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foam companies have an incredibly shady history in California -- my dad was the customer of one in the 80s, the owner had hired an incompetent forklift worker a
by serf 4y ago
foam companies have an incredibly shady history in California -- my dad was the customer of one in the 80s, the owner had hired an incompetent forklift worker and a huge chemical spill proceeded.
I remember my dad getting a phone call in the middle of the night from the owner 20+ years ago : " X, you've always been a great customer of mine, if you want or need anything I have at the shop then you're free to come get it tonight."
We got in the car and got sheet after sheet of urethane foams, we were using it for aerospace and bicycle stuff at the time, as well as some small hand tools and miscellaneous stuff that he offered us.
The facility was chained and barred that next morning
A week later the entire facility burned down
A month later people from the EPA started contacting the owners' business partners and larger contracts; turns out that after the fire there was some extensive soil testing, and the owner and anyone involved was nowhere to be found to be asked to pay for the extensive environment rehabilitation to deal with (among other things, i'm sure) the huge chemical spill.
We never heard from the owner again. I don't know whether or not the fire was an accident , but even as a kid I just presumed it was a failed fraudulent cover-up attempt or insurance grab; but I guess we'll never properly know.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if Clark Foams shut down as a preventative measure to avoid a huge EPA hassle for the owner; making foam is a nasty business, and it's expensive to do it by-the-book.
- beamgirl 4y agoThe previous owners of my house are, from what I hear around town, in hiding from the EPA for kinda similar reasons. All kinds of interesting mail comes for them, only to be returned to sender.
- bombcar 4y agoThe main difference is it’s well known where Clark is, and he’s not been served with anything.
- KennyBlanken 4y ago> It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if Clark Foams shut down as a preventative measure to avoid a huge EPA hassle for the owner; making foam is a nasty business, and it's expensive to do it by-the-book. No, it's cheap to do it not-by-the-book, and that lets people undercut innovators and those doing things legally and/or in an environmentally sound way. Clark was engaging in dumping to fight off anyone who dared to try to compete with him or innovate. I don't know if he was able to do so because he was cutting environmental corners, but he sure does seem like the type to not have a problem doing it. Edit: yup, from another article, he shut down because he didn't want to comply with environmental, fire and emissions regulations. Big surprise. And now that there isn't a massive asshole strangle-holding the entire industry? Wouldn't you know it, innovation has blossomed, including a slew of far more environmentally friendly manufacturing methods: > Even better, experimentation was finally unfettered. In the years since Clark’s closure, a kaleidoscope of weird foams have been developed. Reclaimed foams, mushrooms, algae, and even agricultural feed stock refuse are finding their way into the blank manufacturer’s recipe book. Nothing is off the table. Blanks can be made in far less toxic a manner, and that last for far longer than anything Clark ever produced.
- tomcam 4y agoLove that story. I’m from your neck of the woods. But… what were your aerospace applications? Experimental aircraft?