Chemical Manufacturer Buys Prentiss

A Missouri-based manufacturer of specialty molecules has purchased Prentiss, Inc., allowing it to enter the pesticide industry.

George Garrison, president and CEO of SantoLubes, St. Charles, Mo., told PCT he bought Prentiss to gain access to the pesticide industry and to acquire a label to sell the pesticide synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO).

SantoLubes already synthesizes PBO, but until the acquisition did not have a label that allowed it to sell the chemical in the pest management industry. The company also manufactures two specialized molecules used in lubricant applications. One of those product lines is Santotrac, which is used in high-speed gears in the printing, textile and packaging industries; the other is Santovac, which is used in a special type of vacuum pump in labs and high-performance analytical instruments, as well as electronic components of computers, cell phones and medical equipment.

Synergy, the parent company of SantoLubes, officially took ownership of the company in October. Both sides had been discussing the deal for about five years, Garrison said, and talks escalated this past summer.

“We were just talking about buying the label,” said Garrison, who has spent 30 years in the specialty chemicals industry. “It just made more sense to acquire the whole company.”

Larry Eichler, Prentiss president, turns 64 in January and said he wanted to make sure Prentiss would be taken over by a good steward.

“It was almost necessary to do something. Neither Jeff (Miller, executive vice president) nor I have family that is interested in it. I was more interested (in the merger because) I’m going to be there for years to come and (this) gives me a chance to protect my Prentiss people, and that’s important to us,” Eichler said. “The thing I’m most pleased about is our people are going to be in good shape to show what they’ve got. It was a good step for us.”

Garrison said he wanted to grow Prentiss, but not change its operations dramatically.

“The key thing is my intention is not to change the way Prentiss does business. Larry and Jeff are still running the company. The only change will be, I hope, to be able to grow the company, both organically and through acquisitions.”