MARIETTA, Ohio - June 22, 2021 - Volume decontamination or sterilization of temperature sensitive samples can be a challenge.  Existing solutions accommodate only limited volumes, create thermal stress on the sample, or require toxic chemicals that are dangerous to use.  Caron has leveraged its patented hydrogen peroxide technology to provide a cool solution, in a continuous use high volume processing system.

With Caron’s automated gFog™ H₂O₂ cycle, repeatably process up to 300ft³ (8.5m²) of product in 24 hours.  Wide shelves in a large 25ft³ chamber accommodate even oversized objects.  Validated product sterilization is also possible, via a provided white paper protocol.  The system is easy to install, and ideal for future surge reprocessing, with roll-in dimensions, plugging into standard electrical outlets.

MARIETTA, Ohio—May 25, 2021—Caron Products and Services (“Caron”), a leading provider of laboratory equipment used in small and large molecule drug development and manufacturing, cell and gene therapy, and academic research, is pleased to announce Jay Hexamer as its new President and CEO, effective June 1, 2021. He will succeed Steve Keiser, who has been President and CEO of Caron for over 15 years and will remain an active Board Member and shareholder.

Hexamer is an accomplished executive in the laboratory products and life sciences sector with outstanding leadership experience and an impressive record of success growing and improving the market position and performance of companies through focused business strategies and acquisitions. Most recently, he was a Senior Vice President at Avantor, overseeing three businesses with over $600 million in revenue and 200 employees that serve the Education & Medical Research (E&MR), Healthcare, and Government sectors. During his tenure as SVP, Hexamer oversaw tremendous growth in his divisions and built a lasting team, competitive product portfolio and high-performing sales and marketing infrastructure. Previously, Hexamer held leadership positions at Kimberly-Clark and Cardinal Health.

Growth-Oriented Private Equity Firm SFW Partners with Leading Provider of Laboratory Equipment to Drive Growth Through Expansion of Product Portfolio and Strategic Acquisitions

RYE, N.Y. January 13, 2021 – SFW Capital Partners (“SFW”), a specialized private equity firm that invests in leading providers of instrumentation, laboratory products, software/information and related solutions, today announced that it has completed a recapitalization of Caron Products and Services, Inc. (“Caron”).  Caron is a leading provider of laboratory equipment used in small and large molecule drug development and manufacturing, cell and gene therapy, and academic research. SFW is partnering in this investment with Caron President and CEO, Steve Keiser, and its Vice President, Dave Figel, who will both continue in their current roles and remain significant shareholders.  

With SFW’s strategic support and resources, Caron plans to make significant investments to expand its product portfolio, enhance its sales and marketing function, extend its service capabilities and pursue acquisitions to drive growth.

Cutting edge biomedical research and production require a sterile culture environment.  Caron’s unique hydrogen peroxide chamber sterilization system provides just that, in a fast, dry process with no extra cleanup.   This Caron innovation has now been recognized by US Patent #10,738,271.

As a critical supplier to the pharmaceutical industry, with many customers conducting vaccine development and production, Caron will continue to build and ship all models of controlled environment chambers from our Marietta Ohio factory.  In addition, our sales support and technical service teams remain staffed and ready to answer questions and assist with any customer issues. 

Caron is proud to help combat this public health emergency.  We’re committed to helping front-line clinicians and researchers develop the new tools that will bring the current crisis to an end.

Contamination is a major challenge for cell-based therapy research and production applications such as vaccine development and personalized medicine.  Caron offers a unique contamination elimination system for scale-up cell research and production in large reach-in chambers.  This 12-log H₂O₂-based sterilization system is fully validatable, fast, at only 2 hours, and dry, requiring no post-cycle cleanup or unit interior re-configuration.  Read the history of contamination control and elimination in large production-scale CO₂ incubators, as well as operational details of Caron's unique process, in the attached technical White Paper.

(Marietta, OH, February 11, 2019) Caron is pleased to announce that the revolutionary Wally family CO2 incubators now carry the CE mark and are available for sale in the European Union.

Wally’s wall-hugging format makes the most of your crowded lab environment, opening up crowded aisles and hallways and improving workflows in tight lab environments.  Wally’s slim profile also cuts out wasted shelf space, giving you almost twice the usable culture area of existing incubators.

(Marietta, OH, July 10, 2018)  Caron is pleased to announce the new gBrite family of LED-powered plant growth chambers.  Available in standard full-spectrum white, or optional and infinitely adjustable 4-color, these units provide unrivaled experimental flexibility.  gBrite uniquely allows you to modify your spectral mix on a shelf-by-shelf basis, for as many as three independent light zones per chamber.

“With Caron’s implementation of new LED technology, plant researchers now have more experimental options than ever before”, commented Steve Keiser, Caron President & CEO. “Whether you’re adding blue light for enhanced beta-carotene production, varying the red to far-red ratio to alter plant heights, or just want  to reduce radiant heat and lower plant stress, the gBrite series offers a configuration to fit your needs”.

