Sullivan-Palatek Celebrates its 25/35 Anniversary

Sept. 12, 2019
Sullivan-Palatek is celebrating what the company calls its 25/35 anniversary.

Sullivan-Palatek is celebrating what the company calls its 25/35 anniversary. The number 35 commemorates 35 years ago when a number of employees of Sullair, in Michigan City, Ind., left that company to launch competive air compressor manufacturers such as Vanair Manufacturing, Boss Industries, and Decker Vacuum Co., which are still operating.

     One of those who left was former Sullair president Donald Hoodes, one of the original founders of Sullair. He and former Sullair employee, Paul Laesch, founded Palatek, the name derived from the name Paul Laesch Technologies.

     Ten years later, in July, 1994 Palatek was purchased by GHS Corp. Under GHS, Palatek continued to grow and looked to expand its product offerings and manufacture its own air ends. In 1998 GHS Corp. purchased Sullivan Industries, a New Hampshire company with a long legacy of building diesel-powered portable air compressors. That year would be the beginning of Sullivan-Palatek, and the start of a journey that would lead to incredible growth and diversification. Today Sullivan-Palatek has a manufacturing facility, more than 185 employees, its own air end division, and a wide range of industrial electric and portable diesel air compressors.