CINCINNATI — Pilot Chemical Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, marks its 65^th anniversary today. John Morrisroe founded the company on Sept. 19, 1952, in Santa Fe Springs, California. Morrisroe began the company with his patent for a process called ice-cold sulfonation, which resulted in higher quality products.

From Santa Fe Springs, the company first expanded to Lockland, Ohio, in 1963;  Avenel, New Jersey, in 1968; Houston, Texas, in 1973; and Middletown, Ohio, in 1985. The company headquarters were originally in Santa Fe Springs but were relocated to Cincinnati in 2005.

The company has followed the vision of its founder by innovating and expanding. Today it has 285 employees and sells worldwide. Recent acquisitions include Mason Chemical Co., Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 2012; Liquid Minerals Group Inc., New Waverly, Texas, in 2016; and ATRP Solutions Inc., Pittsburgh, this year.

“It is fitting to remember John Morrisroe on Pilot’s 65^th anniversary,” said Mike Scott, Pilot Chemical’s President. “We owe much of the company’s success to the example he set.”

The company will officially celebrate the anniversary with a luncheon at its Cincinnati headquarters on September 28.