Little Quips | 40 Years. One Family. Infinite Innovation.

The Seeds of Innovation

In 1980, Tim Hidell found himself standing atop a flour-filled train car at Barksdale, Maryland. A slim Oklahoman named Charlie, wearing the biggest belt buckle Tim had ever seen, accompanied him. As Charlie opened the hatch, Tim leaned in to inspect the mold problem threatening to derail a major school lunch contract. The flour, which entered the cars at 160 degrees, had formed condensation during transport—creating a perfect environment for mold growth.

While others attempted harsh chemical solutions that damaged the delicate aluminum aerators of the car, Tim, then working independently, suggested a different approach: an iodophor. This iodine-based cleaner and disinfectant would not only clean and sanitize without corroding the aluminum but also highlight areas needing attention. Starch turns purple when exposed to iodine, revealing exactly where flour—and mold—remained. Tim understood starch’s reactivity with iodine, making his solution purposeful, straightforward, and grounded in chemistry.

The question was posed, “When can you start?” The rest, as they say, became Quip Labs history.

From the Ground Up

Tim saw a need and was ready to strike out on his own—from a modest 300-square-foot garage on land owned by his father-in-law along the Christina River. Two small mixing tanks and two trailers filled with raw product marked the beginning of a company rooted in social values and quality manufacturing.

Tim initially partnered with someone focused on water treatment, but their differing visions led to an amicable parting. Christine, Tim’s spouse and partner, recalls the growing pains: working from an office trailer with two babies in playpens, regulating heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer was a luxury. Those comforts were prioritized for the quality control lab. With a growing family—Timothy Jr. ’83, Anthony ’84, Nicholas ’85, and Arthur ’90—they juggled the responsibilities of parenting and building a business. Christine smiles as she reflects, “I was the neck that turned the head.”

As for the name? Tim admits it was simple, short, easy to remember, and unique. “Quip” was also anchored in his personal history and Quaker DNA. “Quip,” incorporated in the early 1980s, became “Quip Laboratories,” reflecting the company’s commitment to quality control and testing—producing products the company could be proud of.

Where We Can Do the Most Good

It was a goal to make the world a better place that shaped Quip Labs from the beginning. Years before the tractor trailers, as a newlywed working for a specialty chemical company, Tim came home troubled by what he was seeing in the industry. “We were newlyweds,” Christine recalls. “He came home and said, ‘If we keep this up, we won’t have clean drinking water for our grandchildren.’”

Tim’s Quaker beliefs, with their long tradition of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, provided the moral framework that would guide his business decisions. As Christine puts it, “Eco-friendly was what started Quip.” The company wasn’t born just from technical opportunity but from a young man’s conviction that chemical companies should be responsible partners—not just profit-maximizers.

While Quip Labs initially focused on food plants, the company faced a critical decision. Despite success in seafood and poultry sanitation, Tim recognized that his small team couldn’t meet the manpower demands of that industry. Then a friend suggested approaching AstraZeneca’s research facility in Delaware.

That pivot changed the company’s trajectory. After AstraZeneca, a landmark order from GlaxoSmithKline—so large it required multiple delivery trips because their truck wasn’t big enough—solidified Quip Labs’ entry into the life sciences space. But this shift toward biomedical research wasn’t just about opportunity; it was deeply personal.

In 1990, Arthur was born very prematurely at just one day shy of six months, becoming the final participant in an experimental drug study of 2,000 premature infants. Christine and Tim watched their son benefit from the kind of life-saving research that Quip Labs would eventually support. “Part of the interest in life sciences was very personal,” Christine explains. Whether the goal was protecting groundwater or supporting research, the mission remained the same: using chemistry to make the world cleaner, safer, and better.

The Little Quips That Guide Us

It was only after Tim’s mother’s passing and a visit to his childhood home that he realized the deeper meaning behind the name “Quip.” On the refrigerator—where they had always been—hung the “little quips” his mother had collected: simple sayings posted where he would see them every day.

Among them, one stood out: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” In those nine words lay a philosophy that had subtly shaped not just a name, but an entire business approach. Intentions mean nothing without follow-through. Promises require action.

These sayings were expressions of something deeper—the same commitment to doing what’s right that had driven Tim to start a company dedicated to cleaner, more environmentally friendly, responsible chemistry. Customer relationships mattered more than quarterly profits. Product quality couldn’t be compromised for convenience. Building something lasting meant choosing the harder path when it was the right one. Those little quips served as daily reminders of values already deeply embedded.

For forty years, this philosophy has quietly guided Quip Laboratories. In an industry where companies change hands and leadership turns over frequently, one family and one CEO have maintained a straightforward approach: solve problems, keep your word, respect your relationships, and never compromise your values.

Building Something That Lasts

Throughout the company’s evolution, one principle has remained constant: building lasting relationships. GSK remains a customer to this day, decades after that first large order. Perhaps even more telling: Tim’s former employer became a Quip Labs customer. These aren’t just business relationships—they’re partnerships built on decades of trust.

Christine fondly remembers the customers who helped Quip Labs survive in the early years. Her message to the next generation is clear: “Loyalty. We must never forget where we came from—or those who helped us along the way.”

What began with a practical solution to mold in flour cars has grown into a trusted partner for some of the most demanding research environments in the world. But Tim’s approach to problem-solving had deeper roots than technical expertise alone. The values that built Quip Labs—innovation grounded in simple, sensible solutions; relationships built on listening and trust; and promises backed by performance—continue to guide our path forward.

Forty years have flown by. We reflect on the dreams and aspirations that built a company and how far we’ve come. It turns out that good intentions—when paired with consistent

action and an unwavering moral compass—pave the road to forty years of excellence. Those quips of wisdom didn’t just shape a company; they shaped the character of a man who chose to build something that would make the world a little better.

In an industry where “good enough” often drives decisions, Quip Laboratories continues to operate by its own standard: one measured not just in profit margins, but in the ability to sleep soundly knowing that today’s work served something greater than today’s bottom line.