VanDeMark Chemical, the longtime Lockport specialty chemical maker that shut down its plant this spring, has been sold to a Houston outfit. The sale follows the May closure of the facility and the layoff of roughly 69 workers, and it lands while the company faces legal claims over alleged toxic exposures tied to its operations.
In a June 19 post announcing the deal, the company thanked employees and customers and pledged to remain committed to “safe operations, technical excellence, quality products, and exceptional customer service,” according to VanDeMark. The short statement did not spell out what happens next for the Lockport site or how the new owner plans to run things.
Plant closure and job losses
Public notices and local coverage show that VanDeMark’s plant at One North Transit Road shut its doors on May 25, leaving about 69 employees out of work. WKBW reported on the impending closure and the mayor’s response, while a state WARN notice listing the affected workers appears on WARN Tracker.
Who bought the company
The buyer, Valiant Energy Management, is a Houston-based firm that says it looks for opportunistic acquisitions across energy and industrial businesses. On its profile, LinkedIn highlights Valiant’s experience operating oil, gas and specialty chemical assets. The same profile presents the firm as an operator that steps into complex carveouts and takes on legacy liabilities.
Lawsuit clouds the handover
The sale comes with a legal shadow. Buffalo Business First reported that the acquisition arrived amid a lawsuit alleging toxic exposure linked to the Lockport operations. The outlet placed those legal claims alongside the sale but did not publish full court documents in its brief writeup.
Local reaction
Lockport Mayor John Lombardi told WKBW he first heard about the closure through social media, not exactly the kind of heads-up city leaders hope for. He said the city was “saddened by the communication” around the shutdown. Local officials said they would push for more information on the company’s plans and what the sale means for jobs in the region.
Why it matters
According to its own materials, VanDeMark markets phosgene derivatives and other specialty chemical intermediates used in pharmaceuticals, coatings and plastics. Industry writeups and technical summaries note that phosgene-related chemistries are tightly regulated because inhalation or significant exposure can cause serious lung injury, a big reason community concern followed the shutdown and sale. Trade coverage has tracked both the closure and the underlying chemistry. VanDeMark and Chemical & Engineering News provide background on the company’s product line and the planned Lockport plant closing.
Legal implications
Chemical exposure lawsuits typically rise or fall on expert testimony that tries to connect specific exposures to specific injuries, and judges often spend significant time deciding what expert opinions juries are even allowed to hear. Recent toxic tort coverage has underscored how questions about causation and expert proof can determine whether claims move ahead or get shut down early. Mealey's Toxic Torts tracks how courts are handling expert evidence in these kinds of contamination cases.
What’s next
Valiant’s public profile leans heavily on its experience managing legacy liabilities and overseeing decommissioning work, skills that could shape what happens at the Lockport site as the new owner assesses operations and any legal risks. So far, neither local officials nor the parties to the lawsuit have released a detailed timeline, and the next moves will likely become clearer through future court filings or more detailed statements from the buyer.
For now, the sale of the Lockport plant closes a chapter for a 75-year local manufacturer and opens a new, uncertain one. How Valiant, the community and the courts ultimately sort out operations, jobs and legal claims is still an open question.