(Marietta, OH, June 4, 2018)  Art Hey has been appointed Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager for Caron Products & Services, Inc.  Art will be responsible for managing all Caron sales activity in a newly-created territory which includes DC, KY, MD, NC, VA, and WV.  With the territory realignment and creation of the Mid-Atlantic region, Caron now supports its U.S. distribution channel through six regional managers.

“We are delighted to welcome Art to Caron, and expect that he will hit the ground running in this new territory,” said Steve Keiser, President & CEO of Caron, "Our continuing growth demands that we bring in additional talent to better serve both existing and new customers, expanding a sales team that is already known as one of the best in the business.”

(Marietta, OH, June 4, 2018)  David Craig has been appointed Northeastern Regional Sales Manager for Caron Products & Services, Inc.  He replaces Spencer Krigsman, who will be retiring at the end of June after a highly productive career with the company.  Spencer joined Caron in 2000 and contributed enormously to Caron’s expansion and growth in the Northeastern U.S.

“We will all miss Spencer, and wish him well as he relaxes and enjoys the rewards of a successful career,” said Steve Keiser, President & CEO of Caron, "At the same time, we’re excited to welcome David into our growing sales organization.”

David will be responsible for Caron sales management in a territory that includes CT, DE, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, and Canada from the Quebec Province eastward.

(Marietta, OH, March 29, 2018) Caron is pleased to announce the issuance of U.S. Patent #9,927,169  “Insulated chamber with phase change material”. The patent covers technology used in Caron’s revolutionary CO₂ incubators and related accessories.

Under its trademarked GelJacket® name, this exclusive Caron feature provides CO₂ incubators with significantly better performance than standard air-jacketed incubators.  Chamber temperature maintenance after a power loss is hours longer, and unit stability and uniformity are superior.

GelJacket’s® core phase-change material is non-toxic, non-corrosive, and sealed into the chamber for the life of the unit. The user avoids the regular jacket fill-ups and internal rust of a water jacket. Caron GelJackets weigh far less than comparable water-jacketed units and are nearly as lightweight as conventional air-jacketed units

(Marietta, OH, March 29, 2018) Caron is pleased to announce a new family of insect rearing chambers.  Now with available application-specific lighting and H₂O₂ chamber sterilization, these units combine easy-use controls, corrosion-resistant materials, and a unique clean chamber design.   Caron’s signature features include a state-of-the art color touchscreen with intuitive breadcrumb navigation, uniform directed airflow, for high temperature uniformity even when full, 3-minute tool-less interior removal for fast and easy cleaning, and long-life electrostatic-coated coils. 

(Marietta, OH, March 29, 2018) Caron is pleased to announce two new small animal rearing chambers.  Now with standard LED lighting and available H₂O₂ chamber sterilization, these units combine easy-use diurnal cycle controls, high-volume fresh-air exchange, and a unique clean chamber design.   Caron’s signature features include a state-of-the art color touchscreen with intuitive breadcrumb navigation, uniform directed airflow for high temperature uniformity even when full, and 3-minute tool-less interior removal for fast and easy cleaning. 

(Marietta, OH, January 15, 2018) Caron is pleased to release a major upgrade to its benchmark 7400 series Reach-In CO₂ incubators.  Now with available H₂O₂ chamber sterilization, and an easy one-handed door latch mechanism, these units combine reach-in capacity with small stackable parameter precision and contamination prevention.   Like the best small CO₂’s, Caron’s reach-ins offer uniform directed airflow, for high temperature uniformity even when full, 3-minute tool-less interior removal for fast and easy cleaning, and a state-of-the art color touchscreen with intuitive breadcrumb navigation. 

(Marietta, OH, September 13, 2017) Caron is pleased to introduce the new 7540 Series Photostability chambers, now the fastest way to attain critical ICH Q1B (option 2) exposure levels.  Full ICH visible and UVA exposures are achievable in as little as 42 hours, less than half the time of many competing chambers.  Caron’s ground-up dedicated Q1B chamber also achieves high uniformity, providing over 75% usable shelf space.  Test more samples in less time, accelerating drug development and reducing testing costs.  

Separate fluorescent-powered UVA and visible light banks provide maximum intensity, while minimizing potential parameter overshoot and thermal stress. Caron even offers an integral 5°C cycle, for testing of refrigerated drugs, vaccines, and biologicals.

These new chambers are easy to use, simple to validate, and straightforward to service.  Equipped with an intuitive yet powerful color touchscreen display, the 7540 Series provides “manual-free” operation, programming, and adjustment.  Slide-out component modules make replacing bulbs and other parts simple, and keep the units’ benchtop footprint small.

