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On July 21, 2005 Wilbur Ellis Company purchased Material Resources International Corporation, a chemical distribution business located in the Philippines. “The Material Resources operations are very complementary to our existing chemical distribution business in the Philippines, which were started in 1898, and to the entire Connell Bros. network on the Pacific Rim,” said Wilbur-Ellis Company President and Chief Executive Officer Herbert B. Tully in announcing the acquisition. “Material Resources serves its customers in the Philippines with a broad range of specialty chemicals for a variety of industrial uses.
In the joint announcement, John Hawkins, President of Material Resources, confirmed the importance of aligning his organization with Wilbur-Ellis Company. “Having Material Resources and Connell Bros./Wilbur-Ellis working together provides us with more critical mass that we need to grow our business. This association will provide us access to additional products, suppliers, capital and customers and enable us to focus on providing broader services to our customers in the Philippines markets. Connell Bros. is a well respected name in the Philippines and we are very pleased to be a member of the Wilbur-Ellis family of companies.”
Following the acquisition the Material Resources business will be merged with that of Connell Bros. Philippines and will then be managed by John Hawkins. Connell Bros. Philippines is a part of the Connell Bros. operations across Asia Pacific and distributes specialty chemicals for various industries across the region. Connell. Bros., a division of Wilbur-Ellis Company, is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Commenting on the acquisition, Ted Eliot, President of Connell Bros., noted that, “Material Resources is an excellent fit for Connell Bros. Philippines and provides us with access to new group of suppliers, products and customers. The combined businesses will offer expanded opportunities for our employees, better market access for our suppliers and improved service to our customers. Material Resources adds to our position in the Philippines and to our strong and growing business in specialty chemicals distribution in the region and significantly enhances our ability to expand our business.”
Founded in 1921 and with total sales exceeding $1.5 billion, Wilbur Ellis Company specializes in the marketing, distribution and formulation of crop protection products, fertilizers and animal feedstuffs. Through its Connell Bros. and Animal Feed divisions, Wilbur Ellis exports industrial chemicals, minerals and fibers and certain animal feedstuffs throughout the Pacific Rim.
For more information, please visit www.wilburellis.com