Lubrication Specialties expands warehouse, appoints COO
Lubrication Specialties Inc. (LSI) announced the expansion of its warehouse with the addition of a 24,000-square-foot facility located in Mt. Gilead, Ohio U.S.A.The facility was purchased to improve efficiency and distribution of the company’s growing Hot Shot’s Secret and LSI Chemical product lines.
The new distribution/shipping hub will help accommodate the 50 plus SKUs of Hot Shot’s Secret products and LSI Chemical products developed and shipped in bulk for international sales.
Since the company’s inception in 1997, Lubrication Specialties has been growing both organically and through acquisition. In 2004, LSI introduced Hot Shot’s Secret Stiction Eliminator and purchased numerous businesses in the following years, including Frantz Filters and Fluid Recovery. In 2020, LSI developed the LSI Chemical division with a focus on developing products in bulk for downstream refinery operations to improve gasoline and diesel fuel performance.
“The purchase of additional warehouse space and a dedicated distribution center became a necessity after the tremendous growth we’ve experienced over the past few years. It is imperative we keep our customers top of mind and that is why this move was needed. We will be able to keep more products in stock, improve shipping efficiencies and ultimately, take better care of our customers,” LSI President Brett Tennar says.
“With the additional Hot Shot’s Secret products now offered on the retail shelf, additional product development, the inception of LSI Chemical and the growth of our e-commerce business, it was only a matter of time until we needed to make this move. We’re also excited about the opportunity to hire more employees at our headquarters in central Ohio for the warehouse. This new warehouse will add much needed space for all our finished goods shipped domestically and internationally,” Tennar adds.
In related news, Lubrication Specialties announced the appointment of James Palasota as chief operating officer (COO). Palasota has an excellent record of developing startups into global brands, conceptualizing strategic direction and developing the internal processes to ensure integration at all levels of operations. As vice president of sales and marketing for Sottera, Inc., he secured strategic partnerships in retail channels with multiple Fortune 500 companies growing sales to USD4 million. He also was responsible for rolling out a global sales strategy. As vice president of Illumination International, Palasota successfully executed and led strategies to make its product a household name. Most recently, he served as COO for AFC Industries and Herbal Brands and as senior vice president of operations for UtekTik, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A.
