Ecolab Inc. develops and markets products and services for the hospitality, foodservice, healthcare, and light industrial markets in the United States and internationally. It offers cleaning and sanitizing products and programs, as well as pest elimination, maintenance, and repair services primarily to hotels and restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, quick service (fast-food and convenience store) units, grocery stores, commercial and institutional laundries, light industry, dairy plants and farms, food and beverage processors, and the vehicle wash industry. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.

O'Neil Color and Compounding makes colorants and compounds for a variety of plastics used in packaging, bottles, toys, and horticultural and industrial products. It has about 20 advanced production lines and produces custom compounds such as flame retardant, anti-stat, and wear resistant materials for resin systems. The company is a subsidiary of Primex Plastics, which is itself a subsidiary of ICC Industries. It was founded in 1957 by Frank O'Neil.

Through its subsidiaries, Thai Rubber Latex Corporation makes latex concentrate, as well as various finished products made from that concentrate. More than half of the company's revenue is derived from its manufacturing of latex concentrate, the major raw material used in the manufacture of rubber and latex products including gloves, condoms, and rubber thread. The company also manufactures latex gloves and rubber thread from its majority-owned subsidiaries Universal Latex Products and World Flex. Thai rubber Latex operates nine manufacturing facilities.

Kuraray's synthetics are for real. The diversified company manufactures chemicals and resins (about half of sales, including copolymer EVAL used in food packaging) and synthetic fibers and textiles (man-made leather, nonwoven fabrics, rayon, and polyester). It also offers engineering and consulting services. Kuraray pioneered the commercialization of several synthetic fibers and resins -- such as its KURALON and Poval products -- for industrial uses. The company, which does most of its business in Japan, is made up of about 80 companies operating in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Vertellus Specialties manufactures chemicals for the agricultural, nutritional, pharmaceutical, personal care, and performance material markets. The company's Agriculture and Nutrition Specialties division's products include pyridine, picolines, and vitamin B-3. Vertellus' Specialty Materials operations include the manufacture of DEET (a primary ingredient in mosquito repellent), pharmaceutical intermediates, as well as castor and citrate polymer additives for use in plastics, adhesives, coatings, and sealants. It operates manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Investment firm Wind Point Partners owns Vertellus.

GEO Specialty Chemicals knows that many niches can add up to a lot of market. The company makes about 300 specialty chemicals for niche markets such as water treatment, wire and cable manufacturing, construction, electronics, and oil and gas production. Its specialty additives improve the properties of concrete, gypsum wallboard, and plastics. GEO also produces performance chemicals (used in water treatment) and gallium (used in semiconductors for telecommunications equipment). GEO's strategy is to buy and build -- buy companies and then grow them organically.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc. manufactures and distributes nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products in North America and export markets. It operates in two segments, Nitrogen and Phosphate. The Nitrogen segment offers ammonia, urea, and urea ammonium nitrate solutions. The Phosphate segment provides diammonium phosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and granular muriate of potash used in agricultural fertilizer applications. The company also owns a 50% interest in KEYTRADE AG, a fertilizer trading company. CF Industries Holdings’ customers include cooperatives and independent fertilizer distributors located in the grain-producing states of the Midwestern United States. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.

Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company, develops and commercializes alternatives to petrochemical-based plastics, chemicals, and energy. It applies metabolic engineering and molecular biology tools to produce biobased plastic in microbial systems and directly in non-food plant crops. The company offers its proprietary microbial fermentation system to produce a family of polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates under the Mirel name. Mirel is used for injection molding, cast sheet, cast and blown film applications, and thermoforming. It sells these bioplastic alternatives to petroleum-based plastics for use in a range of commercial applications, including products used in agriculture and horticulture, compost and organic waste diversion bags, marine and aquatic applications, consumer products, business equipment and durable goods, and general packaging materials. In addition, the company is also developing a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals, and energy from crops, such as switchgrass, oilseeds, and sugarcane. It has a strategic alliance with ADM Polymer Corporation. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Like a prissy fourth-grade girl, Willert Home Products doesn't like things to be smelly. The company manufactures incense and oils (Spiritual Sky and Scented Garden), toilet deodorizers (Bowl Fresh), potpourri and other home fragrances (Concerto), insecticides (Enoz), and a kind of moth preventative that doesn't leave that moth ball-y odor afterward (Reefer-Galler). Willert's products are sold nationally in grocery and discount stores like Wegmans, Winn-Dixie, and Wal-Mart and internationally in more than 40 countries. Willert Home Products was formed by August Willert and George Irwin in 1946; the Willert family owns and runs the company.

At CFC International, beauty by design is only skin deep. The company makes transferable chemical coatings to beautify, protect, and add other kinds of functionality to consumer products. It makes complex functional coatings such as simulated metal used on cosmetic containers and simulated wood grain for ready-to-assemble furniture. CFC also makes holographic authentication seals (popular on tickets and software), heat transfer labels for pharmaceuticals, and magnetic strips for security and credit card uses. The company is a part multi-industry conglomerate Illinois Tool Works (ITW).

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