Zotos To Build Wind Power Plant in Geneva, NY

Zotos To Build Wind Power Plant in Geneva, NY

Zotos International Inc. has gotten the green light for a $7 million on-site wind power project for its manufacturing plant in Geneva, NY. Construction is expected to begin next month, according to Zotos, which is based in Darien, CT.

“We appreciate the City of Geneva, its leaders, community residents, Ontario County, the State of New York and numerous others who worked so hard on this project over the past year-and-a-half for their support and faith in Zotos’ future,” said Anthony Perdigao, vice president of plant operations at Zotos. “It’s incredibly exciting and gratifying to see our wind energy project move forward, and we are thrilled to showcase a success story for the new, green global economy.”

Perdigao credited last year’s federal stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), for covering 30% of the project’s costs. With this assistance, Zotos expects to see a return on investment in less than five years.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Zotos’ project is the largest wind project of any manufacturing company in the U.S. The Zotos project is comprised of two 1,650 kW wind turbines that will generate approximately 7,500 mWh of renewable energy every year.

The company, a subsidiary of Shiseido, is investing in wind power as part of a sustainability initiative aimed at powering its 670,000-sq.-ft. plant with 100% renewable energy by the end of 2011.

The firm has already invested $30 million at its Geneva plant in just the past three and a half years.


HallStar Redesigns StarNet Web Network
The HallStar Company has redesigned StarNet, the HallStar Media Network, making it easier than ever to get updates on webinars and news about the company.

“The StarNet redesign is part of our ongoing technology improvement process,” said Justin Bill, E-business manager, HallStar. “We are constantly evaluating our online communications efforts to make sure we are connecting with our visitors quickly and effectively.”

StarNet was first launched in 2009. Now with easier navigation, the company’s webinar series is prominently featured on the site with an easy scroll-and-click menu, which makes it simple to find a specific topic. Formulators and compounders who want to learn about personal care and polymer additive chemistry will find 15-25 minute online seminars on a range of topics—from sunscreen products to color formulations to polymeric plasticizers—as well as the latest news and releases about the company and its products.

“Thousands of scientists have visited hallstar.com to watch our webinars and to get information about the company,’ said Susan Nutter, communications manager. “The new design makes it even easier to find the information you need when you need it.”

The HallStar webinar series available at StarNet includes the following personal care topics: New High Performance Photostabilizer for Sun Care: SolaStay S1; HallStar Ingredients for Color Cosmetics: HallBrite BHB; Improving Sunscreen Photostability with Polycrylene; Improving Sunscreen Photostability with HallBrite BHB and Spectrasolv DMDA.

TRI-K Names Laserson SA French Market Distributor
TRI-K Industries, Northvale, NJ, has tapped Laserson SA as its exclusive distributor for the French market.

Laserson, a specialized French supplier of ingredients to the beauty care and health product sectors, will distribute TRI-K’s full line of specialty ingredients and proteins for the cosmetics and personal care market. Independently operated since its inception in 1933, the company has developed as a manufacturer and distributor to become a leading expert in ingredients in the French market. The company has historically relied for its growth on products with a high technological content, requiring close creative, technical and regulatory attention, which has led them to develop a genuinely expert approach, according to TRI-K.

“TRI-K has long recognized the importance of the French market. Through our partnership with Laserson, we hope to deliver exciting new solutions to our French customers, supported by technical knowledge and expertise,” said Ben Blinder, TRI-K’s director of customer service and supplier relations.

According to TRI-K, Laserson’s focus on high end, specialty actives makes them an ideal distribution partner for TRI-K’s line of cosmetic solutions, including specialty proteins and derivatives, organic and inorganic sunscreens, Sensiques naturally aromatic extracts and Fision line of formulated ingredient systems.

LRP Foundation: Call for Abstracts for Research Awards
La Roche-Posay (LRP) announced a call for abstracts for the La Roche-Posay North American Foundation’s 2011 Research Awards, further supporting the development of dermatology research for residents and fellows.

The LRP Foundation is a non-profit organization created in France in 1985, whose mission is to support dermatology research in order to improve the quality of life of men, women and children across the world. The LRP Foundation exists in four continents (Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia), completing the Foundation’s worldwide reach. Members of the La Roche-Posay North American Scientific Committee evaluate research abstracts submitted.

Winners will be announced at the 2011 AAD Annual Meeting held in February in New Orleans, LA. In 2010, three projects were awarded.

Proposals should include a one-page abstract, research plan and budget totaling no more than 10 pages, curriculum vitae of applicant and letter of support from a mentor or chief of dermatology. Next year’s grants include two $10,000 awards for research by dermatology residents, fellows and new dermatologists in practice for up to two years.

Proposals should be sent in duplicate postmarked by Dec. 1, 2010 to the following address: Secretariat General of the Foundation La Roche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique 575 Fifth Avenue, 20th Floor New York, NY 10017 Attention: Jen Mendenhall.


CIBS Celebrates Summer; Sets Date for Holiday Ball
On July 8, more than 720 attendees came to the summer Cosmetic Industry Buyers & Suppliers (CIBS) annual luncheon at a new venue—The Central Park Boathouse restaurant. Traditionally held at Central Park’s Tavern on the Green restaurant, the sale of the property and construction resulted in a relocation of this year’s CIBS event, which was deemed a success by the organization.

