CINCINNATI — Pilot Chemical Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, marks its 65th 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.