Chemline, Inc.

Chemline was founded in a garage in 1997 by John Pantanella. Three years before founding the company, he worked in the industry and gained the knowledge and experience needed while working nights and weekends on his own formulas that would eventually be Chemline’s first products. In the early days of the company, Chemline rented lab, office and warehouse space and shared a few key staff members with another coating manufacturer.

While this company answered phones and handled logistics, John focused on selling and technically supporting the products. After 8 months, a steel tank manufacturer gave Chemline its first order, and word began to spread about the performance of Chemline products and exceptional service.

With the help of a consulting firm, Chemline took the necessary steps to help with the burst in growth by hiring talented chemists and technical experts from the industry (all of which are still with us today). By adding key personnel, Chemline was positioned to grow again and over the next 7 years, producing $12M in revenue.