In related news, CIBS has announced the date and new venue for its Annual Holiday Ball: Dec. 4 at the Grand Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Microsite Honors ICMAD CITY Award Winners
Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors (ICMAD) has created a special microsite on its website to celebrate the winners of the 7th annual CITY Awards for Cosmetic Innovators of The Year. The CITY Awards were presented during the ICMAD annual meeting and dinner on June 17 in New York City.

At www.icmad.org/citywinners/index .html, visitors can view the winning companies and their products and ideas, as well as the judges’ statements on why each was named the winner—all in a highly entertaining and informative way.

“We pride ourselves on bringing attention to the entrepreneurial spirit of our members. The CITY Awards, and this new highly visual electronic presentation of the Awards, highlight our members to a broad and interested audience,” said ICMAD executive director Penni Jones.

Ehring, BLC Thalgo Form JV for U.S. Market
Ehring Enterprises, Fort Lauderdale, FL, has formed a joint venture with Laboratoires BLC Thalgo Cosmetic S.A., Roquebrunes Sur Argens, France. The new JV—Thalgo America LLC—will serve all of the U.S. market including national accounts and the spa industry nationwide.

Liz Verbruggen, former president, U.S. operations for Aromatherapy Associates Inc., has been appointed national sales director of Thalgo America.

K2 Pure To Install Clean Energy at Bleach Plant
K2 Pure Solutions (K2) and Ballard Power Systems have finalized a sales agreement for deployment of a clean energy fuel cell power generator to be located at a K2 Pure Solutions bleach plant in Pittsburg, CA. Ballard’s Cleargen fuel cell system will convert by-product hydrogen into clean load-following electricity that will partially offset power demand at the state-of-the-art plant.

K2’s vertically integrated plant will generate the highest quality safer produced bleach than bleach typically manufactured from chlorine transported by railcar, according to the company.

The Cleargen system will utilize by-product hydrogen that would otherwise be burned to generate heat. In supplementing its power requirements with the 163 kilowatt fuel cell generator, K2 Pure Solutions will displace approximately 220 tons of CO2 emissions annually, equivalent to removing almost 40 passenger cars from the road. This installation will be supported by California’s Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), which has to date created more than 337 megawatts of clean, rebated energy capacity for the state.

K2 Pure Solutions was founded by David Cynamon and Howard Brodie, founders of KIK Custom Products, a North American-based contract manufacturer of private label household bleach, personal care and household cleaning products.

AkzoNobel Smart Phone Link Provides Quick Access
For customers constantly on the go, AkzoNobel Global Personal Care is adding a Microsoft Tag app to its advertisements that will enable customers caught up in traveling or rushing from meeting to meeting to access its website quickly via the one business tool they are never without—their smart phone.

Once a customer has downloaded the free Microsoft Tag Reader (from http://
gettag.mobi), the AkzoNobel website will be just a snap of the smart phone away. Downloads are available for Blackberry, Android, iPhone, PalmOS, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, J2ME (Beta) and Java 2 Micro Edition (Beta) handsets. A choice of languages includes English, Spanish, French, Italian, Turkish and Chinese (simplified, PRC).

“Including the tag on our ads enables us to take advantage of our advertising not only as a visual reminder of our products and capabilities but also as a quick conduit for our very active customer base to the wealth of product, formulation and technical information contained on our website,”noted Katherine Spetrino, marketing specialist, Global Personal Care. “The Microsoft Tag is programmed to track where the website hits are coming from, which will help us to better serve our customers with superior results, faster.”

Alterna Professional Holds First Education Summit
Alterna Professional Haircare held its first Alterna Stylist University (ASU) in Columbus, OH, where Alterna professionals from across North America came for hair education.Over two days, 45 artists participated in classes ranging from product education to retail issues to cutting skills. Participants also got a first look at the 2010 Mind, Body and Spirit Collection, Alterna’s new cutting/styling collection created by the company’s global creative director Michael Shaun Corby.

“Salon owners and professional stylists are fundamental to what we do,” explained Corby.“They are trusted ambassadors of the Alterna brand, so we are always looking for new and exciting ways to give them the products, knowledge and technology to make them successful in their trade, and ultimately to drive sales.”

Beauty Bus Foundation Celebrates First Anniversary of Service Beauty Bus Foundation, the non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for homebound, terminally or chronically ill individuals and their primary caregivers with free in-home beauty treatments, has arrived at its first anniversary. The group has affected the lives of more than 100 patients and their caregivers with the help of celebrity supporters such as Sandra Bullock, beauty industry firms including OPI, Bosley Professional Strength, Bare Escentuals and Cargo Cosmetics, and countless professional beauty volunteers. Treatments include haircuts and styles, manicures, pedicures, makeup applications and facials by professionals within the beauty industry. “What has grown out of a way to honor the memory of our cousin and sister Melissa Marantz Nealy and a dream to bring the lift and gift of beauty to other families suffering from disease is astounding,” said Alicia Marantz Liotta and Wendy Marantz Levine, co-founders. “The outpouring of support from the beauty industry and the community has made it possible for Beauty Bus to serve over 100 patients and caregivers. We are looking forward to continued expansion and the ability to provide respite on a wider scale.” More info: www.beautybus.org