After five fiscal years in which Minneapolis-based Valspar returned an annualized 28.7 percent to shareholders, the firm lost business from Lowe’s in 2015 to competitor Sherwin-Williams. But CEO Gary Hendrickson was able to grow Valspar’s other product lines within the big-box retailer by putting 400 of his own employees in Lowe’s stores. To compound Hendrickson’s woes, the rising dollar cut into international sales. But business is looking up. The firm’s raw material costs are plunging, and Hendrickson says gross margins are set to expand.