LAKE CHARLES, La., November 2, 2022 –KIK Consumer Products (“KIK” or the “Company”), a global leader in pool, household cleaning, and automotive products, today marked the successful rebuilding of its subsidiary BioLab’s state-of-the-art trichlor production facility located in Westlake, Louisiana, outside of Lake Charles, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Senator Bill Cassidy, Congressman Clay Higgins, and Don Pierson, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development joined BioLab employees, retail partners, construction and other local partners including the Lake Charles Metal Trades Council, as well as other members of the community in the celebration of the event.

“Today marks a new beginning for BioLab and is the culmination of over 26 months of planning, engineering, construction, and commissioning,” said Jeff Schmitt, COO of KIK Consumer Products. “Our plant stands here today as a demonstration of the resiliency of our workforce and the people of Louisiana who have made this project possible. With the support of the people, businesses, and institutions across Lake Charles, including the Louisiana State Police and local fire department and law enforcement, we have delivered on our promise of rebuilding and reinvesting in the future of not only this facility – but the future of this community.”

Following the unprecedented impact of Hurricane Laura in 2020, the Company invested over $250 million in rebuilding and reopening its damaged facility. The new facility will employ nearly 80 high-paying, local union jobs and reflects BioLab’s commitment to building on its deep-rooted legacy in Louisiana, where it has operated for decades. Importantly, the facility is reconstructed with improved production flexibility, which will enable BioLab to more effectively meet the demand for pool cleaning products. The facility will also operate with numerous enhanced safety features, including improved structural ratings, an elevated control room and ride out shelter, and improved fire detection and extinguishing systems.

“We are delighted to reopen our BioLab facility in time to support the 2023 pool season and to meet our promise to the Lake Charles community to rebuild,” said Michael Sload, CEO of KIK Consumer Products. “Our thanks go to our valued stakeholders who have made this milestone possible – from our dedicated employees, to our trusted retail partners, to the entire community at large. We look forward to furthering our more than 40-year history in Lake Charles for years to come, bringing products to millions of American families that help keep their spas and swimming pools safe and clean.”

Don Brunette, BioLab’s Plant Manager, echoed this sentiment: “Our BioLab employees are excited to get back to work and honored to celebrate this moment together with all our stakeholders. We are pleased to be welcoming our team back to our newly rebuilt facility, which is one of the most advanced trichlor production facilities in the world and even stronger and safer than before.”

About KIK Consumer Products

Since 1993, KIK has successfully grown from a single-plant operator in store-branded (private label) bleach to the leading North American independent marketer and manufacturer in household cleaning products and a global leader in pool and spa treatment and automotive products, with brands including Bioguard, Clorox Pool and Spa (under license), Prestone, Spic and Span, and Comet. In entering these segments, KIK capitalized on an opportunity to leverage its core manufacturing and marketing competencies to drive scale in fragmented industries. KIK has transformed its businesses through a combination of organic growth initiatives and strategic add-on acquisitions and has continued to experience strong growth in all categories. For more information, visit www.kikcorp.com.

Media Contacts

Jeremy Fielding / Daniel Hoadley

Kekst CNC

jeremy.fielding@kekstcnc.com / daniel.hoadley@kekstcnc.com

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Prior CEO Jared Knudson appointed Executive Chairman of Board of Directors

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA., July 13, 2022 – KIK Consumer Products (“KIK” or the “Company”), a global leader in pool, household cleaning, and automotive products, announced today that Michael Sload has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sload previously served as KIK’s Group President, leading the Company’s operating units to record financial performance. Mr. Sload succeeds Jared Knudson, who will become Executive Chairman of KIK’s Board of Directors.

“Over the past few years, KIK has made exceptional progress as we have expanded our product portfolio, broadened our customer base, and significantly grown our revenues to drive profitability,” said Mr. Knudson, who was named CEO in 2018. “Michael’s wealth of relevant consumer products experience and demonstrated ability to drive sales growth and create value for our stakeholders make him ideally suited to lead KIK’s next chapter of successful growth.”

