United Gilsonite Laboratories

In 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, Gerald B. Payne took his savings of $5,000 and started a company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. With just eight employees, he founded United Gilsonite Laboratories, a name chosen to project an image of a much larger enterprise. The early days were scrappy; lore has it that Payne used a rusty sausage grinder to mix his first batches of furnace cement. The company's focus was on roofing and sealing products. UGL found its stride by developing innovative products for the homeowner. In the 1950s, it introduced the DRYLOK line of waterproof sealants and the ZAR brand, one of the first commercially available polyurethane wood finishes in the United States. However, a critical decision from an earlier era would come to define a major chapter of its history. Starting in the 1940s and 50s, UGL, like many manufacturers of the time, incorporated asbestos into some of its roofing and joint compound products. This practice was discontinued in 1975, but by the 1980s, the company faced a rising tide of asbestos-related lawsuits. The financial burden of this litigation eventually led the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011. After reorganizing, UGL continued to operate, focusing on its core brands. The company's journey took another significant turn in 2022 when it was acquired by Sika, a Swiss multinational specialty chemical company. The acquisition aimed to expand Sika's presence in the American consumer and DIY market, adding UGL's well-known brands to its portfolio.