Exhibit 10.18

                                    AGREEMENT

     WHEREAS,  AMCOL  International  Corporation  (the  "Company")  considers it
essential  and in the best  interests  of the  Company and its  shareholders  to
foster the continued employment of its key management personnel;

     WHEREAS,  Frank B. Wright, Jr.  ("Employee") is considered a key management
employee, currently serving as Vice President of AMCOL International Corporation
and President of Volclay International, Inc.

     WHEREAS,  the Company desires to assure the future continuity of Employee's
services  in the event of any  actual or  threatened  "Change  in  Control"  (as
defined in Section 6 below) of the Company.

     IT IS THEREFORE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

     1. Effect of  Agreement.  This  Agreement  shall be  effective  and binding
immediately upon its execution. However, except as specifically provided herein,
this Agreement shall not alter materially  Employee's  duties and obligations to
the Company and the  remuneration  and benefits  which  Employee may  reasonably
expect to receive from the Company in the absence of a Change in Control.

     2. Employment On and After Change in Control. Provided that the employee is
an employee of the Company immediately prior to a Change in Control, the Company
shall employ Employee, and Employee shall accept such employment, effective upon
such Change in Control for a period of twenty-four (24) months after said Change
in Control  subject to the terms and conditions  stated herein.  For purposes of
this  paragraph  only,  employment  by a  current  or former  subsidiary  of the
Company,  is the same as  employment  by the  Company  on or  after a Change  in
Control.

     3. Duties After Change in Control.  Employee agrees that during the term of
his employment with the Company after a Change in Control,  he shall perform the
duties  described  herein  and  such  other  duties  for  the  Company  and  its
subsidiaries  consistent  with  his  experience  and  training  as the  Board of
Directors  of the Company  (the  "Board") or the Board's  representatives  shall
determine from time to time, which duties shall be at least  substantially equal
in status, dignity and character to his duties at the date hereof. He shall also
have  the  title  of Vice  President  of  AMCOL  International  Corporation  and
President of Volclay  International,  Inc. Employee further agrees to devote his
entire  working time and  attention  to the  business of the Company  and/or its
current  or  former  subsidiaries  and use his  best  efforts  to  promote  such
business.
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     4. Compensation Prior to a Change in Control.  Prior to a Change in Control
the Company agrees to pay Employee  compensation  for his services in an amount,
and to provide him with life insurance,  disability,  health and other benefits,
as agreed between Employee and the Company from time to time. For the purpose of
this  Section,  compensation  does not  include  any  bonus  or other  incentive
compensation  plan or stock purchase  plan,  which may vary from year to year at
the discretion of the Company.

     5. Termination of Employment  Prior to a Change in Control.  Employee shall
be entitled to terminate his employment prior to a Change in Control at any time
upon sixty (60) days' prior  written  notice.  The Company  shall be entitled to
terminate Employee's employment at any time prior to a Change in Control with or
without  cause upon sixty (60) days'  prior  written  notice (or the  payment of
salary in lieu  thereof).  This  Section  shall not be  construed  to reduce any
accrued  benefits  payable in  connection  with any  termination  of  Employee's
employment prior to a Change in Control.

     Nothing  expressed or implied in this  Agreement  shall create any right or
duty on the part of the  Company  or  Employee  to have  Employee  remain in the
employment of the Company prior to a Change in Control.

     6. Termination of Employment On or After a Change in Control.

          (a) For purposes of this  Agreement the term "Change in Control" means
     the change in the legal or beneficial  ownership of fifty-one percent (51%)
     of the shares of the Company's common stock within a six-month period other
     than by death or operation of law, or the sale of ninety  percent  (90%) or
     more of the Company's  aggregate assets within a six-month period.  Sale of
     the Company's  stock in a subsidiary or a subsidiary's  assets shall not be
     considered a Change in Control.

          (b)  Employee's  employment  on and after a Change in  Control  may be
     terminated  with just  cause by the  Company at any time upon not less than
     ten (10) days' prior written notice. Prior to termination for just cause on
     and after a Change in  Control,  the Board of  Directors  shall by majority
     vote  have  declared  that   Employee's   termination  is  for  just  cause
     specifically stating the basis for such determination.  In the event such a
     termination occurs, the provisions of Section 9(a) shall apply.

          Employee's  employment  may be  terminated  on or  after a  Change  in
     Control  without  just  cause  pursuant  to  the  constructive  termination
     procedures  described  in  the  next  paragraph  or by the  Company  giving
     Employee not less than thirty (30) days' prior written notice. In the event
     Employee's employment is terminated pursuant to the preceding sentence:

               (i) the provisions of Section 9(b) below shall apply; and
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               (ii)  although   Employee's   employment  term  shall  be  deemed
          terminated  at the end of such  notice  period  (or,  in the case of a
          constructive  termination  described in the next paragraph,  as of the
          date  Employee  notifies  the  Company  of  such  termination),   such
          termination  shall  in no way  affect  the term of this  Agreement  or
          Employee's duties or other obligations.

