Page 33: of Marine News Magazine (April 2013)

Elastec/American Marine may well be the largest manu- facturer of oil spill and environmental equipment in North America, but it is technology and innovation that are quickly propelling the Þ rm to the top of the markets. With six U.S. locations, three foreign ofÞ ces and a network of global dealers, ISO 9001 certiÞ ed-Elastec produces a range of products that includes oil spill equipment (skimmers, containment boom, Þ re boom, dispersant application equipment), incinerators, vacuum systems, portable tanks, pumps and a dozen more entries. While the Þ rm serves more than one niche segment, ElastecÕs design and manufacturing of patented drum and grooved disc oil skimmers, containment and Þ re booms and the recently acquired BoomVane boom deployment system are perhaps its most exciting and readily visible products. In the beginning, CEO Donnie Wilson and Vice President Jeff Cantrell combined their knowledge and skills of weld- ing, manufacturing, and oil Þ eld service with the invention of a drum oil skimmer and established Elastec in 1989. Since then, the Þ rm has been deÞ ned by its development of innovative products and systems, some strategic acquisi- tions and ever-increasing sales in over 145 countries. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 was a deÞ ning mo- ment in the success of ElastecÕs sister company, American Marine, with Þ re boom (developed in conjunction with 3M), a containment system for the controlled burning of oil spills. Eventually, Elastec and American Marine merged in 2012, but not before the two Þ rmsÕ combined response team was deployed to the U.S. Gulf for three months to lead the controlled oil burn operation after the Macondo blowout. Wilson and Cantrell, along with a team of em- ployees, corralled more than 300,000 barrels of oil with the patented Hydro-Fire Boom system, a state-of-the-art inß atable Þ re resistant, water-cooled boom designed to contain and burn surface oil offshore to protect sensitive shoreline habitats. More recently, Elastec/American Marine were awarded the $1 million Þ rst place prize for a remarkable and histor- ic achievement for cleaning up crude oil: Grooved Discs. The competition involved more than 350 entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists worldwide to develop innovative, rapidly deployable, and highly efÞ cient methods of captur- ing crude oil from the ocean surface. According to Donnie Wilson, the award Ð beyond its utility and the good that it can accomplish Ð was especially rewarding to Elastec share- holders, since he had expended almost $500,000 of their money to make it happen.The effort to improve and develop rapid response meth- ods and equipment to aid oil spill response efforts led Elas- tec in 2012 to acquire the marketing and manufacturing www.marinelink.com MN April2013 Layout 32-49.indd 33MN April2013 Layout 32-49.indd 334/3/2013 12:44:06 PM4/3/2013 12:44:06 PM