ECOLAB INC.:

Ecolab was founded in Saint Paul in February 1923 by Merritt J. Osborn. It was incorporated in 1924, and until the 1980s was known as Economics Laboratory, Inc. The name of the firm was changed in 1986/1987 to Ecolab, Inc. For many years the headquarters office was located in the Guardian Building in downtown Saint Paul. In 1968 the firm moved to the Osborn Building, its new office tower a few blocks away in the Capital Centre redevelopment area. The company made its first public offering of common stock in 1957.

The firm developed and manufactured dish washing detergents, disinfectants, floor care and odor control products, specialty cleaning products, and product dispensing equipment. Important early products included a powdered detergent for institutional electric dishwashing machines (1925) and a floor and wall cleaner (1934), both marketed under the trade name Soilax.

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The collection includes information about the company's history, its products, finances and operations, and officers and directors; sales and marketing; employee activities; annual meetings; stockholders, stock offerings, performance of the company's stock, and the declaration of dividends; mergers and acquisitions; research and development; and related and subsidiary companies. There is considerable information about the construction and expansion of company facilities, particularly the Osborn Building and a research and development center in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

All copyrights owned by Ecolab are retained by the company. Quotation or publication beyond the fair use provisions of the copyright law requires written permission.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Ecolab Company Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession Number: 15,230; 17,328

Processing Information:

Processed by: David B. Peterson, August 1997

Catalog ID number: 990017349230104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Cleaning compounds industry -- United States.

Cleaning machinery and appliances industry -- United States.

International business enterprises -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Research, Industrial.

Sanitary supply industry -- United States.

Places:

Osborn Building (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Saint Paul (Minn.) -- Manufactures.

Persons:

Grieve, Pierson M., 1927-.

Koran, Ida C., ca.1892-1967.

Lanners, Fred T.

Osborn, Edward Bartley, 1907-1978, author.

Osborn, Merritt J., 1879-1960, author.

Osborn, Stephen Armstrong, author.

Wilson, John Lewis, 1898-1983, author.

Organizations:

Economics Laboratory, inc., author

Klenzade Products, (Beloit, Wis.).

Types of Documentation:

Annual reports.

Formulas.

Photographs.

Title:

Focus on EL Management.

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