          For purposes of this Section  6(b),  Employee  shall be  considered as
     having been  terminated  by the Company on or after a Change in Control for
     other than just cause  provided  that he has notified the Company of any of
     the following within thirty (30) days of the occurrence thereof:

               (i) the  assignment  to Employee of any duties of lesser  status,
          dignity  and  character  than  his  duties  immediately  prior  to the
          effective date of the Change in Control or a substantial  reduction in
          the  nature  or status of his  responsibilities  from  those in effect
          immediately prior to the effective date of the Change in Control;

               (ii)  a  post-Change  in  Control  reduction  by the  Company  in
          Employee's annual base salary or bonus or incentive plan (as in effect
          immediately prior to the effective date of the Change in Control);

               (iii) relocation of Employee's office to a location which is more
          than 50 miles from the location in which  Employee  principally  works
          for the Company  immediately prior to the effective date of the Change
          in Control;  the  relocation of the  appropriate  principal  executive
          office  of  the  Company  or  the  Company's   operating  division  or
          subsidiary for which  Employee  performed the majority of his services
          for the  Company  during the year prior to the  effective  date of the
          Change in Control  to a location  which is more than 50 miles from the
          location of such office  immediately  prior to such date; or his being
          required by the Company,  in order to perform duties of  substantially
          equal  status,  dignity and  character  to those  duties he  performed
          immediately  prior to the effective date of the Change in Control,  to
          travel on the Company's  business to a  substantially  greater  extent
          than is consistent  with his business  travel  obligations  as of such
          date; or
<PAGE>
               (iv) the failure of the  Company to continue to provide  Employee
          with benefits  substantially  equivalent to those enjoyed by him under
          any of the Company's life insurance,  medical,  health and accident or
          disability plans in which he was  participating  immediately  prior to
          the effective date of the Change in Control,  the taking of any action
          by the Company which would  directly or indirectly  materially  reduce
          any of such  benefits or deprive him of any  material  fringe  benefit
          enjoyed by him  immediately  prior to effective  date of the Change in
          Control,  or the  failure of the  Company to provide him with at least
          the number of paid  vacation days to which he is entitled on the basis
          of years of service  under the  Company's  normal  vacation  policy in
          effect  immediately  prior  to the  effective  date of the  Change  in
          Control.

               (v) the elimination of the title of Vice-President of the Company
          alone does not  constitute a termination  for those  individuals  that
          remain presidents of subsidiaries.

          (c) In the event  Employee's  employment  is  terminated on or after a
     Change in Control in any manner not described in Section 6(b) above:

               (i) the  provisions  of Section 9(b) shall not apply and Employee
          shall instead receive the sums and benefits described in Section 9(a);
          and

                    (ii) such  termination  shall in no way  affect  the term of
               this Agreement or Employee's duties or other obligations.

          (d)  Any   termination   of  employment  of  Employee   following  the
     commencement  of any  discussions by a shareholder or group of shareholders
     owning  legally or  beneficially  more than 20% of the  common  stock or an
     officially designated representative of the Board of Directors with a third
     party that  results  within 180 days in a Change in Control  shall  (unless
     such termination is for just cause or wholly unrelated to such discussions)
     be deemed to be a termination  of Employee on and after a Change in Control
     for purposes of this Agreement.

     7. Notice of  Termination.  Any  termination by the Company or assertion of
termination by Employee shall be  communicated  by written notice of termination
to the other party at the following address:
<PAGE>
                                    AMCOL International Corporation
                                    One North Arlington
                                    1500 West Shure Drive
                                    Arlington Heights, IL 60004
                                    Attn: Chief Executive Officer

     8. Disability.  If as a result of Employee's  incapacity due to physical or
mental  illness,  he shall have been absent from his duties with the Company for
one hundred  eighty (180) days within any  twelve-(l2)-consecutive-month  period
and within thirty (30) days after written  notice of the Company's  intention to
terminate  his  employment  is given,  Employee  shall not have  returned to the
performance of his duties with the Company  substantially  on a full-time basis,
the  Company  may  terminate  his  employment  for  disability.  This  shall not
constitute a  termination  for the purposes of  obtaining  benefits  pursuant to
Section 9.

     9. Benefits Upon  Termination And Leave Of Employment On or After Change in
the Control.

          (a) If Employee is  terminated  for just cause on or after a Change in
     Control, he shall only receive the accrued sums and benefits payable to him
     through the date he is  terminated;  the  provisions  of Section 9(b) below
     shall not be  applicable  in such case and  Employee  shall not receive (or
     shall cease receiving) the payments and benefits described in Section 9(b).

