Tec Laboratories

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Tec Laboratories, Inc.
Type Private
Founded 1977
Headquarters Albany, Oregon
Key people Steven D. Smith, CEO, Vern W. Smith, VP
Industry Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals
Website http://www.teclabsinc.com

Tec Laboratories, Inc. is a manufacturer of over-the-counter pharmaceutical dermatological preparations. The company was founded in 1977 by a former Mead Johnson executive, chemical engineer Robert L. Smith,[1] and is headquartered in Albany, Oregon.

Contents

[edit] History

In the early 1950s, during the Cold War, chemist Dr. Robert Smith invented a waterless skin cleanser for the removal of radioactive dust. Smith stored it in gallon containers in his family’s underground fallout shelter.[2] In 1962 Smith relocated his family from Indiana to Oregon where Evelyn Smith, his wife, discovered that the cleanser, by then named Tecnu (for “technically new”), had another use. After an exposure to poison oak, to which she knew she was allergic, she washed the affected areas with Tecnu and did not get a rash.[3] After more testing the cleanser was proven successful at removing the rash-causing oil found in the resin urushiol of the native plants poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac[4] from skin, clothing, and pets’ fur.[5] Additional testing was conducted by the Oregon State University Forestry Department.[6] In 1977 Dr. Smith established the company as Tecnu Enterprises in Albany, Oregon. In the mid 1980s the company name was changed to Tec Laboratories, Inc. Subsequently the product line grew to include additional over-the-counter skin preparations, insect repellents, head lice treatments,[7] and wound care preparations.The firm has expanded from a manufacturer of specialty lines sold mainly to safety suppliers to products that are now available in chain drug stores and other outlets throughout the United States.[8]

[edit] Products

The company's products, which it manufactures in Albany, Oregon, are Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser, Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub, Tecnu Rash Relief Spray, Licefreee! Non-toxic Lice Killing Hair Gel, Calagel Medicated Anti-itch Gel, 10-Hour Repellent, Corticool 1% Hydrocortisone Gel,, and StaphAseptic First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Gel.[9]

[edit] Company culture

The firm's mission statement is "Tec Labs is a pharmaceutical institution that fosters a culture of innovation, trust, joie de vivre and esprit de corps." Its supervisors are called "coaches" and it practices open-book financial management.[10] The company is selected frequently as one of Oregon's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and has won numerous business and industry awards.[11][12]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bronwyn Fryer, “No False Moves,” Inc., Nov. 17, 1998 v20117 pp. 48 [1]
  2. ^ "My Oregon Story," Steve Smith’s story of the beginnings of Tecnu [2]
  3. ^ Gary Burris, "The Story of Tecnu and Tec Laboratories, Inc." Tec Laboratories Official Website [3]
  4. ^ "What Is Poison Ivy/ Poison Oak?" Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center[4]
  5. ^ Dr. Suzy Hochgesang, “When pets roam into poison oak,” Monterey Herald.com [5]
  6. ^ Bronwyn Fryer, “No False Moves,” Inc., Nov. 17, 1998 v20117 pp. 48 [6]
  7. ^ David Flinder, M.D., and Peter De Schweinitz, M.D., “Pediculosis and Scabies,” American Family Physician, Jan. 15, 2004 [7]
  8. ^ “Tec Laboratories breaks into chain drug market." Chain Drug Review 13.n2 (Oct 8, 1990): 34(1). [8]
  9. ^ Poison Ivy Treatment, Poison Oak Treatment from TecLabs Inc
  10. ^ Christina Williams, “Mission Accomplished,” Oregon Business Magazine, July, 2005 [9]
  11. ^ Oregon Business, “Delivering Results: Steven Smith, CEO, Tec Laboratories, Albany.” "Smith has built a successful development, testing and marketing laboratory for consumer products such as insect repellent and poison-ivy salve." [10]
  12. ^ "Workplaces That Work," Chemical and Engineering News, Oct. 22, 2007, Vol. 85, Number 43, pp.67-72 [11]

[edit] External links

  • American Academy of Dermatology [12]
  • National Park Service Public Health Program [13]