Since 2018, KIK has executed numerous organic and inorganic growth initiatives to become one of North America’s largest independent consumer products marketers and manufacturers. The Company has expanded in the high-value natural pool treatment category, integrated a large portfolio of acquisitions, divested its contract manufacturing business, and is closing in on the completion of its flagship, state-of-the-art pool products facility. With sales of approximately $2 billion, today KIK has a global team of more than 2,500 employees, operates a portfolio of over 20 leading brands, and manufactures its products at over 20 facilities across North America.

“I am delighted at the opportunity to lead KIK as CEO,” said Mr. Sload. “In recent years, KIK has successfully navigated a very dynamic environment, bringing consumers high-quality products while protecting our position with customers as a partner of choice. Moving ahead, our mission will not change. I look forward to working with our entire team as we continue building a leading consumer products company.”

Steve Silver, a member of KIK’s Board of Directors and Senior Managing Director at Centerbridge Partners, KIK’s lead investor since 2015, said: “We want to thank Jared for leading the highly successful revitalization of KIK and making the Company into the growing and profitable organization it is today. We are delighted that Jared will continue his involvement as Executive Chairman and believe that KIK is well-positioned for further success under Michael’s leadership as CEO.”

About Michael Sload

Mr. Sload is a consumer products global executive with more than 30 years of general management and marketing leadership. He joined KIK in 2019 as Auto President and was promoted to Group President in 2020, where he was responsible for leading KIK’s Pool, Household, and Automotive businesses and associated manufacturing organizations. 

Previously, Mr. Sload spent 24 years at Colgate Palmolive where his last assignment was leading the company’s worldwide Personal Care business.  Before then, he was responsible for Colgate’s businesses in the UK and Nordics and led all marketing in Latin America and the U.S. He began his career in consumer products at Nestle Food. Mr. Sload has also been Executive Vice President of Brand Marketing at Mastercard, with direct responsibility for brand strategy, advertising, digital marketing, insights and analytics, among other areas. 

Mr. Sload received his MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth where he has served on the MBA Advisory Board. He also has an undergraduate degree from Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

About KIK Consumer Products

Since 1993, KIK has successfully grown from a single-plant operator in store-branded (private label) bleach to the leading North American independent marketer and manufacturer in household cleaning products and a global leader in pool and spa treatment and automotive products, with brands including Bioguard, Clorox Pool and Spa (under license), Prestone, Spic and Span, and Comet. In entering these segments, KIK capitalized on an opportunity to leverage its core manufacturing and marketing competencies to drive scale in fragmented industries. KIK has transformed its businesses through a combination of organic growth initiatives and strategic add-on acquisitions and has continued to experience strong growth in all categories. For more information, visit www.kikcorp.com.

Media Contacts

Jeremy Fielding / Daniel Hoadley

Kekst CNC

jeremy.fielding@kekstcnc.com / daniel.hoadley@kekstcnc.com

The post KIK Consumer Products Appoints Michael Sload As CEO To Lead Company’s Continued Growth appeared first on KIK Consumer Products.

KIK Custom Products can now confirm the fire at the plant at our Biolab Lake Charles, LA facility has been brought under control. The site remains secured, and our specialized team comprising industry-leading emergency response experts and our employees remains on-the-ground to support efforts to promote the safety and well-being of the Lake Charles community. We are enormously grateful to the state police and other first responders, as well as local authorities – including Louisiana State Police Emergency Resource Team, Lake Charles Fire Department, and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality – for their collaboration and thank them for their heroic efforts. We are actively engaged in helping the broader community recover from the impacts of Hurricane Laura.

Contact Isabelle Pierre in our Legal department ipierre@kikcorp.com for more information.

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We can confirm that, as a result of damage sustained during Hurricane Laura, there is currently a fire at our plant located at our Biolab Lake Charles, LA facility. Our priority is the safety and well-being of the Lake Charles community of which we are a part. We are deploying a specialized team to the site, and we are working with first responders, local authorities, and environmental agencies to contain and mitigate the impact of this incident as quickly as possible. The facility had been evacuated when the hurricane was upgraded to category 4 after following shut-down protocols, and all employees are confirmed to be safe at this time. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.

Contact Isabelle Pierre in our Legal department ipierre@kikcorp.com for more information.

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