          (b)  Subject to  Employee's  compliance  with the  provisions  of this
     Agreement,  if Employee is  terminated  during the  twenty-four  (24) month
     period beginning on and continuing after a Change in Control other than for
     just  cause  (either  at the  discretion  of the  Company's  management  or
     constructively  by the  operation  of  Section  6),  he shall  receive  the
     following  payments  and  benefits  in lieu of any other  sums or  benefits
     otherwise, including severance or severance benefit payments payable to him
     by the Company.  Any payments in accordance  with any special  retention or
     non-competition  agreements, if any, shall be made in accordance with their
     terms.

               (i) all then accrued pay,  benefits,  executive  compensation and
          fringe  benefits,  including  (but not  limited to) pro rata bonus and
          incentive plan earnings;

               (ii)  medical,   health  and   disability   benefits   which  are
          substantially  similar to the benefits the Company is providing him as
          of the date his  employment is terminated  for a period of twenty-four
          (24) months thereafter; and

               (iii)  one  dollar  less  than  two (2)  times  his  base  period
          compensation.
<PAGE>
               The foregoing payments and benefits shall be deemed  compensation
          payable for the duties to be  performed  by Employee  pursuant to this
          Agreement. For purposes of this Agreement, (A) Employee's "base period
          compensation" is the average annual  "compensation" (as defined below)
          which was  includable  in his gross income for his base period  (i.e.,
          his most  recent  five  taxable  years  ending  before the date of the
          Change in Control); and (B) if Employee's base period includes a short
          taxable year or less than all of a taxable year, compensation for such
          short  or  incomplete   taxable  year  shall  be   annualized   before
          determining his average annual  compensation for the base period.  (In
          annualizing  compensation,  the  frequency  with  which  payments  are
          expected to be made over an annual period shall be taken into account.
          Thus,  any  amount  of  compensation  for such a short  or  incomplete
          taxable  year that  represents  a payment  that would not be made more
          than once per year shall not be  annualized).  For purposes of Section
          9(iii) and the  definitions  pertaining  to said  Section,  Employee's
          "compensation"  is the  compensation  which was  payable to him by the
          Company or a related entity determined without regard to the following
          Sections  of the  Internal  Revenue  Code of  1986,  as  amended  (the
          "Code"):   125  (cafeteria   plans),   402(a)(8)   (cash  or  deferred
          arrangements), and in the case of employer contributions made pursuant
          to a salary reduction agreement, 403(b) (tax sheltered annuities).

               Except for the benefits  described in Section 9(b)(ii) above, the
          sums due pursuant to this Section 9(b) shall be paid in up to 2 annual
          installments commencing thirty (30) days after the sums become due. If
          on or after the date any payment  becomes due hereunder the Company at
          any time has a funded debt-to-total  capitalization ratio which equals
          or exceeds 1.1, the Company  shall secure its payment of the remaining
          annual  installments  with  a  letter  of  credit  or  other  security
          instrument as shall be reasonably acceptable to Employee.  Such letter
          of credit or other security  instruments  shall provide  Employee with
          the  ability  to  receive  the  remaining  installment(s)  only if his
          payment is  delinquent.  All sums due shall be subject to  appropriate
          withholding and statutory requirements. Employee shall not be required
          to mitigate  the amount of any payment  provided  for in this  Section
          9(b)  by  seeking  other  employment  or  otherwise.   Notwithstanding
          anything  stated in this  Section  9(b) to the  contrary,  the Company
          shall not be required to provide  medical,  health  and/or  disability
          benefits to the extent such benefits would duplicate benefits received
          by Employee in connection  with his employment  with any new employer.
          Any payment  received by  Employee  pursuant to the special  retention
          agreement dated September 18, 2000 shall be credited  against payments
          due under this Agreement.

               Notwithstanding   anything   stated  in  this  Agreement  to  the
          contrary,  if the amounts which are payable and the benefits which are
          provided to Employee  under this  Agreement,  either alone or together
          with other  payments  which  Employee  has a right to receive from the
          Company  or any of  its  affiliates,  would  constitute  a  "parachute
          payment" (as defined in Code Section 280G),  such amounts and benefits
          shall be reduced,  as necessary,  to the largest amount as will
<PAGE>
          result in no portion of said  amounts and  benefits  being  either not
          deductible  as a result of Code  Section 280G or subject to the excise
          tax imposed by Code Section 4999. The  determination  of any reduction
          in said amounts and benefits  pursuant to the foregoing  proviso shall
          be made by the Company in good faith, and such determination  shall be
          conclusive and binding on Employee.  The amounts  provided to Employee
          under this Agreement in connection  with a Change in Control,  if any,
          shall be deemed  allocated to such amounts and/or  benefits to be paid
          and/or  provided  as the  Company's  Board  of  Directors  in its sole
          discretion shall determine.

