Gift will assist in construction of specially-equipped baseball facility in Palmer Township

Puritan Products, Inc., of Bethlehem, recently donated $10,000 to the Miracle League of Northampton County to help construct a baseball field that is custom-designed for the special needs of children with physical and intellectual disabilities.

“Puritan Products is proud to bring this unique facility one step closer to completion. We are humbled by the opportunity to help create a place where children and adults with disabilities can play and enjoy baseball in a safe environment,” Puritan Products President and General Manager Lou DiRenzo, stated. “Promoting safety in our community is part of our company’s vision and supporting the Miracle League field fits that vision.”

Miracle League fields have rubberized surfaces to help prevent injuries, eliminate any barriers to wheelchair-bound, equipment-assisted or visually impaired players. According to the Miracle League’s web site, there are 240 Miracle League organizations across the country including Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia. The Miracle League serves more than 200,000 children and young adults with disabilities.

“This donation is instrumental in helping our organization ‘Build a Miracle,’ ” Richard Agretto, president of the Miracle League of Northampton County, stated in a letter to DiRenzo. “It is greatly appreciated.”

The field, located in Palmer Township, is scheduled to open in spring 2012.

Puritan Products has provided funding for health and safety programs for other organizations including the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley, The Burn Prevention Foundation, Lehigh County Haz-Mat, Bethlehem City Fire Department, Han-Le-Co Volunteer Fire Company and the Two Rivers Council of Governments. 

By Colby Itkowitz, CALL WASHINGTON BUREAU

6:39 p.m. EDT, June 20, 2011

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey has made it clear he's unlikely to support the Obama administration's push for free trade agreements left unfinished by the Bush administration.

But with the White House moving forward, thePennsylvania Democrat is asking that before any trade agreement is decided, workers and U.S. companies are promised protection from any resulting closures or lost jobs.

Monday morning Casey visited a small chemical manufacturing company in Bethlehem — Puritan Products — to stress the importance of trade assistance in the face of more foreign competition.

"All of us would agree that, if anything, in a very tough economy businesses need help," Casey said at the factory. "We have to compete every day of the week with countries that frankly cheat and make it much more difficult to have a level playing field for folks trying to manufacture a product in this difficult environment."

Congressional lawmakers are nearly ready for talks with the White House on a package that would cement pending trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, and also on a reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program. That program started in the early 1960s to provide aid to Americans who lost jobs because of foreign trade agreements and grants to companies that are having trouble competing.

But Casey, who faces re-election next year, wants Congress to vote on the trade adjustment assistance as a stand-alone bill before the trade agreements are debated. And he wants the assistance extended for five years at the same rate — about $1 billion — that was included in an enhanced version in the 2008 stimulus law.

He introduced his own legislation Monday afternoon to do just that, offering it as an amendment to an economic development bill pending on the U.S. Senate floor.

The program has long been noncontroversial, but in these budget-cutting times, some lawmakers argue that the increased assistance in the stimulus was meant to be temporary. But others, like Casey, say that with unemployment still so high, it's not the time to be cutting aid.

Standing with Lou DiRenzo, owner of Puritan Products, Casey stressed the need for the program.

DiRenzo said his 24-year-old business had to be redesigned to compete with foreign markets. With the help of a $75,000 federal grant matched by the company, he hired a consulting firm to make better use of industry-specific software that in turn helped him broaden his reach to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. DiRenzo said he's added 15 jobs and tripled his sales.

"It's a remarkable story ... adding jobs and the innovating and adapting to new environments in a very complicated part of our economy," Casey said.

Casey said he expects the Senate could take votes on these trade issues as early as July. The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee had planned to begin informal debates this week on the trade agreement. It would then send its recommendations to the White House for the administration to consider before it sends its formal trade proposal to Congress.

By Andrew George, Express-Times

Over the last five years, Bethlehem chemical manufacturing company Puritan Products has tripled its sales and created 15 new jobs.

According to company President Lou DiRenzo, much of that success is owed to a federal grant for $75,000 awarded to the company as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., visited the Bethlehem facility Monday to meet with workers and discuss the impact Trade Adjustment Assistance has had on the company.

Casey, who is chairman of the Senate Joint Economic Committee, urged the need to renew federal funding for the TAA after touring the facility, citing the success Puritan Products has had with the program.

