Envirotech (company)

Last updated
Envirotech
Company type Public
Industry Manufacturing
Founded1968 or 1969 (1968 or 1969) in Palo Alto, California
FounderRobert L. Chambers
Headquarters Menlo Park, California United States
Key people
  • R.L. Chambers (CEO)
  • B.A. Schepman (COO)
Revenue
  • US$75,000,000 (1970)
  • US$145,800,000 (1972)
  • US$250,000,000 (1975)
US$4,400,000 (1972)
Owners Estel (25%, 1975)
Footnotes /references
1970 revenue; [1] 1972 revenue and income; [2] 1975 revenues [3]

Envirotech was an American company based in Menlo Park, California and founded in 1968 or 1969 by Robert L. Chambers in Palo Alto, California. [1] [4] [Nt 1] It was described by one journalist in 1977 as "the world's leader in manufacture and sale of equipment for processing water for municipal systems and liquids in industrial processes." [4]

Contents

Organization and operations

The company was composed of a number of operational divisions. The Eimco division, based in Salt Lake City, Utah and the largest of the company's divisions, focused on the manufacture of water and liquid waste processing equipment, but also produced underground loaders for tunneling and mining operations. [4]

The company also had a manufacturing and engineering presence in Europe focused on water treatment, with facilities in England, France, Germany and Italy, which it sold a >80% stake in to Estel in 1975 in order to raise capital for expansion in other areas; products and services acquired by Estel were subsequently provided to customers through its EMSIL subsidiary. [5]

In 1971, the company consolidated the majority of its research and development operations to a site in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. [6]

In regard to geographic structure, the Envirotech International unit was formed in 1975 as an umbrella for the company's non-United States operations, with Paul R. Gibson named as the first head of the unit. [7] Other foreign units included Envirotech Asia-Pacific, which Gibson presided over starting in 1972, and Envirotech Australia, of which Gibson was the managing director in 1970. [7]

Buell

In 1974, Buell or Buell-Envirotech was noted as being the company's "air quality division", based in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. [8] A noted product of the unit is an electrostatic precipitator used in energy generation facilities. [8] Three years later, in 1977, The Buell Emission Control Division was noted as being involved in the R&D and manufacture of bag-based industrial smokestack emissions control solutions. [9] This division pre-dates formation of Envirotech, having been established in Lebanon County in 1963 following acquisition of the Union Boiler Shop. [8] The division began with 135 employees and expanded to 570 in 1974. [8]

Prior to this, in 1972, Buell had been noted as being one of three units (the others being Norblo and Arco) which were bound together into a new Air Pollution Control Group, the first president of which was Robert E. Stanaway. [10]

History

The driver behind formation of Envirotech was "to create in one corporation a total systems capability to handle major environmental pollution problems." [1]

Envirotech was founded as a private concern by "a syndicate of private investors". [4] The "syndicate" consisted of founder Chambers, the investment firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and the conglomerate North American Rockwell (an ancestor of Rockwell International). [1] Rockwell's major contribution was in the form of knowledge and intellectual property in the areas of pollution control and waste water treatment. [1] The first form of the company was as a set of manufacturing units pulled from other companies: Ogden, Bangor Punta and Arthur G. McKee. [1]

The company went public in September 1971 and was traded over-the-counter until August 1972, when it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. [2]

Envirotech diversified into air pollution control in mid-1971 when it acquired three companies: Buell Engineering (of Lebanon, Pennsylvania), Norblo and AMBUCO (of England). [10] Both Buell and AMBUCO were acquired from Consolidated Gold Fields. [11] In early 1972 this was followed by a fourth acquisition, the air pollution unit of Arco Industries Corporation. [10] [Nt 2]

In 1975, the company agreed to have Estel, a major European steel manufacturing concern, acquire up to 25% of the company's outstanding stock as an investment move to raise capital to support needed expansion of manufacturing operations aimed at addressing a growing backlog of unmet orders. [5]

Personnel

At the time of the company's consolidation of R&D facilities in Salt Lake City in 1971, Donald Dahlstrom was the company's head of research and development. [6] Also at this time, Jerry Schell held the subordinate post of R&D director for sanitary engineering. [6]

Corporate governance

As of 1977, founder Chambers was the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, and Berne A. Schepman was the company's chief operating officer (COO). [4] Earlier, in 1971, Schepman was reported to have held the position of president. [6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Woody-1977 places the founding year as 1968. However, Staff-1970 places the foundation date in May 1969.
  2. ↑ It is unclear whether Arco Industries Corporation is related to ARCO or not.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockwell International</span> Defunct American manufacturing conglomerate

Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate. It was involved in aircraft, the space industry, defense and commercial electronics, components in the automotive industry, printing presses, avionics and industrial products. At its peak, Rockwell International was No. 27 on the Fortune 500 list, with assets of over $8 billion, sales of $27 billion and 115,000 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osco Drug and Sav-on Drugs</span> Retail pharmacy chains in the United States

Osco Drug and Sav-on Drugs were the names of a pair of chain pharmacies that operated in the United States. Osco Drug was founded by the Skaggs family. Alpha Beta grocery store was purchased by American Stores in 1961. Skaggs Drug Centers bought American Stores in 1979 and assumed the American Stores name. Sav-on Drugs was a California-based pharmacy chain that was acquired by Osco's parent company in 1980. Both Osco and Sav-on stores eventually came under the ownership of American Stores, then Albertsons, and finally SuperValu before the stores were sold off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf and Western Industries</span> American conglomerate (1934–1989)

Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. was an American conglomerate. The company originally focused on manufacturing and resource extraction, but it began purchasing a number of entertainment companies beginning in 1966 and continuing through the 1970s. Most notable among the acquisitions were film studio Paramount Pictures in 1966, television studio Desilu Productions in 1967, arcade and later videogame manufacturer Sega in 1969, book publisher Simon & Schuster in 1975, and a number of music labels including Dot Records. Some of these properties were reorganized under the Paramount brand, with Dot Records becoming the nucleus of Paramount Records and Desilu being renamed Paramount Television.

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems, HVAC, elevators and escalators, fire and security, building automation, and industrial products, among others. UTC was also a large military contractor, getting about 10% of its revenue from the U.S. government. In April 2020, UTC merged with the Raytheon Company to form Raytheon Technologies, later renamed RTX Corporation.

<i>The Salt Lake Tribune</i> Daily newspaper in Salt Lake City, Utah

The Salt Lake Tribune is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Tribune is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSTU</span> Fox affiliate in Salt Lake City

KSTU is a television station in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Provo-licensed independent station KUPX-TV. KSTU's studios are located on West Amelia Earhart Drive in the northwestern section of Salt Lake City, and its transmitter is located on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains, southwest of Salt Lake City. More than 80 dependent translators carry its signal throughout Utah and portions of neighboring states.

The Anaconda Copper Mining Company, known as the Amalgamated Copper Company from 1899 to 1915, was an American mining company headquartered in Butte, Montana. It was one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century and one of the largest mining companies in the world for much of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3M</span> American multinational corporation

3M Company is an American multinational conglomerate operating in the fields of industry, worker safety, and consumer goods. Based in the Saint Paul, Minnesota, suburb of Maplewood, the company produces over 60,000 products, including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, personal protective equipment, window films, paint protection film, electrical, electronic connecting, insulating materials, car-care products, electronic circuits, and optical films. Among its best-known consumer brands are Scotch Tape, Scotchguard surface protectants, Post-it notes, and Nexcare adhesive bandages. 3M’s stock ticker symbol is MMM and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (NYSE), the Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc., and the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Estel was a steel company formed by the merging of Koninklijke Hoogovens IJmuiden steel plant and Hoesch's main steel plant in Dortmund. The company existed from 1972 to 1982 until de-merged.

The 1977 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) for the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Cougars were led by sixth-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning a share of the conference title for the second consecutive year, sharing the title with Arizona State with a conference record of 6–1.

Bangor Punta Corporation was an American conglomerate and Fortune 500 company in existence from 1964 to 1984. The corporation was a result of the merger of the Punta Alegre Sugar and Railroad Company, formerly of Cuba, and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad of Maine. It owned a number of well-known companies in the general aviation, firearms and pleasure craft industries, including Cal Boats, O'Day Corp., Ranger Yachts, Piper Aircraft, Forjas Taurus, and Smith & Wesson. Headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, it was acquired by Lear Siegler, Inc. in 1984.

