BioLab, maker of NC Brands water treatment products like Natural Chemistry, SeaKlear, Coral Seas and Pro Series, is pleased to announce it has hired RJ Wetzel as director of sales for its NC Brands business. He will replace Jay Bertschy, an NC Brands veteran, who will retire in April 2023 after an incredible career with…
With all the COVID-19-induced supply chain stress over the last few years, few products were affected as greatly as chlorine. You may think you know the story of how we ended up with steep price increases and a historic shortage, but this series of unfortunate events includes far more than a fire, followed by a…
BioLab celebrated the rebuild of its new trichlor production facility in Westlake, Louisiana, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 2. The company, which is a subsidiary of KIK Consumer Products, was forced to close its original facility after it was damaged during Hurricane Laura in 2020. The reconstruction cost the company more than $250 million….
After several months of assessing, removing and attempting to salvage structures, and some intensive planning to optimize future operations, the BioLab team started the reconstruction of its Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant. KIK/BioLab executives and local officials, including Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, gathered on June 30 to break ground and officially kickoff this phase of…
Ever since Hurricane Laura damaged the plant in Louisiana last August, BioLab management knew they would have a challenge on their hands — not only with replacing the supply of trichlor the plant produced, but also with the added demand for chlorine products from consumers staying at home. “We are actively working to rebuild our…
The August fire at the BioLab plant in Westlake, Louisiana, did not cause the current chlorine shortage in the industry, but it certainly contributed to it. Since the beginning of the pandemic and subsequent shutdown, the pool industry has been grappling with shortages of all kinds, including building materials, supplies and labor. With many consumers…
BioLab, makers of chemicals for the pool and spa industry, hired Kurt Fehl as district sales manager for the NC Brands Division. Fehl will be working with all Natural Chemistry, SeaKlear, AquaPill and Pro Series customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Fehl comes to BioLab after working over 25 years operating a retail…
Several in the pool industry believe that EPA-registered borates deserve more attention from dealers, technicians and owners. “This is the most underutilized and overlooked product in our entire product line,” says Alicia Stephens, manager of training and education at BioLab Incorporated in Lawrenceville, Georgia. “And I hate that because it’s a wonderful product that can…
Matthew Barclay, owner of Blue Moose Pools in Phoenix, Arizona, is the $6,000 first prize winner of NC Brands’ (now BioLab) 2019 Pool Cleanup Challenge, in which pool professionals entered their most compelling and creative ‘swamp to clear’ experiences. Barclay won for the treatment of a green swimming pool with Yellow Out before shock treatment…
Announced at the end of January, KIK Custom Products Inc., the parent company of BioLab, Inc. (makers of BioGuard and SpaGuard), acquired NC Brands L.P. NC Brands manufactures specialty chemicals and related products for recreational pools and spas in North America and uses naturally-based enzyme technology in pool and spa water care. “The acquisition of…