Chester Labs, Inc.

In 1939, with little money and a lot of desire, the company that would later become known as Chester Labs was formed. Using a house for an office, a garage for a workshop and part of a tobacco warehouse in Erlanger, Kentucky for a manufacturing plant, the Thermocor Company was started.
Canned heat was Thermocor's original product. It was used for the soldiers in the field during World War II, to heat and keep their food warm. This product is similar to the canned heat on the market today.

At the end of the war, the demand for canned heat had diminished. Thermocor survived by diversifying into the pottery industry. Some of the finest pottery was produced in this little production facility and people from all over the country came to purchase it.

In the late 1940's Thermocor began to produce medical products. Still operating with the same facility and staff, lotion and enemas were manufactured for hospitals around the country. A vinyl one piece enema tube was developed and patented. This revolutionary design is still in use today.

In the late sixties, the original owner, Chester Eaton, passed away and the company was sold. In 1973, it won a contract to produce enemas for Armour Pharmaceutical exclusively. This contract changed the face of the old production facility and also created the name Chester Labs. Thermocor was still producing for the existing customer base, while Chester Labs was responsible for the Armour Pharmaceutical products. The contract lasted only for a few years, so new products had to be developed and marketed to sustain the business. Liquid soaps and shampoos were added to the product line.

Chester Labs continued to grow with the help of an ambitious sales and marketing program, and the Thermocor name was eventually dropped. A new warehouse was built, increasing space from 10,000 sq. ft. to approximately 25,000 sq. ft., and compounding was installed. Chester Labs' lotion and enema were being used in hospitals and nursing homes across the United States. With the expanded product line and an increased customer base, Chester Labs was rapidly outgrowing its manufacturing facility.

In 1994 it was out with the old and in with the new. A new 42,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, that is. A fresh look and marketing approach for its products, as well as increased inventory and improved service for its customers has positioned Chester Labs for the success it currently enjoys. Chester Labs continues to grow, but will always strive to maintain its "family feeling," and provide superior, cost-effective products for its customers.