Grant Prideco, Inc. is a supplier of drill pipe and drill stem accessories headquartered in Houston, Texas. Since 2008, it has been a subsidiary of energy services company NOV Inc. Grant Prideco was included on the Fortune magazine top 1000 largest corporations for several years in the mid-2000s and through the 1990s and early 2000s was the world's largest oilfield drill pipe supplier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">632nd Armor Regiment</span> Military unit

The 632nd Armor was an armored regiment of the Wisconsin Army National Guard from 1963 until 2001. A parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System and U.S. Army Regimental System, the 632nd Armor was represented in the Wisconsin Army National Guard by the 1st and 2nd Battalions between 1963 and 1967. The 2nd Battalion was eliminated in a 1967 reorganization, while the 1st Battalion continued in existence until 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purolator Filters</span> American automotive filter manufacturer

MANN+HUMMEL Purolator Filters LLC, more commonly known as Purolator, is an American manufacturer of oil and air filters, based in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Since 2013, it has been a subsidiary of German filter manufacturer Mann+Hummel. Purolator manufactured and sold the first commercially available automotive oil filters starting in the 1920s. For several decades in the late 20th Century, Purolator operated a large North American courier business known as Purolator Couriers. Canadian courier Purolator Inc. and its subsidiary Purolator International are the successors of that business but have had no direct relationship with their former parent since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Cutler</span>

Virginia Farrer Cutler was an American academic. She was the head of the Home Economics Department at the University of Utah and dean of the College of Family Living at Brigham Young University (BYU). She also worked for the United States Point Four Program in Southeast Asia, established a home science degree at the University of Ghana, and served on the White House Consumer Committee under President Richard Nixon.

Helen Foot Buell was an American botanist, algologist, ecologist, and editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly White</span> American politician (1928–2021)

Beverly Jean White was an American activist and politician who served in the Utah House of Representatives for the 57th, 64th, and 21st districts from 1971 to 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She was the longest-serving female member of the Utah State Legislature. White held multiple positions in the Democratic Party at the local, state, and national levels and also attended many state and national conventions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Industries</span> American electronics company

Oak Industries, Inc. was an American electronics company that manufactured a variety of products throughout seven decades in the 20th century. In existence from 1932 to 2000, the company's business lines primarily centered around electronic components and materials, though the company made a high-profile and ultimately failed extension into communications media in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The firm was founded in Crystal Lake, Illinois, moving its headquarters to Rancho Bernardo, California, in the late 1970s and again to Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1990. Corning Inc. purchased Oak in January 2000 primarily for its Lasertron division, a manufacturer of lasers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwest Scientific</span> American computer company

Midwest Scientific Instruments, Inc. (MSI), often shortened to Midwest Scientific, was an American computer company founded in Olathe, Kansas, in the early 1970s. Charles C. Childress, a doctorate of biochemistry, founded the company as a way to market his data acquisition and processing interfaces based on programmable calculators for medical, scientific, and industrial uses. After an after-market floppy drive system for the SWTPC 6800 proved a hot-seller for Midwest in 1976, the company began products for general-purpose computers like the SWTPC. In 1977, they released their own microcomputer, the MSI 6800—a clone of the SWTPC 6800. Their sales tripled that year and prompted expansion in the Kansas City area. It survived into the mid-1980s before going defunct and having its remaining assets auctioned off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer Transceiver Systems, Inc.</span> American computer company

Computer Transceiver Systems, Inc. (CTSI) was an American computer company active from 1968 to 1998. It manufactured a wide range of portable data terminals, portable computers, and printers for microcomputers under the Execuport name. It was originally based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, soon relocating to Paramus, New Jersey, where it spent most of its independent existence. The original Execuport was one of the first portable terminals on the market.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Staff (4 Apr 1970). "Envirotech Fights Pollution". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern . p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Staff (3 Aug 1972). "Envirotech on NY Exchange". The Times (San Mateo, California) . p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Staff (24 Jan 1975). "Authority Files for Dismissal of Antitrust Suit". Lebanon Daily News . p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Woody, Robert H. (30 Apr 1977). "Arts, Science Bridged by Envirotech Chief". Up and Down the Street. The Salt Lake Tribune . p. 48 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Staff (31 Jan 1975). "Envirotech, Dutch Firm Sign Pact". The Times (San Mateo, California). p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Woody, Robert H. (24 Oct 1971). "Envirotech to Consolidate Laboratories in Salt Lake". Up and Down the Street. The Salt Lake Tribune. p. 102 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Staff (25 Feb 1975). "Envirotech Head Named". Lebanon Daily News. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Staff (9 May 1974). "See Employment of 1,000 by Buell". Lebanon Daily News. pp. 1, 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Staff (15 Feb 1977). "Utilities Propose Bag Filter System". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph . p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 3 Staff (27 May 1972). "Envirotech Corp Names President of Control Group". Lebanon Daily News. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Staff (2 Jun 1971). "Envirotech to Acquire Buell Engineering Co". Lebanon Daily News. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.