VISION

Nisus' mission is to offer quality, sustainable pest control and wood preservative products to industry professionals while providing the lowest possible impact to the environment.

Company History

The company originally had its beginnings in 1987, when Bud Dietrich invented a product called Bora-Care® as a wood preservative for log homes. Soon thereafter, entomologists began contacting Dietrich to tell him that Bora-Care was proving to be toxic to a wide variety of wood destroying insects, including termites. In 1989, Dietrich moved Bora-Care into the pest management industry, targeting Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) specializing in pest control.

Nisus Corporation was founded in 1990 in Knoxville, TN. Since then, Nisus has grown rapidly and is one of the leading suppliers of products to the professional pest management industry. Nisus is a privately held company producing a full line of pest management products, including wood protection, insect baits and odor control at its manufacturing plant in Rockford, TN.

As the first product produced by Nisus, Bora-Care has gained widespread use in the pest management industry. Bora-Care utilizes a patented formula that makes use of penetrants and glycols to control termites and other wood destroying insects and fungi and provide long-term protection.

The company’s success in this venture was the catalyst for the development and subsequent introduction of Niban® Granular Bait in 1993. Niban and its fine granular version, Niban-FG®, offer PMPs low environmental impact and weather-resistant baits for cockroaches, ants, crickets and other pests. That same year, Jecta® Diffusible Boracide and Bac-Azap® odor control products were also introduced to the industry.

Nisus completed a very busy 1999 with Kevin L. Kirkland taking on the role of President and making the acquisition of the borate product Tim-bor® from U.S. Borax his first order of business. The successful acquisition positioned Nisus as the world’s leader in borate technology for the pest control industry.

In January of 1999, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) changed its 99A form to allow wood pretreatment with Bora-Care as a primary tool against termites in new home construction. The change in HUD policy was precipitated by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) on behalf of its members. In the past, HUD listed only soil treatments as a method of pretreating, thus preventing mortgage lenders, builders and homeowners from taking advantage of EPA-registered wood treatments. As a result, Bora-Care can now be used to protect structures from the beginning – an effective alternative with a minimal environmental impact.

Bora-Care earns green points under LEED, LEED for Homes, Earth Craft and NGBS Green Partners Program as well as through numerous additional green building programs.

Nisus moved to a new 42,000 sq. ft. facility at 100 Nisus Drive in 2002 after outgrowing their previous one.

In June of 2010, a large and very expensive Data Call-In (DCI) was issued by EPA for copper naphthenate wood treatment. None of the current registrants were willing to support the DCI, and it looked like the EPA registrations for copper naphthenate products were going to disappear. With that disappearance, wood treaters would have suffered the loss of a product that has been one of the greenest and most effective wood preservatives available in the pressure treatment market. It is the only oil-borne ground contact wood preservative that is not a restricted-use pesticide.

Many in the industry knew what a loss this would be to wood protection. Well-known industry expert Mike Freeman initially approached Nisus, suggesting that because the company was recognized in the industry for its low environmental impact borate-based technology, copper naphthenate would be a natural addition to its wood preservation product line.

It was clear that if the industry lost this product, it would immediately result in an increase in the use of non-wood alternatives and have a long-term detrimental effect on our industry and the environment. As a result, Kevin Kirkland, now President and CEO of the company, and Dr. Jeff Lloyd, Vice President of Research and Development, retained industry experts Mike Freeman, Jim Brient and Gerald Davis to address the issue. They worked relentlessly for several months to formalize the plan which Kirkland then successfully presented to EPA. Nisus agreed to meet the DCI requirements, and EPA, recognizing what was at stake for the user community and the environment, issued a new registration for Nisus Corporation’s copper naphthenate in just a six-week period.

In 2012, Nisus expanded its plant another 10,000 sq. ft. to accommodate manufacture and production of wood preservation products, including copper naphthenate and borate-based materials, bring the total facility size to 52,000 sq. ft.

Nisus also began producing Cellutreat, a liquid disodium octoborate tetrahydrate (DOT) used to dip-treat railroad ties and lumber to prevent wood decay that begins during air drying. Cellutreat creates a stronger tie for pressure treating and extends the life of the ties.

In 2019 Nisus built a new 38,000 sq. ft. building for the distribution of Zinc Borate, DOT, and other borate products. The company also purchased the assets of the Lord’s Additives company and began providing zinc borate to customers around the country.

NISUS LEADING THE GPM® MOVEMENT

Today Nisus Corporation continues to lead the Green Pest Management® (GPM®) movement and bring sustainable wood preservatives to the railroad, utility and lumber industries from its headquarters in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Rockford, Tennessee. Nisus has experienced rapid growth since its beginning in 1990 and now sells 30+ products in 7 countries around the world. With proactive planning and technical expertise, Nisus is poised to continue its leadership role in sustainable pest control and wood preservative solutions.

OUR PRODUCTS ARE FORMULATED WITH A CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

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