American Colloid Company history

Bechtner had finally discovered his niche. As a result of Bechtner's sales push, that figure bolted to more than 3,000 tons in 1929.

By 1935 American Colloid's shipments had grown to the point where a second processing plant had to be built.

Also in 1936, the sales and production divisions of American Colloid merged to form a single company; American Colloid Co.

By 1940 American Colloid was selling more than 35,000 tons of clay annually.

Worse yet, in 1941 fire again destroyed the Upton plant.

To keep pace with gains, the company opened another plant in Mississippi in 1957.

Paul Bechtner died from a stroke in 1961 at the age of 79.

1963: A Scottsbluff, Nebraska, trucking company is purchased.

In 1965, moreover, the company inaugurated its first overseas production plants, which were located in Duisburg, Germany, and Birkenhead, England.

Everett Weaver handed off some of the day-to-day control of American Colloid to his brother, Bill, in 1968.

In 1986 Hughes formed a subsidiary--Chemdal Corporation--to produce and market the superabsorbent polymer.

The company raised cash in 1987 by going public for the first time, and Hughes launched aggressive new cost-control and quality initiatives.

Similarly, in 1988 American Colloid purchased Absorbent Clay Products, Inc., a cat litter company in Illinois.

A separate European division of that subsidiary was established in England in 1989.

1991: Colloid Environmental Technologies Company (CETCO) is formed as a subsidiary.

During 1995 American Colloid changed its name to AMCOL International Corporation.

Late in 1997 CETCO acquired two France-based distributors of its geosynthetic clay liners, and AMCOL also acquired the cat litter business of LaPorte PLC, which included Cassius, a well-known European brand.

AMCOL gained a presence in the bentonite industry of south Asia in May 1999 via the purchase of a 20 percent stake in Ashapura Minechem Limited of India.