Company History Homepage > About UGL® > Company History 1932 Gerald B. Payne forms UGL with a savings of $5,000 and eight employees, and begins manufacturing asphalt products and roofing treatments. 1935 UGL moves from a rented warehouse to a building on Jefferson Avenue in Scranton, PA. Currently, the site serves as our five acre manufacturing complex, corporate headquarters and East coast distribution center. 1938 UGL develops E‑Ject‑O Drain Opener, Glomex Furniture Polish, Parisian Wall Sizing and Gilsalume, the first asphalt aluminum paint to provide roof surfaces with heat reflecting qualities and weather protection. 1953 UGL holds its first national sales meeting and introduces the DRYLOK® line: nine products formulated to waterproof basements, stop active masonry leaks, protect and beautify interior or exterior masonry walls, and paint masonry floors. 1958 UGL introduces ZAR® Crystallite Coating, one of the first clear polyurethane finishes for wood available commercially in the United States. Prior to this, varnish had been the only available coating for hardwood floors. 1960 — 1970 Our manufacturing facility expands three times to accommodate a growing administration, increasing customer demand, and a product line that has expanded to include ZAR® Paint and Varnish Remover and DRYLOK® Ready-Mixed Sealer. 1978 Gerald Payne steps down as President and becomes Chairman of the Board. Malcolm (Mac) C. MacKinnon takes over the role of President. 1982 A 33,000 sq. ft. paste products manufacturing facility is added, increasing capacity to 25,000 tons of paste products per shift and up to 80 tubes of caulk per minute. The company also introduces ZAR® Rain Stain, an assortment of 100% acrylic latex exterior stains and related products. 1983 UGL develops ZAR® Deck Stain. 1984 25-Year Lasticaulk®, Temproof® Stove and Fireplace products, UGL® High Temperature Aluminum Paint and ZAR® Plus join the product line. 1986 UGL opens a 34,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, Illinois. 1992 UGL adds two new products: Aqua ZAR® Water-Based Polyurethane and UGL® Adhesive Caulk. 1993 The Illinois plant adds 6,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space to its footprint. 1997 UGL expands its manufacturing capabilities yet again by building a 36,000 sq. ft. plant in Dayton, Nevada. The facility serves as the central manufacturing and distribution site for the company’s expanding Western markets. 2000 UGL opens a 39,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Jackson, Mississippi. 2001 UGL creates the new ZAR® Ultra line of wood finishing products while incorporating quick drying features into most of the ZAR® line. 2002 Mac MacKinnon assumes Gerald Payne’s role as Chairman of the Board, and names Thomas R. White as the third President of UGL. DRYLOK® Masonry Waterproofer is rated, for the second time, as America’s #1 Masonry Waterproofer by a leading consumer ratings publication. 2005 UGL develops a Low VOC ZAR® Oil-Based Wood Stain and a Low VOC Latex-Base version of the celebrated DRYLOK® Masonry Waterproofer. 2006 Using revolutionary new resin technology, UGL formulates Ultra Max, a Waterborne Oil-Modified Polyurethane which blends the quick drying properties of a latex base with the durability of an oil base finish. DRYLOK® E1 Latex 1‑Part Epoxy Concrete Floor Paint is brought to market. 2009 ZAR® Deck and Siding Clear Wood Sealer and Natural Toner Base earn the Popular Mechanics Editors’ Choice Award. 2016 James Tates is appointed as the fourth President of UGL. He is the former President of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company’s U.S. West and Latin American regions. 2019 Our high performance ZAR® Interior Oil Base Stain, along with numerous other ZAR® Stains and Polys, is relaunched as a luxury brand available in four color collections: Easy Living, Global Canvas, Classic, and Trending. The new ZAR® Color Matcher enables customers to tint our stain to match virtually anything, and new 50/50 Blended Colors offer custom options limited only by the imagination. 2019 Updated, modern packaging is rolled out for DRYLOK® Extreme Masonry Waterproofer, as well as our rebranded DRYLOK® Original Masonry Waterproofer (previously Latex Base DRYLOK®) and DRYLOK® Floor & Wall Masonry Waterproofer (previously DRYLOK® Clear). 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