"It's a remarkable story over here at Puritan Products because you're not only seeing all of the job growth results over the last couple years ... (but) adding jobs and innovating and adapting to new environments in a very complicated part of our economy," said Casey.

According to the U.S. Economic Development Administration, TAA aims to provide technical and financial assistance to manufacturers or producers who have lost employment, production or sales due to increased imports and foreign competition. It also provides aid to workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign trade agreements.

Some Senate Republicans have expressed reluctance about renewing TAA, which cost about $2 billion last year, according to a Bloomberg report. They say the program benefits only a  small segment of the unemployed and want it dismantled, according to the report.

The press secretary for U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., did not return a phone message this evening.    

Casey said the benefits of the program are extensive. 

"In a very tough economy, businesses need help," said Casey. "They need help with the results of unfair foreign competition. We have to compete every day of the week with countries that frankly cheat and make it much more difficult for us to have a level-playing field for folks that are trying to manufacture a product in this difficult environment."

Casey is urging Congress to renew federal funding for the TAA through 2016 at the stimulus rate adopted back in 2009, which includes coverage to service firms and workers. This enhanced version has recently expired and funding has receded back to pre-stimulus amounts.

According to Casey's press secretary, while there is no official estimate yet for just how much an extension would cost, Casey has pledged to find an offset for the cost so that it will not increase the deficit.

In a recent letter to President Barack Obama, Casey asked the president to consider delaying the consideration of upcoming free trade agreements with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia in order to focus on the American manufacturing industry.

Casey has recently been visiting manufacturing plants across Pennsylvania attempting to rally support to renew funding in the upcoming federal budget for both the TAA and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

The MEP is a nationwide network, which works with small to mid-sized manufacturers to help create and sustain jobs, increase profits and provide innovation strategies. 

According to the MEP, for every dollar of federally invested money into the partnership, $32 of new sales growth is generated. They also claim that for every $1,570 of federal investment, the MEP is able to create or retain one manufacturing job.

Alongside Casey and DiRenzo was Jack Pfunder of the Bethlehem-based Manufacturers Resource Center.

Pfunder said that with the technical and financial assistance provided by TAA, the manufacturing industry is able to innovate and better prepare itself for a successful future.

"People ask me, 'What is the future of manufacturing in the United States?'" Pfunder said. "To me it's pretty simple, manufacturing is the future of the United States and it rests with the researchers of innovation like what we're seeing here today at Puritan Products."

Puritan Products senior vice president Thomas Starner believes it's "absolutely" important for a manufacturing company of Puritan Products' size to receive government funding in this economic climate.

"We don't have the funds internally to do some of these things so getting some government support certainly helps our cause," Starner said.

Puritan Products Provides Funds to Enhance American Red Cross Scrubby Bear Hand Washing Program for Children

  BETHLEHEM, Pa., (Jan. 24, 2011) – Puritan Products, Inc., presented a check for $2,500 to the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley for use in enhancing the agency’s Scrubby Bearâ program. The program teaches children the importance of good hand washing habits in fighting germs and preventing colds.

The program consists of anti-germ fighting mascot Scrubby Bearâ who reminds children and adults that infection can be fought through frequent hand washing.

 “We are proud to support the American Red Cross, one of the most recognizable humanitarian organizations in the world,” Puritan Products President and General Manager Lou DiRenzo stated. “It’s wonderful to know that through this program we can help promote healthier children.”

Puritan’s DiRenzo and Executive Vice President/ Technical Director Tom Starner presented the ceremonious check to Red Cross Regional Executive John R. Hughes, Youth Services Specialist Sherri Boehm, and ‘spokesbear’ Scrubby Bearâ at the Puritan Products facility, Lehigh Valley Industrial Park I in Bethlehem.

 “When Lou heard that our Scrubby Bear program was in dire need of a ‘makeover,’ he immediately offered to help us clean up our image, so to speak, by donating the funds to purchase a new, kid-friendly bear costume,” Hughes said. “We were also able to purchase new program materials and handouts.”

The program is administered by Boehm and Red Cross teen volunteers. “Our youth really enjoy wearing the costume and interacting with the kids. Through story, song and activities, the Scrubby Bearâ program is a fun and memorable lesson. Kids love Scrubby.”

The 20-minute presentation is free and available for children in grade-levels K-3 in schools, faith-based organizations, hospitals, day cares and after-school clubs and programs. The presentation includes Scrubby Bearâ (in costume), a health curriculum for use by teachers, stickers, “Clean Hands Club” pledge cards, poster and coloring pages.

