Topcor acquires rubber lining fabrication business

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Topcor Companies LLC has gained control of US rubber lining fabricator Bud Enterprise Lining Co. Inc. to add to its growing list of businesses serving the chemical and petrochemical industries.

The purchase was completed July 23, with ownership shared equally by Topcor and entrepreneur Jay Roccaforte. Topcor created a new unit, Topcor Belco LLC, to absorb the Belco operations, located in Prairieville, Louisiana.

Roccaforte, who was semi-retired after a successful career in industrial distribution before the deal was made, is the new president of Topcor Belco.

Topcor's interest in the rubber lining business grew over the last few years, and Belco had the best reputation in the state of Louisiana as a supplier and fabricator, said James Baker, the company's president and CEO. Plus, Carter had been looking to sell the Belco business for some time, and so there was motivation on both sides to get the deal done, he said.

The purchase includes the 1860 m² plant in Prairieville and the 3.4 hectare parcel it sits on, Baker said. The facility has a rubber lining shop, a metal fabrication operation, two autoclaves, a blast yard and business offices, and employs about 30.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)