CINCINNATI -- The ChemQuest Group Inc. and Robert J. Koch Associates L.L.C. announced the launch of a joint venture that the companies said will expand the range of business-consulting services offered by The ChemQuest Group.

ChemQuest, based in Cincinnati, said Robert Koch, president of Robert J. Koch Associates, will provide expertise in the areas of channel strategy and planning, product-line development, point-of-purchase merchandising, communication strategies and tactics, sales management and tactical planning, and contingency planning. The joint venture will operate under the ChemQuest name.

Koch has more than 35 years of experience in the coatings and adhesives industries, and was formerly Executive Vice President of the Decorative Paints Division of ICI Paints North America. He is a past recipient of the National Paint & Coatings Association's George Baugh Heckel Award, the NPCA's highest honor.

The ChemQuest Group is a strategic-management consulting firm specializing in the coatings, adhesives and sealants, and automotive industries.