ECL

Ecolab Inc.

A maker of water treatment, hygiene, and infection-prevention products, Ecolab serves hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and heavy industry with cleaning chemicals, pest control, and purification systems under brands like Purolite and Bioquell. It began in 1923 when salesman Merritt J. Osborn, inspired by a stain on a hotel carpet, started mixing rug cleaners in a St. Paul basement. A 2011 merger with Nalco turned the company into one of the world's largest water-technology firms.