Painting the (Mo)town

Alum and business owner is manufacturing paint and making waves in Detroit and environs.

Notre Dame alum Brian Eisbrenner (’99) was named one of Crain’s Detroit Business ”40 under 40” honorees in 2016. He is president of Motor City Paint-Shelby Paint and Decorating, with stores in Shelby Township, Grosse Pointe Woods and Rochester Hills. (Photo by Jacob Lewkow)

Notre Dame alum Brian Eisbrenner ('99), who is the president of Motor City Paint-Shelby Paint & Decorating, earlier this year finished up a rather novel process for naming paint, a typically daunting task given the literally millions of paint variations and names in the marketplace.

Eisbrenner conducted a contest in conjunction with the Detroit Historical Museum after he and his staff came up with 75 new colors based on a year-long study of many of the historical buildings, furniture, consumer products and cars that have helped define Detroit for many years.

"The contest was so awesome," said Eisbrenner, who took over the 40-plus-year-old company from his father in 2008. "We ultimately came up with 75 total authentic Detroit historical colors and 25 of them were named by the public."

He said it was interesting to hear all the different name ideas from people from all over the area.

Eisbrenner conducted a contest in conjunction with the Detroit Historical Museum to name 25 of his 75 new paint colors inspired by the city of Detroit.

"It's wonderful to see what Detroit means to other people and it was difficult to narrow down the names," he added. "It was tough, but we picked the names that best describe each color and its Detroit link."

Winning paint names chosen for Motor City Paint's new line include White Stripes, Corktown Celedon, Black Bottom Blue, Pale Pewabic and Belle Isle Blue, all coming from hundreds of entries sent in from around the state.

By Michigan, for Michigan

Eisbrenner has been going through a gradual rebranding of his company, which currently has stores in Shelby Township, Grosse Pointe Woods and Rochester Hills, and will eventually be doing business solely as Motor City Paint.

"We have begun to deemphasize Shelby Paint & Decorating on our signage," he said. "However, it has some real sentimental value to myself and customers who purchased paint from my father. But it will most likely be completely phased out over the next two years."

According to Eisbrenner, Motor City Paint, with projected sales this year of $1.5 million, is made by Michiganders and for Michiganders. He said that means they develop and test their paint like a Michigander would.

Eisbrenner took over the paint business from his father in 2008.

"We make sure that our paint won’t crack or peel during the infamous freeze-thaw cycles in the winter in this state," he said. "We make sure that it can power through the heat and humidity of the summer. No matter what Michigan’s climate throws at your home — rain, snow, sun or wind — Motor City Paint is rated #1 in washability and stain-blocking."

Raffle tickets and resiliency

Eisbrenner's operational and marketing acumen has not gone with out notice in southeast Michigan's business community. In 2016, he was named one of Crain's Detroit Business magazine's 40 under 40 awardee, an honor he shared with Brad Williams, vice president of the Detroit Regional Chamber, Marcus Collins, a senior vice president of Donor Advertising and Kellie Becker, a partner at Planet Moran.

But according to Eisbrenner, much of his success can be traced back to his time at Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods — and to raffle tickets.

"Notre Dame and the Marists helped grow my faith and lay a strong moral foundation," he said. "That has helped guide me through some tough decisions. Believe it or not, selling raffle tickets at ND to get days off was probably one of the best lessons in business. It taught me to be resilient and work hard."

Classroom time at NDHS also played an outsized role in Eisbrenner's life.

"While I was at Notre Dame, I was fortunate enough to have had Conrad Vachon as an English teacher for two years," he said. "He was one of a kind. He kept pushing me to be a better creative writer. In many ways, I now use the creative writing skills that he taught me in marketing my company."

He also recalls some of the extracurriculars that kept him and his fellow Class of 1999 alums busy outside the classroom.

"Many of my classmates and I went with Fr. Kiselica on a great trip to Germany at the end of my senior year," he recalled. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I am very thankful for. Not only did Fr. K. have a fantastic itinerary planned, but it was great bonding with friends. He must have been a saint to take twenty 18-year-olds halfway around the world."

The late Fr. John Bryson, s.m., also figured in Eisbrenner's NDHS experience.

"Everyday in the cafeteria, Fr. Bryson would play Frank Sinatra's 'Strangers in the Night' and 'Summer Wind' during lunch," he said. "Hearing those songs today brings back a flood of memories of Bryson — as well as him selling slushies 25¢ each or two for a quarter."

East-sider

Getting into Notre Dame in the first place and paying tuition also provided Eisbrenner some hard lessons on hard work. He grew up in Saint Clair Shores, moved to Shelby Township and attended public schools through 8th grade.

"My father had played hockey for Detroit Austin High School [closed in 1978] and I wanted to follow in his footsteps and play hockey for Notre Dame," he said. "My father told me he would only pay half of the tuition and I had to pay the other half myself. So in order to do that, I had to work at the paint store in the summers to save for my future at Notre Dame. I worked hard and saved money before my freshman year, but I think my dad only wanted to make sure I was really committed because he never accepted my money. I actually didn't end up playing hockey at Notre Dame, but I am proud to have played lacrosse there."

Eisbrenner now lives in Grosse Pointe Woods with his wife, Joanna, who graduated from Regina High School, and their two boys, Connor, 6, and Henry, 3. They're parishioners at St. Joan of Arc in Saint Clair Shores and like many east-siders, it's hard for them not to run into fellow Notre Dame alums.

"We had a very small class at Notre Dame; I think there were 89 kids, but they were a great group of guys and many have become lifelong friends," he said. "A group of us still get together every year around Christmas. It is especially fun because it is a chance to see some of the guys that I don't normally see. Some people even fly in from out of town. It is truly amazing that it has been almost 20 years and we still keep in touch. Living and working on the east side, I am constantly running into Notre Dame graduates. I frequently see them while at work and at various business functions. It's an instant icebreaker when you meet a fellow Notre Dame grad. There's a common bond that keeps us together and that sometime opens many other doors."

And to reinforce the fact that Eisbrenner retains that Notre Dame and Marist mission to help those less fortunate, Motor City Paint has pledged to donate 10 percent of its profit from paint sales to charity, a commitment the company began in 2017.