Scrubby Bear presentations may be arranged by contacting Boehm at 610-865-4400, ext. 253 or BoehmS@usa.redcross.org.

 “In addition, because of their level of financial support, Puritan Products is now recognized as one of our 14 trusted Community Partners,” Hughes added. Through the Community Partner Program, businesses become partners with a well-known brand – the American Red Cross – and receive a full year of publicity, promotion, employee benefits, and event sponsorship.

 Puritan Products has provided funding for health and safety programs for other organizations including the Burn Prevention Foundation, Lehigh County Haz-Mat, Han-Le-Co Volunteer Fire Company and the Two Rivers Council of Governments. 

Growth Rate of 56 Percent Lands Bethlehem Company on Inc. Magazine's Exclusive List.

BETHLEHEM, PA (August 12, 2009)--What does Bethlehem-based Puritan Products, Inc. have in common with well-known national companies like Vizio and GoDaddy? Inc. magazine included all three on its third annual "Inc. 5000" list of America's fastest growing private companies.

Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan said, "Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models, as well as older private companies that are still expanding at an impressive rate. That's why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year."

"We are extremely pleased to learn that our company's three-year sales growth rate of 56 percent has earned us a position on the prominent Inc. 5000 list this year," said Lou DiRenzo, president and general manager of Puritan Products, noting that the company ranks 227th among U.S. manufacturers. "More importantly, inclusion in this elite group provides well-deserved recognition to the management and employees of our 22-year-old company. It validates that their commitment and dedication to our new vision is paying off and attracting positive attention and visibility to their organization."

Puritan Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of high-purity, custom-formulated and specialty chemicals. These products are used in research and quality control laboratories, universities, and for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, microelectronics and other industrial markets. Four years ago, the management and employees of Puritan Products set out to reinvent the organization, and committed to substantially grow its market presence by providing precision custom-formulated materials to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. To prepare for future growth, the company is working toward FDA compliance by implementing cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) - which it expects to achieve later this year.

The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005. Additionally, they must be U.S. based, privately held, for profit and independent - not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies - as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million.

To learn more about Puritan Products visit us at: http://www.puritanproducts.com

CONTACT: Louis V. DiRenzo, 610-866-4225 x21, ldirenzo@puritanproducts.com

Puritan Products Inc., in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park I, Bethlehem, has donated $2,000 to the Han-Le-Co Volunteer Fire Company of Hanover Township, Lehigh County. The company has directed that the money be used to buy new training materials for the department's firefighters so they can acquire the most current knowledge and skills about responding to and managing fire and hazardous materials emergencies. Puritan Products is a manufacturer of high purity, custom formulated and specialty chemicals. These products are used in research and quality control laboratories, universities and for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical, microelectronics and other industrial markets.

Copyright © 2009, The Morning Call

Puritan Products of Bethlehem has donated $2,000 to the Lehigh County Hazardous Materials Response Team. The company directed that the funds be applied toward calibration and sensor replacement expenses associated with the hand-held gas monitoring instruments used by first responders. The gas meters are used by the response team when managing hazardous materials incidents in confined spaces. The ongoing expense is necessary to maintain the instruments in a ready state and to assist firefighters in managing hazardous materials emergencies. Puritan Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of high purity custom formulated and specialty chemicals that are used in research and quality control laboratories, universities, and for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical, microelectronics, and other industrial markets.

Copyright © 2009, The Morning Call

By EPBJ Staff - Posted on May 27th, 2009

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $567,245 in support of regional economic development. The investments are with six early-stage technology companies, three established manufacturers, and one infrastructure-building initiative.

BFTP/NEP’s goal is to help lead northeastern Pennsylvania to a better economic future by building partnerships that develop and apply technology for competitive advantage. To achieve this goal, Center staff concentrated their efforts on three key areas:

1. Developing early-stage technology-oriented companies,
2. helping established manufacturers creatively apply new technology and business practices to achieve industry leadership, and
3. promoting an innovative community-wide infrastructure that fosters a favorable business environment for high-growth companies.

Since beginning operation, BFTP/NEP has helped to start 398 new companies, developed 865 new products and processes, created 13,931 new jobs for Pennsylvania workers and retained 20,772 existing jobs. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania is headquartered on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem. It has regional offices in Lewisburg, Reading, and Wilkes-Barre, and operates Ben Franklin TechVentures, an award-winning business incubator/post-incubator facility, in Bethlehem.

