History

On November 28, 1934 in Buffalo, New York, five local businessmen - Lewis Surdam, Raymond Morrison, Michael Cohn, Daniel Kamphausen, and Ben Cravens - started a company with a single wood preservative patent. The Osmose Wood Preserving Company of America provided OsmoSalts, a formulation of sodium fluoride, potassium bicarbonate, and dinitrophenol in a waterborne mixture, to companies in the mining and railroad industries. This unique preservative was used to treat timbers that supported mine shafts and railroad bridges. The timbers were dipped in the mixture, then covered while it infused through the wood - a process called osmosis, which is the basis for both the product name and the company name.

In 1945, Osmose purchased its first truck and expanded its services to the utility industry; inspecting and treating wood utility poles to extend their service life.

In 1965, the first iteration of the truss was developed to restore strength to poles weakened by decay. It was little more than an oil pipe cut in half length-wise. However, despite the rudimentary design, some of those half-pipe trusses are still in service today!

In the 1970's, after extensive testing, Bell Laboratories approved the C-Truss® for use throughout the Bell telephone system.

The Osmose Employee Ownership Plan was established. The ESOP enabled employees to own about 35 percent of the stock of the company.

Osmose released MITC-FUME®, the first solid-melt fumigant (and now the most widely used fumigant in the United States). MITC-FUME offers easy application and a higher level of protection against internal decay since it does not require decomposition in order to produce mitc.

Responding to customer demand for a comprehensive pole loading analysis tool, Osmose released O-Calc®

Expanding our expertise on the below-grade structural condition of utility assets, Osmose launched a line of “corrosion services” - inspecting, coating, and restoring steel structures.

Since then, Osmose has invested significant resources in the training of field operations personnel and supervision, as well as the development of a fully-qualified structural engineering group specializing in both steel and concrete repairs. The primary focus of these services has been on below grade foundations, however, in recent years we have also begun to include restoration efforts to overhead components.

Osmose acquired Coherent Networks, a utility data solutions provider, to expand its service offerings to include field surveys and audits - all designed to provide utilities with the accurate data needed to effectively run key operational systems.

Osmose Holdings, Inc. was formed, and the three operating divisions were reorganized as three separate subsidiary companies - Osmose Railroad Services, Inc., Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., and Osmose, Inc. (Wood Preserving).

Osmose released StrengthCalc®, a software program that assesses the effects of decay and damage to provide real-time calculations expressed as a percent of remaining strength. Highly accurate strength data enables pole owners to more effectively manage their pole plants, reduce risk, and save money.

Osmose Utilities Services, Inc. relocated its management team from Buffalo, New York to suburban Atlanta, Georgia to accommodate national travel for a growing client base.

Osmose set a new standard of performance for preservative systems with the release of MP400- EXT®. This patented preservative paste featured a proprietary blend of inorganic and organic compounds that were highly effective at extremely low concentrations. MP400-EXT provided improved preservative protection for in-service poles while also fulfilling Osmose’s environmental commitment to reduce toxicity in its products.

In 2013, MP400-EXT was the first preservative paste to receive UL Environmental Claim Validation.

Osmose acquired the Hawaii utility company, Ikaika, Inc. whose services include overhead and underground utility services. Osmose's inspection and contractual maintenance offerings improve the efficiency of service delivery to utilities throughout the islands.

Osmose released O-Calc^® Pro, the next generation of pole analysis software. O-Calc Pro introduced Digital Measurement Technology™ (DMT), a state-of-the-art feature that allows users to extract accurate measurements from digital photos.

O-Calc Pro is used by companies across the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for pole loading applications related to joint use, utility standards, pole replacements, and system hardening.

Oaktree Capital Management, an investment management firm based in Los Angeles, California, acquired Osmose Holdings, Inc.

Osmose released MP500-EXT® the next generation of micronized preservative paste, improving both efficacy and the environmental profile.

MP500-EXT also holds UL Environmental Claim Validation. To date, MP400-EXT and MP500-EXT are the only preservative pastes with this distinction.

Osmose's Wood Preserving and Railroad Services subsidiaries were sold to Koppers, Inc.

Kohlberg & Company, a private equity firm based in Mount Kisco, New York, acquired Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.

Osmose released Osmolytics™, an advanced predictive modeling software that uses decades of inspection data and environmental information (for both wood and steel utility structures) to provide models of below-grade decay and corrosion.

With Osmolytics, structure owners have valuable information designed to help make decisions regarding contractual maintenance, restoration, and replacement.

Osmose acquired an Australia-based overhead and underground electrical installation and maintenance company, Logsys Power Services. Logsys services include pole restoration and strengthening, wood pole contractual maintenance and treatment, underground services, asset inspection, and street lighting. Like Osmose, Logsys has built a solid reputation with its customers for safety, quality, and dependability in Australia and New Zealand.

EQT, a leading investment firm based in Sweden, acquired Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.

Osmose acquired Power Survey Company, the industry leader in providing mobile contact voltage detection services to major utilities in North America and Europe.

Osmose acquired a Canada-based overhead and underground inspection and contractual maintenance company, Provincial Pole Specialists, Inc. (PPSI) and sister company, Central Pole Inspection and Maintenance, Inc. (CPIM). 

Osmose acquired the Geospatial & Asset Management business of Effigis Geo-Solutions, a leader in geospatial information serving major Canadian utilities and telecommunication providers.

Osmose acquired McLean Engineering Company, an engineering firm with an 85 year history servicing electric utility systems throughout the United States by providing transmission line and substation design, engineering, inspection, and joint use attachment contract management solutions.

Osmose acquired IMCORP, an internationally known provider of underground power cable reliability and life cycle management services for aged and new medium and high voltage cable systems.

In celebration of Osmose's 90th anniversary, Effigis Geo-Solutions Inc. and Provincial Pole Specialists, Inc. have been rebranded as Osmose Utilities Services Canada, Inc.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Osmose continues to innovate; celebrating and leveraging 90 years of knowledge, experience, and hard work to help customers minimize risk and maintain strength and resiliency to keep their systems as strong as the communities they serve.