LA-CO Industries, Inc is a fourth-generation, family owned and operated company based in Elk Grove Village, IL. The company sells the Markal Paintstik, and also has a product line that includes a variety of plumbing and speciality chemical products, and various marking products for industrial, welding, and livestock purposes, as well as niche products. The company markets products under four brands:
Contents
- History
- The Lester Aronberg Foundation and Scholarships
- Acquisitions
- International Presence and Expansion
- LA CO
- Markal
- ALL WEATHER
- Tempil
- References
LA-CO provides plumbing products for plumbing and HVAC professionals.
Markal offers both permanent and temporary marking products for industrial needs.
ALL-WEATHER provides marking products for the farm including Paintstik, sprays, and ear tag markers.
Tempil offers temperature indication technologies.
History
Dr. Lester Aronberg founded LA-CO Industries, Inc as the Lake Chemical Company in 1934. The Chicago based chemist built the company around the Stick-o-Paint. This was Dr. Aronberg’s solution to making industrial manufacturing marking neater and more efficient. This revolutionary product took paint and reformulated it into a handheld stick. The Stick-o-Paint would eventually evolve into the Markal B Paintstik and would lead to the expansion of the company.
By the 1940s, the Paintstik was being used in the World War II efforts, and LA-CO Industries, Inc was continuing to put out new products and product lines. Plumbing products and chemicals were now being produced under the brand LA-CO. The first product in this line was the Pipetite Stik, which put thread compound in stick form. During this time, on the Markal side, Dr. Aronberg created several more varieties of Paintstik for any niche market that asked. One of those markets spawned the final brand for LA-CO Industries, Inc. The ALL-WEATHER brand began in 1945 with the ALL-WEATHER Paintstik designed for livestock marking. This brand would later evolve into livestock spray paints and ear tag markers.
The company continued to grow and bring new products to the market in the plumbing and marking categories. In 1950, the company introduced LA-CO Regular Flux, which was the first water-soluble, all-weather flux. The company continued to put out new products and in 1971 LA-CO produced Slic-tite. This thread sealant revolutionized the plumbing industry by putting polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE in the sealant. This allowed the pipes to be easily screwed together.
As the LA-CO plumbing brand of the company grew, so did the Markal marking brand. In 1987, Markal went outside of the solid stick paint model and started producing a liquid paint marker called the Valve Action Paint Marker. This paint marker quickly became a top selling product, as it was very popular in the automobile industry, as well as several other industries.
In 1999, the plumbing brand introduced the heat barrier spray Cool Gel to help reduce fires while soldering and brazing. The company also worked to increase consumers' knowledge on Cool Gel by producing an educational video on the uses and importance of heat protection. The most recent product introduction was the 2008 release of the PRO-LINE HP which was designed as a quick drying alternative to the Valve Action Paint marker.
A number of things were happening outside the manufacturing plant and chemistry lab as well. In 1980, LA-CO Industries, Inc awarded the “Counterman’s Pledge” plaque to city countermen in the plumbing business to show continued support to the plumbing industry. As the company continued to grow and expand, they outgrew several buildings in downtown Chicago, and in 1994 left the city for their current home in Elk Grove Village, IL. In 2007, LA-CO Industries, Inc launched their biggest national promotion, Pick-up and Win. This promotion awarded the randomly selected buyers of LA-CO products with prizes and one grand prize winner walked away with a new Ford F-150 truck. More recently, LA-CO Industries, Inc celebrated a milestone, celebrating their 75th Anniversary in 2009. Also in 2009, the company became an international company with the acquisition of Intrama SAS in Blyes, France. The year 2010 started out strong for LA-CO Industries, Inc. as well. The company walked away with a 2010 AHR Expo Innovation Award for Cool Gel. On January 1, 2013, LA-CO Industries acquired Tempil, the foremost manufacturer of innovative and precise temperature indication technologies for the Welding, Supply Chain and Process Integrity, and Healthcare Sterilization markets.
The Lester Aronberg Foundation and Scholarships
Dr. Aronberg was more than a chemist. He was also a philanthropist to many Jewish organizations including The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem, Israel and the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, as well as the Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago. In the early 1970s the Lester Aronberg Foundation was established and through a donation to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1979, the Lester Aronberg Chair in Applied Chemistry was formed. In the 1980s the foundation established several scholarships in Aronberg's name: The Dr. Lester Aronberg Fund, the Dr Lester Aronberg Scholarship established in 1981, the Dr. Lester Aronberg Fund for Research in Human Immunology, the Lester Aronberg Memorial Student Aid Endowment Fund, and the Lester Aronberg Foundation Student Aid Endowment Fund for the Pearch Program.
Acquisitions
In November 2009 LA-CO Industries, Inc., acquired majority ownership of Intrama S.A.S. Based out of Blyes, France, Intrama is a leading industrial marking products manufacturer and distributor. The companies have built a cross distribution relationship over the past several years because of the ease at which the companies marking brands work together. This acquisition has also allowed LA-CO Industries to expand the overseas presence of the company and allowed them to utilize Intrama's overseas facility. LA-CO Industries plans to have the two companies completely merged in the next several years. In 2011, Intrama S.A.S officially became LA-CO Industries Europe SAS.
On January 1, 2013, LA-CO Industries acquired Tempil. Since 1938, Tempil has been a leader in advanced and accurate temperature indication technologies by developing innovative, customer-driven solutions for effective temperature measurement. LA-CO Industries is excited about the growth opportunities within the industrial and welding channels as well as the immediate access to the healthcare sterilization and process integrity industries. Tempil's product line includes temperature indicating sticks, electronic surface thermometers, infrared thermometers, medical sterilization inks, weldable primers, heat-absorbing coatings and compounds, and temperature indicating labels, strips, inks, and liquids.
International Presence and Expansion
Continued success over the years has led LA-CO Industries, Inc to expand their presence throughout the world. With distribution in Central and South America, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and Africa and totaling over 60 countries, LA-CO Industries is continually working to expand their reach to as many markets as possible. Through new market entry and new product development, LA-CO Industries is working to expand the company and increase opportunities for growth and development of the LA-CO, Markal, ALL-WEATHER, and Tempil brands. With the acquisition of Intrama S.A.S. in Blyes, France, LA-CO Industries gained access to overseas facilities. These facilities will help the company to grow their brands as world leaders.