Ben Franklin announced the following as one of its established manufacturer company investments:
Puritan Products, Inc., Bethlehem, Northampton County, Ben Franklin Investment: $32,494
University Partner: Lehigh University

Assist Puritan, which custom formulates chemicals to customer specifications, in attaining “Current Good Manufacturing Practices” compliance status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This will allow the company to expand in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets, which require this certification. These industries are experiencing critical and growing needs for raw materials and custom-blended solutions.

Need a high purity solvent blend? A new explosion-proof, stainless steel blending system, designed and constructed in-house, was recently put into service for the manufacture of solvent-based blends. The 500 gallon portable, stand-alone unit on a self-contained skid has all stainless steel fittings and tubing and all Teflon gaskets to make it fully compatible with solvent-based blends. It was designed with features to facilitate flexibility including the ability to change the filtration profile and inert gas blanketing. System features include:

• 316L Stainless Steel construction
• Crevice free welds to minimize particulates and contaminants
• Teflon gaskets
• Clean In Place (CIP) capability with Teflon spray ball to insure complete rinse coverage, thereby eliminating cross-contamination concerns
• 500 Gallon Capacity
• Offset Impeller used for optimization of mixing
• Filtration Bank to enable the use of different filtration media from bag filters to eliminate large particles to 0.1 µ cartridge filters
• Headspace purging with inert gas
• Explosion Proof (Class I; Division 1) to insure safe operation
• Solids or Liquids addition hopper
• Statistical Process Control Capability via flow meters and pressure gauges

For more information about our solvent blending capability as it relates to your needs, please call us at (610) 866-4225 or toll free at (877)-7PURITAN.

Puritan Products hit a milestone by achieving their highest sales in the history of the company in August of 2007. To celebrate this significant event, all employees and their spouses were invited to a local restaurant to enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The increased business is attributed, in part, to the installation of a new solvent blending system that was built to accommodate an ongoing project with one of our key pharmaceutical customers, and an increase in order volume from one of our key contract manufacturing clients. 

President and General Manager, Lou DiRenzo spoke to the crowd of about 30 people thanking them for their contributions to the record sales month. "I am committed to the success of Puritan Products and want to demonstrate my appreciation to the staff by celebrating successes when they occur", says Lou DiRenzo. The company expects that the new business responsible for this increase in sales will be sustainable, and contribute to the attainment of the revenue figures in the company's five-year strategic plan. As a result of this month's success, Puritan Products is anticipating excellent third quarter performance!

Puritan Products has made a recent investment to improve data management in their laboratory with the implementation of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) from Blaze Systems. The system has been installed in our own fully equipped Quality Control Laboratory. 

LIMS is computer software that is used in the laboratory for data management of samples, laboratory users, instruments, standards, and other laboratory functions such as invoicing and work flow automation. Our LIMS is integrated with laboratory instrumentation such as our ICP-OES or Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy which detects metals at very low levels, and our new IC or Ion Chromatograph, which is a form of liquid chromatography that uses ion-exchange resins to separate atomic or molecular ions based on their interaction with the resin. The results generated from the instruments integrated with LIMS are fed directly into the system. This allows a certificate of analysis to be automatically generated without the need for the manual input of data.

The indirect benefit of this function is that human error is eliminated, and the process is standardized. This improvement in data management is consistent with our dedication to continuous improvement as required in the ISO 9001-2000 standard. The LIMS enables us to provide our customers complete traceability and audit trails to insure accountability and auditability. The LIMS also facilitates the organization of all analytical results which can be used to perform statistical analysis. Reports are generated using "Crystal Reports" software although data can be expressed in pdf, csv, xml, Excel, Word and other formats that may be needed to accommodate our customers.

The implementation of the LIMS software has given Puritan Products more capability to meet our customers' needs. It ties all lab work to a relational database that can be used to generate different reporting formats, and the data can be used to perform a wide variety of statistical analyses. This makes this software a very useful tool to satisfy the ever changing needs of our customers. 

Since the LIMS is a modular type of system, it has the ability to be expanded as our needs and the needs of our customers evolve. Our investment in this technology demonstrates our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. It addresses our charge to uphold an important precept in the company's mission statement: Our mission, through empowered employees guided by shared values is to provide high-purity, custom formulated, and specialty chemicals that exceed the expectations of our customers; and to continuously improve our quality systems while doing so. Puritan Products believes the LIMS is a very important tool that will help us exceed our customers' expectations by providing us with the ability to optimize sample turnaround and provide information more quickly.

