Profile

Univar Solutions Inc. is a global chemical and ingredients distributor and provider of value-added services which works with leading suppliers worldwide. The company was founded in 1924 as Van Waters & Rogers. It was also formerly known as Royal Vopak and later Univar. The company changed its name to Univar Solutions following the acquisition of Nexeo Solutions in 2019. On August 8, 1924, George Van Waters and Nat Rogers opened a small firm in Seattle, Washington, USA, buying and selling naval supplies, paint, raw materials and cotton linters. When Van Waters & Rogers entered the laundry supply business, it paved the way for the company’s future in chemicals. Near the end of the 1920s, the company moved into a 5,000-square-foot facility just south of downtown Seattle and, soon after, it expanded into the entire facility and plant next door. In 1936, Van Waters & Rogers’ sales topped $1 million, and by the end of the decade the company was closing on the $2 million mark. Locations were added in Portland, Oregon, Spokane, Washington and Los Angeles, California. A notable addition was the industrial chemicals division headed by Glen McElvain, a chemical salesman who was instrumental in the acquisition of local chemical companies. In the 1940s, sales increased from $2 million in 1940 to more than $18 million in 1949.[citation needed] Acquisitions led to market entries in San Francisco and Texas and the first two women were appointed to officer positions. In 1949, Van Waters & Rogers celebrated its 25th anniversary.