Reichhold's history of innovation began when founder Henry Reichhold emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1924 and found employment in the paint department of the Ford Motor Company. 

Ford's assembly line production of the Model-T was hampered by the long drying requirements of paint, lacquers and varnishes, taking anywhere from days to weeks, resulting in many production delays. Following a personal request from Henry Ford, Henry Reichhold customized a solution in a friend's garage using resins imported from his family's business in Europe.

These synthetic resins radically decreased drying times (from weeks to hours) while imparting better color and greater durability. These innovative resins enabled Ford Motor Company to dramatically increase the speed of its assembly lines and contributed directly to the introduction and mass production of automobiles in the United States and around the world.

This marked the beginning of a long history of innovation and commitment from Henry Reichhold who, in 1927, formed the business which is now Reichhold.

More than 90 years later, this same spirit of innovation is alive and can still be found in Reichhold’s portfolio of products, services, and delivery of customized solutions. 

In the intervening years, Reichhold expanded its business through internal development and acquisitions, becoming the world's largest global supplier of unsaturated polyester resins for composites and a leading supplier of coating resins for a wide variety of applications. 

In 1987, Reichhold was acquired by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals (DIC). 

In September 2005, Reichhold's Executive Team, led by President and CEO John S. Gaither, completed a management buyout of the company from DIC. As a privately held company, Reichhold focused its resources and technologies on its core markets: resins and other materials for composites, coatings and graphic arts.

The business was reorganized with new ownership in 2015 and continues with the leadership of Reichhold veterans with long term interest in the success of the business.