GOSHEN — Brunk Corp. has built its reputation and success on distributing plastic products by rail and truck and moving other freight. Now the company has added a new division to provide environmental-friendly products to melt ice and snow and suppress dust.
Eco Surface Solutions is the new division and joins Brunk and its other division AJP Corp. operating out of the facility on Logan Street and its Minneapolis, Minn., location.
“We made a considerable effort to push these products in our local areas and markets,” said Tracy Bartow, president of Brunk, AJP and Eco Surface Solutions.
Eco Surface Solutions is marketing a liquid de-icer product that can be applied by itself or combined with rock salt to make the salt more effective, thus reducing the amount of salt needed, according to Bartow. Also, the liquid increases the range of temperatures that salt will melt ice, which moves down to -10 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.
“We wanted to give it its own brand,” Bartow said. That has now happened and Bill Kinney, national sales director for Eco Surface Solutions, has been traveling the Midwest and eastward.
“It’s a unique product whose time as come,” Kinney said.
The liquid is a byproduct of ethanol production and Kinney said it reduces the amount of salt needed on highways and parking lots and it also is an anticorrosive, so it also limits the corrosive effect of salt.
“By mixing it with salt you can use quite a bit less salt, up to half in most cases,” Kinney said.
The product has been used by the Elkhart County Highway Department and the Goshen Street Department. Kinney markets to similar road departments in his sales area, but private entities are also big customers. Kinney said he calls on hospitals and universities, all who are looking to increase their “green” status.
“That is a huge marketing point for us to go in and sell our products,” Bartow said.
Kinney and Bartow believe that liquid additives to chloride de-icers will become commonplace in the future because the public wants less salt going into their watersheds and soils. Bartow also believes the federal government will get involved in the process in the future.
“I believe it will be mandated,” he said.
Kinney agreed. “Once you put salt out, there is stays and leaches into the soil,” he said.
One unique aspect of Ice Ban, Kinney said, is that when it is applied before an ice or snow event it prevents the ice and snow from sticking to a road, sidewalk or parking lot.
Products
Eco Surface Solutions sells two products based on the IceBan liquid — IceBan 305 Liquid to be used before a storm and IceBan Professional Blend — which is a blend of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride and IceBan 305. The company also sells bulk rock salt and spray equipment for applying the IceBan from all-terrain vehicles or trucks, and poly tanks for liquid storage.
Summer products
The demand for de-icers evaporates during the summer months and Eco Surface Solutions’ other business is the application of dust control products. Next week those going to the Elkhart County 4-H Fair will benefit from the company’s generosity, as it donates dust control products to the fairgrounds.
Unlike the de-icing products, Eco Surface Solutions applies the dust control chemicals for its customers. The company has ventured as far away as North Carolina to apply its dust control products, according to Bartow.
The company’s diversification has been the right move during the economic downturn which has reduced the demand for plastic products, according to Bartow.
“This diversification has really helped keep us afloat and we feel it has much more potential, Bartow said.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Tracy Bartow and Bill Kinney of Brunk Corp., stand next to an AJP truck that is used for dust control. Brunk has created a new division to market liquid additives for ice and snow removal on roadways. One of the company�s 10,000-gallon storage tanks can be seen in the background at left. Roger Schneider | The Goshen News
Brunk branching out
- Local News
-
-
Police probe possible fatal crash near Bristol
Elkhart County rescue crews responded to a possible double fatal traffic crash on Ind. 15 just south of C.R. 112 at 9:13 p.m. Friday night. Ind. 15 was closed to non-emergency traffic and a Samaritan medical helicopter landed at the scene to assist with rescue efforts.
-
Goshen teen who shot himself Tuesday arrested for using sawed-off gun in robbery
A 17-year-old male recently admitted to IU Health Goshen Hospital for a self-inflicted gunshot wound has been arrested in connection with the robbery of a BP gas station in Goshen this past Sunday.
-
Wild phlox can be found this time of year
Nature’s bounty can sometimes produce unexpected beauty in the form of wildflowers that can pop up anywhere and everywhere. They can be some of the most exhilarating because of the unusual colors, the delicacy of the blossoms, or simply their choice of location to grow.
-
Rinker Foundation donates $5,000 for new ‘learning’ toys
SYRACUSE — The kids are happy. The teachers are excited. The director is pleased. Best of all, at Lakeland Learning Center is using new educational toys to prepare preschoolers to hit the ground running in kindergarten.
-
Syracuse town manager says changes can be difficult
SYRACUSE — Local residents want to know when the piers will be put in for those who swim near the Oakwood Inn. Other concerns revolve around trees on the property, the new waste management and water bills being sent since the town annexed the area several months ago.
-
DeFries Gardens to host annual art show
The third annual DeFries Gardens, “In the Garden,” Juried Art Show, will take place June 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DeFries Garden, 17477 CR 46, New Paris.
-
Residents want to see Oakwood revitalized, but how?
SYRACUSE — The receivership status of the Oakwood Inn property in Syracuse expired in April. On Friday, the Kosciuscko County Superior Court I granted that Ian Rolland will continue as the receiver.
-
Goshen grad takes jazz overseas with BSU ensemble
GOSHEN — A Goshen High School graduate feels his recent jazz music tour to China helped him grow as a musician and as a person.
-
City planning to reroof Rogers pavilion
GOSHEN — The historic Rogers Park pavilion that was damaged in an arson fire March 21 will be repaired if zoning and state permits are obtained.
-
Man pleads guilty to robbery
GOSHEN — A Nappanee man pleaded guilty in Elkhart County Circuit Court to his involvement in a March robbery in Nappanee.
- More Local News Headlines
-
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
