BELTSVILLE, MD - Duron Inc., Beltsville, MD, and Professional Paint Inc., a group of paint-manufacturing businesses headquartered in Denver, announced the launch of a marketing alliance to sell paint, wallcoverings and sundries to major national accounts.

The marketing deal, called Duron ProPaint Alliance, involves five regional paint companies in the United States and Canada with combined annual sales of more than $700 million and distribution through more than 800 company-owned stores and dealers.

Professional Paint will represent the western half of the alliance, and Duron, which operates two manufacturing plants in the eastern United States, will provide representation in the East.

Pete Pittroff, Duron senior vice president of Sales, said the alliance "brings together two corporations dedicated to serving the needs of the professional painting contractor. Because we share the same corporate philosophy of quality and service, there was a natural fit." Professional Paint President and CEO Kent Child said the alliance "provides national-account customers with the advantage of paints formulated for regional climates along with the efficiency and convenience of over 500 locations."

Duron Inc. sells paint and wallcoverings through more than 235 company-owned stores and 160 distributors located east of the Mississippi River. The company operates manufacturing plants in Beltsville, MD, and Atlanta.

Professional Paint Inc. operates five manufacturing plants and more than 250 outlets and sells paints in the western United States and western Canada.