Apex Engineering Products Corp, 1241 Shoreline Dr, Aurora, IL 60504, US

"Ralph Mason founded Mason Metals Company in 1949 with the idea of reclaiming tin from process concentrates... which came, primarily, from nearby steel mills. While it was intended to be a profitable venture, the new company also provided a service to the mills by alleviating the problem of the disposing of concentrates containing tin. As a result, Mason became a recycler long before recycling became a popular trend and was one of the early benefactors to the environment. In the mid-1970s the company expanded its operation to include the manufacture of two tin-based chemicals - stannic chloride and stannous chloride - which are widely used by a variety of industries. Applications for the products include coating glass bottles to make them less fragile ( in fact, almost half of all glass bottles used in the USA have Mason Corporation coatings ) and, because tin has a long-standing reputation for safe contact with foodstuffs, it's used as the plating material in the manufacture of tin cans. The products are also used in the production of vitamin E and other pharmaceuticals, in petrochemical refining, computer chips, silvering mirrors, in light bulb and solar panel manufacture, and by high technology industries in the manufacture of microelectronics. When the first cavity-fighting toothpaste was introduced, Ralph Mason had a part in its development. In fact, Ralph Mason holds a patent for the process used to make stannous fluoride, the active ingredient in the original product. Mason is a world-wide specialty chemical company that provides resources, technological services and products to a wide variety of industries. Our international markets include England, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Republic of South Africa, Columbia, Malaysia, the Middle East, Japan, Canada, Ireland, Guatemala, Norway, Denmark, India and Kenya. We have helped form plants with entrepreneurs in Vanderbiljpark, Republic of South Africa, and Manila in the Philippines. Plans are currently underway for further plant expansions into Europe and the Far East. In the United States, from our plant in Schererville, Indiana, we ship to 35 of the 50 states and to over 20 foreign countries. Ralph Mason, Chairman of Mason Metals and Chemical Company, graduated from Indiana University in 1936 with a B.S. degree in chemistry. Von Mason, P.D., graduated from Purdue University in 1960 with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and is an army veteran. Don Mason is a graduate of the University of the Americas, Mexico, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and business and is also an army veteran. Carmen ( Mason ) Kelleher holds degrees in business from Purdue and education from Calumet College. Steve Mason ( Von's son ) attended Purdue University. Mason Corporation's Schererville plant employs residents of the northwest Indiana community. Since 1949, Mason Corporation has played an active part in community affairs through sponsorship of many area sports teams such as Little League baseball, the Schererville Soccer League and girls softball in Cedar Lake, Indiana. Mason Corporation has also donated scientific equipment to local high schools and provided research grants to Purdue University. An annual scholarship is offered. We take pride in our company, our people, the products we provide to our customers and in the community in which we operate. It is our firm commitment to continue to be a good neighbor."