BETHANY, CONN.—Laticrete has added Drytek Flooring Solutions, a manufacturer of self-leveling cements, concrete- colored toppings and related products and systems, to the newly established Laticrete specialty products division (SPD). These products will be maintained under the Drytek brand name and sold through distribution within the Laticrete SPD. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Along with the acquisition, the company brought onboard three Drytek sales representatives to serve major metropolitan markets on the East Coast. Jim Baratta and Tom Leahy will cover the New York City area and Dennis McHugh joins the team in the same capacity for the Mid-Atlantic region sales. In addition, Laticrete SPD has secured the consulting services of Terry Cotton, the former owner of Drytek, and Aaron Abbott, the former director of operations for the company.

“With the acquisition of Drytek, Laticrete was also able to add the extensive knowledge and technical expertise of three veteran sales reps with proven track records of success in these territories,” said John Striednig, director, Laticrete SPD. “We feel it is the fastest way for us to grow sales in this new category.

“Although Drytek will be sold as a separate brand to its own distinct set of stocking distributors, we can definitely see the potential for there to be some crossover and look forward to rapidly extending the brand’s reach through many channels.”

Drytek’s range of products include cementitious underlayments, colored toppings, trowel-applied patches, skimcoats, sealers, primers, sound and moisture reduction installation materials and treatments. Since 2003, the product line has been specified and installed in a variety of new building and renovation projects in the U.S., including the Empire State Building, Macy’s, Columbia University, Florida Mall and the Weill Medical Center in New York.

“As a natural fit for Laticrete, Drytek will allow us to leverage our national footprint and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities into an important and growing segment of the building materials industry,” said Ed Metcalf, president Laticrete North America. “We’ve been looking at this segment for some time and felt the time was right.”

For more on Drytek products from Laticrete, call 877.379.8351 or 800.243.4788.