     10.  Special   Situations.   The  parties   recognize  that  under  certain
circumstances  a Change in  Control  may occur  under  conditions  which make it
inappropriate for Employee to receive the termination benefits or protection set
forth in this Agreement. Therefore, in the event that a Change in Control occurs
for any one of the  following  reasons,  the  provisions  of Sections 2, 6 and 9
shall not apply:

          (a) the purchase of more than fifty  percent (50%) of the stock of the
     Company by an employee  stock  ownership plan or similar  employee  benefit
     plan of which Employee is a participant;

          (b) the  purchase  of more than  fifty  percent  (50%) of the stock or
     ninety percent (90%) of the assets of the Company by a group of individuals
     or entities  including  Employee as a member or participant,  including but
     not limited to those  transactions  commonly  known as a leveraged or other
     forms of management buy-outs; or

          (c) A  transaction  or series of  transactions  involving the Company,
     whether by way of a merger, exchange, sale or other method, where the party
     ultimately  acquiring  the  Company's  bentonite  business  offers  to  the
     Company's  shareholders  the opportunity to buy shares of its capital stock
     as part of the transaction.

     11.  Dispute.  Any dispute  arising under this Agreement  shall be promptly
submitted  to   arbitration   under  the  Rules  of  the  American   Arbitration
Association.  An arbitrator is to be mutually agreed upon by the parties or upon
failure of agreement, designated by the American Arbitration Association.

     12. Other Agreements. Except to the extent expressly set forth herein, this
Agreement  shall not  modify or lessen  any  benefit  or  compensation  to which
Employee is entitled  under any  agreement  between  Employee and the Company or
under  any  plan   maintained  by  the  Company  in  which  he  participates  or
participated.  Benefits or compensation shall be payable thereunder,  if at all,
according to the terms of the applicable  plan(s) or agreement(s).  The terms of
this Agreement shall supersede any existing  agreement  between Employee and the
Company  executed  prior to the date hereof to the extent any such  Agreement is
inconsistent  with the terms hereof.  Payments pursuant to this Agreement are in
lieu of any severance payments.
<PAGE>
     13. Successors;  Binding Agreement.  The Company will require any successor
(whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger,  consolidation or otherwise, to
all or  substantially  all of the  business  and/or  assets of the  Company)  to
expressly  assume and agree to perform this  Agreement in the same manner and to
the same  extent  that the  Company  would be  required to perform it if no such
succession had taken place.

     This  Agreement  shall  inure  to the  benefit  of and  be  enforceable  by
Employee's  personal  or  legal  representatives,   executors,   administrators,
successors, heirs, distributees, devisees and legatees.

     14. Miscellaneous.  This Agreement may not be modified or discharged unless
such  waiver,  modification  or  discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by
Employee and such officers of the Company as may be  specifically  designated by
its Board for that  purpose.  Except for any failure to give the thirty (30) day
notice  described  in Section  6(b) above,  the failure of either  party to this
Agreement  to object  to any  breach  by the  other  party or the  non-breaching
party's  conduct or conduct  forbearance  shall not  constitute a waiver of that
party's  rights to enforce this  Agreement.  No waiver by either party hereto at
any time of any breach by the other party  hereto of, or  compliance  with,  any
condition  or  provision  of this  Agreement to be performed by such other party
shall be deemed a waiver of any  subsequent  breach by such  other  party or any
similar  or  dissimilar  provisions  or  conditions  at the same or any prior or
subsequent time. No agreements or representations, oral or otherwise, express or
implied,  with  respect to the  subject  matter  hereof have been made by either
party  which  are not  expressly  set  forth in this  Agreement.  The  validity,
interpretation, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed
by the laws of the State of Illinois.

     15.  Survival.  The  obligations of the parties under this Agreement  shall
survive the term of this Agreement.

     16.  Term of  Agreement.  The  term of this  Agreement  shall  commence  on
September 18, 2000 and end on September 17, 2002; provided, however, that in the
event Employee's employment is terminated while this Agreement is in force, this
Agreement  shall  terminate  when the Company has made all  payments to Employee
required  by  Section 9 hereof and  Employee  has  complied  with the duties and
obligations described herein.


Date:  September 22, 2000


EMPLOYEE                                        AMCOL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

 /s/ Frank B. Wright, Jr.                       By        /s/ Larry Washow
Frank B. Wright, Jr.                            Its:      President