John Jilek, president of Inksolutions, a Chicago-based company selling ink vehicles, overprint varnish and additives to the lithographic ink maker. The company was founded in 2001 and has ten employees at its facility. Several years ago, the company was looking for a building in Los Angeles.

“We bought the Muralo (Norton & Sons) building in Commerce, California in 2005, said Jilek. “They moved back to Bayonne New Jersey, so we took over the toll manufacturing of their West Coast products  which included Spackle, Synkoloid patch and repair products and various paints. In 2007 they pulled out completely, so we took over their line, with the right to manufacture, market and distribute their product lines west of the Rockies. Last year they sold their company to California Products. They did not want the Synkoloid product line, so we bought that. We now own the Synkoloid brand.”

With this as a base, Jilek remarketed the patch and repair line, introduced SYNKO Cem-Bond, Floor & Patio paint and SYNKO Universal Colorants, which are used in Hollywood for artists designing sets and formed PaintSolutions.

“Last year we introduced three lines of acrylic house paints, which are being sold in the Los Angeles area,” Jilek added. “We also sell paint for the background sets in Hollywood. This year we introduced: a line of primers, a traffic paint and several specialty paints.”

PaintSolutions has 10 employees in the Commerce, California plant, which produces: lithographic printing ink vehicles and overprint varnishes, carbon black dispersions for litho inks and paints and paste products for the paint market. The company recently introduced a line of traffic marking paint.

From a business development standpoint, coming from the ink industry, Jilek had an advantage entering the paint market. The two industries are very similar. “Both industries are dominated by large international companies, leaving the smaller independent companies to be creative and stay ahead of the game,” said Jilek. “Both of our companies cater to the independent companies, with creative products, new research, top quality and dedicated attention to each customer.”

PaintSolutions’ product line includes acrylic paints and paste products such as: SYNKNO, CEM BOND, SYNKOLOID patch and repair products, DECRASOL premium 100% acrylic paint, PERMASOL professional grade paint and  DURASOL acrylic paints and primers.

PaintSolutions’ success as a smaller niche company can be attributed to superior customer and technical service. “We are dedicated to the customer,” said Jilek. “We have excellent technical abilities, but we are not bogged down in bureaucracy. We make decisions quickly and respond to our customers needs.”

PaintSolutions plans for the future are to continue offering a quality products and technical support to its customers in the California area. 
“Many companies are sacrificing quality for profit,” said Jilek. “We are making paint the way it was made 20 years ago – high quality paint. The painters, our customers customer, have thanked us for staying in California and supporting them with the paints that they need.”