History of Damon Industries

In 1936, Jack Damon started a part-time business he called Damon Chemical with the manufacturing of two consumer products. One was Da-Brite® Powder, which was a cleaner and water softener, and the other was Radex® Radiator Cleaner, a powdered cleaner for automobile radiators.

After graduating from Mount Union College in 1937 and taking some post graduate courses part-time at Western Reserve University, Damon Chemical Company became a full time enterprise in 1938. The business moved to it's first official building, a barn near his parents home. Star Brite Bleach, some automotive chemicals and a new Da-Brite formula for use in dairies were added to the product line. Production of Radex® Boiling Out Compound for automobile radiators began. Today, after many formula updates, Radex® B.O.C. is the longest continuously manufactured product in production.

In 1940 an old tin shop was purchased, which consisted of an old store room, small barn, and a shed all connected together. In 1941, although part-time help had been employed in the past, the first full time employee was hired. In 1948 the first two salesmen were employed and sales rocketed to $58,300.

During the fifties the company continued to add new sales people and outgrew it's facilities twice, moving to new locations. One of the company's most well known products, D-C® was developed to improve on our then major competition, Lestoil®. Another well-known product, Tin-All Tinning Paste was developed to aid body shops in repairing auto bodies. The decade closed with six sales people generating $250,000 in annual sales.

In 1964 the company moved into a newly built facility at its present location in the Rockhill Industrial Park north of Alliance. Liquid products were now manufactured in 400 gallon tanks and drums were moved by electric hoist. The new building included a greatly expanded professional laboratory where the recently hired full-time chemist worked. Prior to his hiring, all formulations has been developed exclusively by Jack Damon. This facility has since been expanded 8 times from it's original 15,000 sq. ft. to the present 50,000 sq. ft. In 1968, Robert Malone obtained our first Quick Serve Restaurant customer, Arby's Roast Beef, and we have grown with them from 62 units to the present. Damon's present best-selling product, SF-77, was developed during this time. It's formula today is essentially the same as when it was developed, a testament to it's creator, Brian Martin. Amy Damon, eldest of Jack Damon's children, first went to work part time in the summer of 1968 gluing on labels and acting as laboratory assistant. In 1969 sales topped the $1 Million mark.

During the seventies our first warehouse and distributor computer package was installed. Following the success of having a sales specialist for Quick Serve Restaurants, a Radiator Sales Specialist was added. Formulas were improved and several new products were added, such as Core Baking Flux, leading to many new distributors across the country. Our participation in the National Automotive Radiator Service Association increased as we taught seminars from coast-to-coast on the new OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. This began our focus on safety and regulatory assistance for our customers. The sales force rose to nineteen and sales climbed to over $2.5 million. Two more of Jack Damon's children joined the company. Keith Damon is active to this day and Kenneth Damon later went on to become a successful American Baptist minister.

The eighties brought our first automated liquid filling machine. A Water Treatment Specialist was added and we soon began manufacturing our own water treatment chemicals. The first high speed floor program was developed as the Ultimet® Floor Finish line was expanded. Red-Kote® and Over-Kote™ fuel tank coatings were introduced and the Neutra-Stat® line of disinfectants were added as infection control and food safety became major issues. The company founder and president passed away just as the company attained the long-sought $10 Million mark in 1989. Amy Damon succeeded him as company president.

In the nineties we expanded our Grocery Division, adding food safety specialists and many products manufactured specifically for grocery stores. A Laundry and Ware Washing Specialist was hired and we began manufacturing a line of specialty chemicals for this division. The prestigious Leadership 2000 Award for leading businesses in Northeast Ohio was received twice.

Since the turn of the century Damon began developing a line of environmentally safe "green" products called the Da-Clean line. These products use safe and mainly natural ingredients to dissolve grease and oil without harsh chemicals. Most recently an entire new computer system, hardware and software, with improved networking and internet capabilities has been installed. With over 120 employees, Damon Industries is a leading company in the manufacturer of specialty cleaning and sanitation chemicals. The major focus for growth is on the information, training and consulting associated with the use of the traditional products.