This environmentally friendly Bellingham business buys another firm, leading to further growth
A Bellingham company looking to make a positive impact on the environment continues to grow after acquiring another firm.
Earlier this year Tidal Vision bought ViaeX Technologies Inc., a San Francisco Bay Area start-up that developed several technologies that help remove non-biodegradable and toxic materials. ViaeX’s equipment was shipped to Tidal Vision’s 52,000-square-foot facility in the Irongate Business Park, where it is currently being installed.
The new equipment will expand the company’s laboratory area and Tidal Vision has hired three new lab employees to its workforce, which has around 40 people. The new technology will also speed innovation at Tidal Vision, leading to new products, according to a company news release.
The company takes marine by-products to create other eco-friendly items, including water treatment. It is a commercial producer of chitosan, a substance that comes from the skeleton of shellfish, including crab. The products Tidal Vision makes from chitosan displaces synthetic and non-biodegradable chemicals, said Craig Kasberg, co-founder and CEO of Tidal Vision.
“While our products aren’t direct consumer goods, they benefit everyone by dramatically lowering environmental impact,” Kasberg said in an email through a spokesperson.
The company is focused on several different industry sectors, including water treatment, textiles and agriculture. According to Kasberg, demand is growing in all three sectors because companies are looking for more sustainable bio-based solutions.
The company has also been growing quickly since its founding in 2015. In 2020 Tidal Vision had around 10 employees, according to a previous article in The Bellingham Herald.
As part of the acquisition Vivian Qu, ViaeX’s CEO and founder, has joined Tidal Vision as the company’s chief product officer.
“I am thrilled to join Tidal Vision,” said Qu in the news release. “We believe that chitosan has the unique properties and power to change the world. Tidal Vision has momentum and determination to expand the uses of chitosan and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
