Nalco Holding Company

Nalco Holding Company
Type Public
Industry Chemicals and water treatment
Founded 1928
Headquarters Naperville, Illinois, United States
Key people Herbert Kern (founder), Wilson Evans (co-founder), Erik Fyrwald (CEO)
Revenue $3.9 billion (2007)
Employees 11,500
Website www.nalco.com

Nalco Holding Company NYSENLC (formerly Ondeo Nalco) supplies water treatment and process improvement services, chemicals and equipment programs for industrial and institutional markets. These products and services are marketed in some cases to prevent corrosion, contamination and the buildup of harmful deposits. In other applications they are used in production processes to enhance process efficiency and improve customers’ end products.

Nalco is a sales company that currently serves more than 70,000 customers employing over 11,500 employees operating in over 130 countries.

Among its products is Corexit which is an oil dispersant and is widely being used in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

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History

The company was founded in 1928 in the United States as the National Aluminate Corporation formed from the merger of Chicago Chemical Company and the Aluminum Sales Corporation. [1] In 1959 it changed its name to Nalco Chemical Company and was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under that name from 1964 until a French company, Suez, purchased it in 1999. After a name change to Ondeo Nalco Company then another change in ownership in 2003, the Company went public again, returning to the New York Stock Exchange in late 2004 under the name Nalco Holding Company.

In 2007, Nalco achieved sales of more than US$3.9 billion.

In July 2011, Nalco announced a merger with Ecolab, Inc. (NYSE: ECL; known as Economics Laboratory prior to 1986).

Exxon Mobil ties

Nalco has had ongoing ties to Exxon. In 1994, Nalco and Exxon Chemical Company announced the formation of Nalco/Exxon Energy Chemicals, L.P. to provide products and services to all facets of the petroleum and natural gas industries. Then in 2001, NALCO, which then was called "Ondeo Nalco," strengthened its leadership role in the petroleum industry when Nalco/Exxon Energy Chemicals, L.P. became part of the company through redemption of Exxon Mobil stock in the joint venture. Daniel S. Sanders, who was previously president of Exxon/Mobil Chemical Company, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil, serves on the company's board of directors.[2]

Lobbying activity and financial contributions to political candidates

The Center for Responsive Politics documents Nalco Company Political Action Committee financial contributions to political candidates, with 2010 contributions to Judy Biggert (R-IL), Charles Boustany (R-LA), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), John Shimkus (R-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).[3]

The CRP also lists Nalco Holding Company's spending on lobbying, including $160,000 in 2010 to Ogilvy Government Relations to lobby on their behalf to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency between April 1 and June 30 of 2010, on "issues related to the use of corexit 9500 in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill".[4]

References

External links