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Restek History

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Restek opened for business in 1985, occupying a single room in a converted elementary school in Pennsylvania, United States. Our founder and only staff member at the time, Paul Silvis, had a vision for the future: to create a place where people looked forward to coming to work as much as they looked forward to going home. With that foundation, we quickly grew into a global company with locations coast to coast in the U.S. as well as in China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Product & Applications Development

Innovative, reliable products and robust applications to support them are essential, but so is being able to consistently provide them year after year. Restek has a strong tradition of accelerated growth and technological advancement, and we are set up to continue this trend far into the future—presenting you with a stable, long-term source for innovative new products and support for getting the most out of them in your lab.

Manufacturing Capabilities

Restek began as a manufacturer of GC columns, but to ensure our future independence, we expanded our in-house manufacturing over the years to cover all of our product lines. More recently, we also acquired MicroQuartz GmbH, to supply our own fused silica for our GC columns, and Glastron, Inc., to ensure a consistent and steady stream of GC inlet liners no matter how high the demand or complex the geometry.

Proven Stability

Since 1985, we have weathered every national and global financial crisis without losing our ability to serve the chromatography community with essential products or technical service. While no one knows what the future holds, our continued growth, a strong foundational culture, and our unwavering commitment to taking care of each other and our customers means that Restek will be a solid partner for years to come.

Here is a closer look at our proud history of Turning Visions into Realty:

  • 1985 MILESTONE: Restek opens for business
  • 1987 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Silcosteel coating
  • 1988 MILESTONE: New custom-designed building
  • 1990 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Thermolite septa
  • 1992 MILESTONE: Restek GmbH (Germany) opens
  • 1992 AWARDS & HONORS: Magazine's 500 fastest growing companies
  • 1992 MILESTONE: First patent granted
  • 1993 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: MXT columns
  • 1993 TECHNOLOGY 1STezGC method development software
  • 1993 AWARDS & HONORS: Magazine's 500 fastest growing companies
  • 1993 MILESTONE: Wizard Dollars program launches
  • 1994 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: PLOT columns
  • 1994 MILESTONE: ISO 9001 registration
  • 1995 MILESTONE: Restek France opens
  • 1995 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Integrated guard columns
  • 1996 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: SilcoCan air canisters
  • 1996 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Resprep product line
  • 1996 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: LC columns
  • 1996 MILESTONE: Restek Thames (UK) opens
  • 1998 AWARDS & HONORS: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Group Award
  • 1998 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Microbore columns for fast GC
  • 2000 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Siltek deactivation
  • 2000 AWARDS & HONORS: Top 50 of Pennsylvania's Best Companies to Work For
  • 2001 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Sulfinert treatment
  • 2001 AWARDS & HONORS: Top 50 of Pennsylvania's Best Companies to Work For
  • 2005 MILESTONE: Wellness Program started
  • 2006 AWARDS & HONORS: Restek Corporation named to the list of Best Places to Work in PA
  • 2006 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Rxi GC columns
  • 2007 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: QuEChERS product line
  • 2007 AWARDS & HONORS: One of 15 companies in U.S. selected as Top Small Workplaces by The Wall Street Journal and Winning Workplaces
  • 2007 MILESTONE: New, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility added
  • 2008 MILESTONE: 100% employee ownership
  • 2009 MILESTONE: Restek Japan opens
  • 2009 AWARDS & HONORS: Restek QuEChERS SPE tubes win and Biphenyl LC columns named as a finalist in the Laboratory Equipment's Reader's Choice Award
  • 2010 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: ProFLOW 6000 flowmeter
  • 2010 AWARDS & HONORS: Restek PLOT columns and ProFLOW 6000 flowmeter win Laboratory Equipment's Reader's Choice Award
  • 2010 MILESTONE: Restek purchases Glastron, Inc.
  • 2011 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: USLC technology
  • 2011 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Premium inlet liners
  • 2011 MILESTONE: ISO 17025 & Guide 34 accreditation
  • 2012 TECHNOLOGY 1STEZGC online chromatogram modeler
  • 2012 MILESTONE: Restek acquires MicroQuartz GmbH (Germany)
  • 2013 MILESTONE: Restek China opens
  • 2013 MILESTONE: Restek acquires Superchrom, S.r.l. in Italy
  • 2013 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Raptor SPP LC columns
  • 2016 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Force UHPLC columns
  • 2017 AWARDS & HONORS: Company of the Year from The PA/DE Chapter of The ESOP Association
  • 2017 MILESTONE Founder’s Point wellness center opens
  • 2017 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Topaz GC inlet liners
  • 2018 MILESTONE: European Distribution Center opens
  • 2019 MILESTONE: Recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s Healthiest Employers
  • 2019 MILESTONE: Restek Rewards program launched
  • 2019 AWARDS & HONORS: SelectScience Reviewers’ Choice Award for Analytical Science Company of the Year
  • 2020 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Pro EZLC method translator
  • 2020 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Coated Blade Spray (CBS) technology
  • 2020 MILESTONE: Restek España opens
  • 2020 AWARDS & HONORS: Restek Corporation named #23 on the list of Best Places to Work in PA, large-sized companies
  • 2021 MILESTONE: Restek.com global website
  • 2022 AWARDS & HONORS: PA Business Central Top 100 Organizations list
  • 2022 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Pro EZLC Chromatogram Modeler
  • 2023 AWARDS & HONORS: PA Business Central Top 100 Organizations list
  • 2023 TECHNOLOGY 1ST: Pro EZGC Chromatogram Modeler expands to include PLOT columns
  • 2023 AWARDS & HONORS: Rxi-SVOCms GC columns win SelectScience Scientists' Choice Award for Best New Separations Product
  • 2023 MILESTONE: New Restek.com online experience

Throughout our history, we have been recognized with many national, state, and local awards. We are grateful for these acknowledgements, especially those that speak to our commitment to taking care of our employees, customers, and communities. We are also proud of the new innovations that we continue to put into the hands of our customers, who then use them to make the world a better place.

Restek's growth also reflects something that has not changed since our founding in 1985: we are an employee-focused organization that is dedicated to providing our people with a great work environment. We are always looking for talented people who share our passion for exceeding our customers’ expectations with reliable chromatography products and unparalleled Plus 1 customer and technical service. Find out more about us, our corporate philosophy and culture, and what employment opportunities are currently available. You can also contact us to let us know how we can use our past experience to serve you well into the future.

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