“With this new chamber, Caron continues to demonstrate its leadership providing the most accurate and highest productivity photostability chambers for environmental stability testing”, commented Steve Keiser, Caron Chairman. “We’re providing a tool that noticeably improves speed to market, with reliable test result quality; two things our pharmaceutical and biotech customers really want and need.”

(Marietta, OH, June 8, 2017)  Melissa Bailey has been appointed MidSouth Regional Sales Manager for Caron Products & Services, Inc. In her new role, Melissa will be responsible for managing all Caron sales activity in the new territory which includes TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, and TN. “We are delighted to have Melissa join Caron,” said Steve Keiser, Chairman of CARON, "She brings a very successful background selling primarily liquid handling products to laboratory customers, along with significant experience working in research laboratories earlier in her career.”

Melissa received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Southeastern Louisiana University. She was most recently employed as an Account Manager at Integra Biosciences, and prior to that was a Sales Representative for the Rainin Instruments business unit of Mettler Toledo. Melissa has travelled extensively within her new territory in prior roles, and is looking forward to introducing many of her past customers to Caron laboratory equipment.

Melissa’s research experience included work at the University of Texas, Department of Surgery Metabolism Research Lab, at Galveston, TX, and at the University of Arkansas Medical Science, Department of Geriatrics, Center for Translational Research in Little Rock, AR. Her hands-on and management experience in the laboratory will be a great benefit to Caron’s customers.

Melissa will continue to reside in the Houston, Texas area.

(Marietta, OH, February 13, 2017) Caron has released a white paper detailing a novel and patent-pending dry hydrogen peroxide sterilization process for CO2 incubator chambers. Within Caron’s newly released Wally™ CO2 incubator, this cycle provides validatable 12-log contamination elimination in two hours, while avoiding the manual pre and post cycle processing required by existing “wet” H2O2 processes.

All relevant information is provided, including materials and methods, biological indicator placement locations, cycle overview, validation test procedure, and BI processing results.

“Wally is a technical and applications tour de force on many levels”, commented Steve Keiser, Caron Chairman. “It’s the first truly new CO2 incubator in over 50 years; offering breakthrough user benefits you just can’t get anywhere else.”

(Marietta, OH, February 13, 2017) Caron has released a white paper detailing a unique thermal gel
technology for use in CO2 incubators. Caron’s GelJacketTM thermal gel provides the uninterruptable
temperature stability advantages of a traditional Water Jacketed incubator but with none of the
maintenance issues inherent to that technology. Phase Change Thermal Gel actually holds over 40
times the energy, by volume, than water. And in the occurrence of power loss, units equipped with this
technology stay above 30oC for over 9 hours. Sealed into the chamber for the life of the unit, thermal gel
provides a light and effective method of incubator thermal protection.

“Wally is a technical and applications tour de force on many levels”, commented Steve Keiser, Caron
Chairman. “It’s the first truly new CO2 incubator in over 50 years; offering breakthrough user benefits you
just can’t get anywhere else.”

To obtain a free copy of this white paper, or learn more about Wally, visit www.caronproducts.com or
contact customer service at 800-648-3042 or email sales@caronproducts.com.

(Marietta, OH, February 13, 2017) Caron has released a white paper detailing an exceptional new HEPA
filtration system for use within CO2 incubators. In under 5 minutes, Caron’s validated ISO 5 HEPA
filtration system rapidly provides cleanroom-quality air, preventing environmental contaminants from
settling on internal surfaces and culture vessels. Unlike competing contamination reduction technologies,
properly executed HEPA filtration systems provide highly consistent results, and along with good aseptic
technique, are key to reducing culture contamination and resulting sample loss and wasted time. The
paper further relates how this technology has been implemented within Caron’s newly released Wally™
CO2 incubator.
“Wally is a technical and applications tour de force on many levels”, commented Steve Keiser, Caron
Chairman. “It’s the first truly new CO2 incubator in over 50 years; offering breakthrough user benefits you
just can’t get anywhere else.”
To obtain a free copy of this white paper, or learn more about Wally, visit www.caronproducts.com or
contact customer service at 800-648-3042 or email sales@caronproducts.com.

(Editor: For more information on this release, contact Caron Products & Services, PO Box 715, Marietta, Ohio 45750,
740-373-6809, fax 740-374-3760, marcom@caronproducts.com).

The totally unique Wally™ CO₂ Incubator from Caron.

Unique wall-hugging format makes the most of your crowded lab environment.

Caron is pleased to announce the release of a new family of 22 cubic foot plant growth chambers.

These new units are designed for premium performance, easy programming, and efficient operation, and are available in General, High Intensity, Arabidopsis/Algae, Plant Tissue Culture, and Seed Germination configurations. They join Caron’s existing plant growth lineup to form a comprehensive family of single, double, and triple door chambers, all available with a wide range of accessories and options.