June, 2007 – Puritan Products, Inc. of Bethlehem, PA is pleased to announce that they have signed a distribution agreement to bring their products and chemical blending services to Mexico.  The signing of this agreement is the result of the company’s participation in a trade mission trip to Mexico arranged through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.   Puritan Products’ distribution partner in Mexico is CIPO, S.A. (Commercializadora Industrial de Pharmacos de Occidente SA de CV).  Puritan Products will join CIPO’s line card along with other companies they represent including:  Spectrum Chemical (USA), Camphor Technologies (USA), New Chem (Italy), Hawk (USA), Unipetrol (Spain), ChemSwiss (Switzerland), and Gujarat Glass (India).  CIPO’s field sales force will concentrate on promoting Puritan Products’ high purity, reagent and electronic grade chemicals.  Emphasis will be placed on finding custom chemical blending opportunities that provide a value position for export to Mexico.  CIPO is well connected to the chemical markets in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.  Guadalajara has earned the nickname as “the Silicon Valley of Mexico”.   Both companies believe that the Puritan Products line of chemicals and services is a natural complement to the other product lines CIPO handles.  CIPO has temperature controlled storage and warehouse facilities and maintains their own fleet of trucks and distribution agreements to meet their customers’ needs.  A marketing program is currently underway to introduce Puritan Products to CIPO’s existing customer base.

Puritan Products, Inc.’s new capabilities brochure has won a Gold Award in the design/creativity category at the MarCom Creative Awards competition. The competition, which is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals.

The brochure, one of 5,000 entries from throughout the U.S. and several other countries, was designed and produced by Kraemer Schurman Advertising & Design, Inc. (KSA&D) — a full-service marketing and advertising firm located in Allentown, PA.

Employing large-scale, full-color photography of our plant and its people, the 12-page brochure highlights our full range of products and support services. Each two-page spread displays a photo of Puritan employees and attention-getting white type/black background on the left-hand page, and a plant shot with short descriptive copy on the right-hand page.

ABOUT PURITAN PRODUCTS, INC.

Puritan Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of high purity custom formulated and specialty chemicals. These products are used in research and quality control laboratories, universities, and for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical, microelectronics, and other industrial markets. Puritan Products, Inc. is based in Bethlehem, PA and has been in business since 1987. For further information, please visit the website at www.puritanproducts.com.

BETHLEHEM, PA - In support of the company's commitment to industry and community safety, health and environmental stewardship, Puritan Products, Inc. has donated $2,000 to the Lehigh County Hazardous Materials Response Team. The company has directed that these funds be used to purchase new training materials for industry and public emergency response personnel to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage a hazardous materials emergency.

As part of its corporate vision and mission, Puritan Products is committed to being a good corporate citizen and doing what it can to facilitate and promote safety within its industry and in the community. "This investment is being made to improve the training of Lehigh County's First Responders and our community's preparedness to respond to hazardous materials emergencies," says Lou Di Renzo, president and general manager of Puritan Products, Inc.

Puritan Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of high purity custom formulated and specialty chemicals. These products are used in research and quality control laboratories, universities, and for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical, microelectronics, and other industrial markets. Puritan Products, Inc. is based in Bethlehem, PA and has been in business since 1987. For more information, please visit the company?s website at www.puritanproducts.com.

BETHLEHEM, PA – Honoring their commitment to industry and community safety, health and

 environmental stewardship, Puritan Products, Inc. has donated $2,000 to the City of Bethlehem Fire Department. The company has directed that these funds be used to purchase and maintain residential smoke alarms for families and individuals within the Fire Department’s jurisdiction who do not have the means to afford them.

As part of its corporate vision and mission, Puritan Products is committed to being a good corporate citizen and doing what it can to facilitate and promote safety within its industry and in the community. “We’re investing in the safety of our community,” says Lou Di Renzo, president and general manager of Puritan Products, Inc.

Puritan Products, Inc. is a manufacturer of high purity custom formulated and specialty chemicals. These products are used in research and quality control laboratories, universities, and for manufacturing in the pharmaceutical, microelectronics, and other industrial markets. Puritan Products, Inc. is based in Bethlehem, PA and has been in business since 1987. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.puritanproducts.com.