OUR STORY

In 1997, the owners of Van Eck® Collision & Paint, a chain of collision repair shops, were asked by a major paint coatings company to evaluate the repair of a fire truck with a significant corrosion issue. After successful complete re-painting of several fire apparatuses, word spread that the company provided excellent corrosion repair painting.

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One of the owners noticed that the corrosion of these fire apparatuses was always associated with stainless steel being bolted/fastened to aluminum. Research showed that this issue was not only found on fire apparatuses, but also in numerous other industries that use aluminum assembled with stainless steel hardware. Electrolysis, galvanic, and dissimilar metal corrosion were destroying everything from trucks, trailers, road signs, buses, aircraft, boats, and military equipment. Additionally, road de-icing chemicals such as magnesium chloride and calcium chloride were causing extensive corrosion issues, creating safety issues, and shortening the useful life of vehicles.

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After consulting with several chemists, they decided to seek a solution that would initially be used for internal use only and began testing several formulas using laboratory ASTMB-117 standards. Eventually, these tests proved successful for preventing dissimilar metal corrosion, and a product named Eck® was created, adopting part of the last name of the chain collision repair shops.

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When a major fire apparatus manufacturer showed interest in what they had invented, the President of Van Eck® decided to explore the idea of marketing the Eck® product. With many manufacturers fastening aluminum together with stainless steel hardware, a marketing plan was developed to manufacture Eck® and sell it to the world.

In 1998, a new company named Van Nay, LLC was formed to oversee the manufacturing and marketing of Eck®, and Richard A. Nay was named President. A patent was applied for and procured in both the United States and Canada. The Eck® name was also trademarked in 1998. In 2005, Van Nay, LLC was purchased from its investors by its President, Richard A. Nay.