BioLab, the pool chemicals company that owns the smoldering facility that has emitted a plume of toxic smoke over Conyers since Sunday, has long enjoyed a close relationship to Rockdale County leaders.
BioLab, which has operated in the county since 1973, is one of Rockdale’s biggest employers and the company’s operations make up nearly 3% of the assessed value of the county’s tax base, larger than any other taxpayer in Rockdale, records show. Five years ago, county leaders also celebrated the groundbreaking of BioLab’s seventh facility, a new 275,000-square-foot building to produce and store pool and spa water-treatment chemicals.
The expansion came with a 10-year property tax break.
Incentives for the project were provided by the Rockdale County government and the Conyers Rockdale Economic Development Council, according to an announcement at the time, which noted school taxes were not reduced for the project.
“The additional investment in both a new building and adding to the workforce is truly a win for Rockdale County,” Marty Jones, executive director of the Conyers Rockdale Economic Development Council, said in a written statement at the time.
Rockdale Commission Chairman Oz Nesbitt called BioLab “a staple in Rockdale County for many years” and said “the new project signals continued growth in the community,” according to the 2019 press release from the local economic development council.
“Companies like BioLab help keep Rockdale County perfectly positioned. We look forward to this project and many more to come. Thanks to all who have made this possible,” Nesbitt said in a statement in a 2019 press release from ARCO Design/Build, which built the facility.
Credit: Dexter Bowman Photography; LLC
Credit: Dexter Bowman Photography; LLC
Rockdale officials did not disclose the value of the tax incentives in the release.
Kevin Hanna, president and CEO of the economic development council that authorized tax incentives, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday. Nesbitt also did not respond Thursday when asked to comment on the impact the county’s partnership with BioLab has had on its response to the chemical plant fire.
BioLab did not immediately respond to requests for comment but issued a statement Wednesday night on the chemical plant fire.
“We remain fully focused on remediating the situation at our Conyers facility,” the statement says. “We have continued to make progress in mitigating the situation at our facility, and we deeply regret the impact of the incident on our community. Our executive leadership team is on the ground and engaging directly with local representatives and stakeholders on how we can best provide support.”
The incentives were provided under what’s known as a bond-for-title transaction, in which the Development Authority of Rockdale County holds title to certain BioLab properties during the term of the tax break deal.
In Rockdale County’s 2024 annual budget, BioLab Inc. was listed as the county’s eighth-largest employer, with 484 employees as of the end of 2023. The assessed value of its operations and land in Rockdale was $113.4 million, nearly double the next largest company.
Sunday’s fire was at least the fourth major fire or chemical leak at a BioLab facility in the past 20 years, an AJC analysis of state and federal records shows. The company has also had incidents at large facility in Louisiana, including a devastating fire in 2020.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Nesbitt has acknowledged a partnership between Rockdale and BioLab in remarks after the fire, but has also spoken critically about the company.
“We’ve seen this before and before and before, and it’s concerning,” Nesbitt said Tuesday. “BioLab has been a good corporate community partner. This is not about economic development. This is about public health and public safety, and in Rockdale County, public safety has always been and will always be our number one top priority.”
BioLab makes chlorine products for pool and spa treatments, while its parent company KIK Consumer Products also specializes in cleaners, bleach, laundry and dish care products sold under brand names including Comet, Spic and Span, Greased Lightning and The Works.
KIK is owned by private equity firm Centerbridge Partners, which was founded in 2005 and has offices in New York, Miami, London and Luxembourg.
KIK bought Lawrenceville-based BioLab in 2013 from Chemtura Corp. in a $315 million deal.
Centerbridge acquired what was then known as KIK Custom Products in 2015 from another private equity firm, CI Capital Partners. Terms were not disclosed.
Centerbridge was exploring a sale of KIK in 2020 that could have valued the company are more than $3.5 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic as demand for bleach soared, according to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter.
In June 2024, Centerbridge announced it sold KIK’s Auto Care business to another company, Reochem.
