Labor Day was this week and EcoTech Marine Finance Director Pat Clasen took a brief getaway to sunny Orlando, FL, home of Disney World and Universal Studios. But this trip was no pleasure cruise for Clasen, as he attended the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America to unveil the MP-60, a “magnum-sized” aquarium pump designed for tanks 150 gallons and larger. This is the third pump in the Bethlehem company’s product line, which allows aquarium owners to replicate natural water currents with a pump motor that never touches the water, creating cleaner tanks. Now that they can work in larger systems, Clasen and the rest of the ETM team are working to bring the technology to new markets.
The diversification process got a big lift with the release of the Inc 5000 rankings released last week. After recording nearly 1,000 percent growth over the last three years, ETM was ranked No. 302, making them the third-fastest growing company from PA on the list. Capitalizing on the recognition, ETM created EcoTechConsulting.com, a search team seeking out new product applications like the spa market and the life sciences sector. The announcement, Clasen says, is just another step toward an expansion that ETM believes is a long time coming.
“We have identified a couple of specific growth industries for us,” says Clasen. “Our technology allows for a very sterile environment and our wireless systems integration has multiple pumps working within a given system.”
Founded in 2003, EcoTech Marine expanded on biological research projects at Lehigh University aimed at creating more natural fresh-water environments for researchers. ETM pumps already aid in the study of coral and the effort to repopulate endangered coral systems in the wild. With this larger pump technology, the company hopes to contribute to bacteria cultures and algae research for life sciences and biofuel projects. Their hope is that a new product and some national press will ease the transition into new markets.
“Where this really helps us is gaining recognition within the community,” says Clasen. “It’s a big thing for us to be recognized as successful on a national scale and that helps us when we talk with banks and our suppliers when they know that they are working with a company that is one of the fastest growing in the U.S.”
Source: Pat Clasen, EcoTech Marine
Writer: John Steele