ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- Quality Filters Inc. has been named “SCORE Client of the Year” by the Baldwin County SCORE chapter.

“Quality Filters is an Alabama and American success story,” said George Kirchoff, president of the Baldwin County SCORE chapter, “and the chapter is proud of its association with the company’s growth.”    

The Robertsdale-based company opened in 1981 and was bought by father and son Horace and George Spottswood in 1983.

In 1985, the company developed its first HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) product, and the company began to turn the corner.

In 1991, the company broke ground on a 27,000-square-foot facility in Robertsdale’s Industrial Park. George Spottswood has served as the company’s president/CEO since his father’s death in 2004.

Earlier this year, the company announced a four-year agreement with Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company of Lysol, to be the “exclusive manufacturer and distributor for air conditioner and furnace filters, carrying the well-recognized and highly-respected Lysol brand in the U.S. and Canada,” according to a press release issued in March.

The company also completed a 20,000 square foot expansion earlier this year and now has around 100 employees with 60,000 square feet under roof.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.

During a joint press conference, held with the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce in March, Jim Gates, brand manager for Quality Filters, said the agreement is the result of a two-year effort between the Robertsdale company and Reckitt Benckiser.

Gates said projections are to increase the company’s sales five-fold over the next five years and hopes that increase will mean an increase in jobs as well.

“If our figures are correct, we’re hoping to expand our workforce to about 150 employees over the next five years,” Gates said.

According to the press release, the company plans to launch its Lysol Triple Protection air filter brand by the end of this summer.

“Lysol brand air conditioner and furnace filters will be a unique introduction to the consumer market and will be among the highest efficiency air conditioner and furnace filters available,” according to the release.

The triple protection features, according to the release, means the product:

• Catches dust particles and allergens.
• Has an antimicrobial that is designed to inhibit the growth of odor causing bacteria on the filter.
• Contains the carbon that helps capture chemical vapors and molecular pollutants.

“Quality Filters Inc.’s mission is to ‘improve lives,’ not just for the users of our products, but of our trading partners, vendors, employees and their communities,” Scott said. “We are committed to being world class and a market innovator in every area.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://qualityfilters.com.