Valspar

Article summary

The Valspar Corporation is an American manufacturer of paint and coatings based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With over 11,000 employees in 26 countries and a company history that spans two centuries, it was the sixth largest paint and coating corporation in the world. Valspar was founded in 1806 as a paint dealership in Boston, Massachusetts. The Valspar name emerged in 1903 as the name of a clear varnish and became the company name in 1932. On March 20, 2016, Sherwin-Williams announced its intention to pay $9.3 billion to acquire Valspar. The acquisition finalized on June 1, 2017.

Key claims

1. date of foundation: 1806 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. employees: 11,000 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of foundation is "1806". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the employees is "11,000 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370672798