

Lowry: I have had the opportunity to play many roles in the paint and coatings industry this past decade. I have come from lab, sales, marketing and starting my own product development lab, ChemCove Consulting. I love this industry, but I started to see the face of consumerism change, and the paint industry is historically hesitant to change. A few new brands are emerging in the direct-to-consumer market. With every industry moving online, I saw a really great opportunity to bring a new kind of paint company to the market, and then Hound Paint Co. was born. A paint company that puts people first and produces premium products without the premium price tag.

PCI: What is unique about your company?

Lowry: I think that there are a couple of things that are very unique about Hound. One being that we are bringing environmentally friendly products to market that actually stand up to the products of the past. A lot of the time, when you are formulating a greener product, there is going to be some drawback, and it is usually performance. Green chemistry has come a really long way in the past few years. I don’t know if this would be possible a few years ago but we are very excited to see where green chemistry can take us next.

We also connect with our customers on a deeper level by the power of social media. This is where the majority of our sales come from. The landscape of consumerism is changing, and we have to adapt. We want to connect with our customers, they share their photos with us of their paint projects, help us name paint colors, it’s very fun. They feel included in our journey.

Our name, Hound, comes from our love of animals. We believe in bringing a company to market that has a greater purpose than just the bottom line. A portion of all of our profits goes to helping animal shelters and rescue organizations all over the world.

PCI: What new products are you launching this year, and what can you tell us about them?

Lowry: We are launched an interior line in July 2021. It is 100% acrylic based, making it highly scrub resistant, scratch resistance and durable all around. It is built to last. We have a high pigment concentration (40-60%) that gives exceptional hiding power. And of course all of our products are low VOC and low odor. We have consolidated our color palette to 60 of the most popular colors.

Our exterior line is coming fall 2021. It is currently still in testing.

My focus at ChemCove was always “formulating for the future,” and that lives on with Hound Paint. I want to create products that can last and that are not harmful to our environment. It has always been a balancing act between performance and environmental friendliness, but not anymore.

PCI: Is sustainability an important focus for your company?

Lowry: Absolutely. It is at the forefront of our minds every day. Last year, 9.8 billion gallons of paint were sold, yet only 30% was water based and low VOC. Our products are all water based and low VOC, easy to use, high quality, and give a long-lasting finish.

In our manufacturing process, all of our water is cleaned, recycled and reused.

When it comes to our samples, we forego the plastic sample pots. Hound’s peel and stick samples are coated right here in our plant, can be removed and reused all over your home, and at the end of their life cycle, can be recycled. So we're not just making claims about sustainability, we're making changes.

For more information, click here.