Catacel Corp. exists because William Whittenberger and two colleagues didn't want to move to Alabama.
Based in Garrettsville, Catacel -- an innovator in the fuel cell, hydrogen, gas-to-liquid, petrochemical and aerospace industries -- is the offspring of Camet, a Hiram-based company that made its name developing and manufacturing emission control products made from coated metal foils.
Camet was purchased by W.R. Grace in 1993, and then by Engelhard in 1998. Then, in 2000, the decision was made to move most of Camet to Alabama.
"A few of us said we didn't want to move to Alabama," says Whittenberger, Catacel's president. "The team was here. We knew all about the metal foil business, and we said what shall we do?"
The answer was to establish Catacel. Now the three are using what they knew about metal foils and catalytic coatings to supply crucial materials for hydrogen fuel cells, heat-exchange systems and industrial hydrogen production.
The company ended fiscal 2009 with an 86 percent growth in employment, a 50-percent increase in work space and a 72-percent increase in revenues. Commercial sales for Catacel increased from $900,000 in 2008 to just under $2 million this year.
Along the way, Catacel has benefited from nearly $5 million in Ohio Third Frontier grants, a recent $250,000 investment commitment by JumpStart Inc., and its own investments of more than $2 million.
The company employs 20 "but we're getting ready to hire more," Whittenberger says.
Source: William Whittenberger, Catacel
Writer: Gene Monteith