Precision Laboratories Celebrates 50 Years of Specialized Chemistries

June 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of Precision Laboratories, a leading provider of specialized chemistries for the agricultural and turf industries.

In 1962, Chicago entrepreneur Jim Wohlner left his sales position with a national chemical distributor and founded Precision Laboratories. The new company specialized in private-label maintenance chemicals for industrial applications. Jim would often spend four days on the road selling, and then return on Fridays to fulfill the orders. As the company grew, Jim hired warehouse personnel and sales representatives to meet growing needs.

In 1976, Precision Laboratories purchased AmChem, an industrial and agricultural chemical distributor. Jim fell in love with the agricultural industry, and it became his passion.

In 1986, Jim Wohlner’s son, Rick, began working for the company. Rick began selling to and establishing relationships with distributors in the professional turf industry. The company positioned spray pattern indicators, adjuvants and surfactants to golf course superintendents through distributors across the country.

In 1995, with a strong vision for the future, Rick Wohlner purchased Precision Laboratories from his father, and narrowed the focus to meeting the needs of the ag and turf markets.

Over the years, Precision Laboratories has introduced groundbreaking chemical and technological innovations, including the first stable blend of ammonium sulfate and surfactant for the agricultural market, the first long-term soil surfactant for the turf market, the first high surfactant oil concentrate adjuvant and the first lake and pond dye in water-soluble packets.

Today, Precision Laboratories continues to be an innovator in specialized chemistries. The company was recently awarded AgProfessional Magazine’s 2011 Top Product of the Year award for their Mix Tank app for the iPhone, and they have already released three new products in the agricultural industry in 2012.

“At Precision Laboratories, we obsess about our customers and their satisfaction just as we obsess about our products and the problems that they solve,” says Rick Wohlner, the president of Precision Laboratories. “We recognize that in the coming years our customers will encounter new pressures, problems and challenges, and we will be there to help them by providing innovative, sensible and effective chemistries.”