Firm celebrates trade deal, Dundalk style

By Rob Kaiser
BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL

Anyone familiar with GP66 Chemical Corp. wasn't too surprised Tuesday when the company hosted the strangest trade agreement signing Dundalk has ever seen.

And they all knew who was responsible: Jimmy Kaplanges, creator of an industrial cleaning solution that will soon be in factories across China.

"Who else?" asked his son. Gus Kaplanges, with a shrug and a grin.

Thirty-one years ago, Kaplanges perfected the formula for his industrial "miracle cleaner," which is GP66's only product. And this week, Kaplanges finalized his company's biggest deal ever - an arrangement with a Chinese ministry that should mean $325 million in annual sales for the eight-employee business within five years.

Kaplanges was determined not to let such a great event pass without making a little noise.

"All right!" Kaplanges shouted into a microphone Tuesday afternoon. "Let's get the show on the road!"

With that, paraders curled out from a side road and high stepped down Portal Street toward the GP66 manufacturing plant at the Holabird Industrial Park.

Led by two police officers on horseback, the parade included the Baltimore City College marching band, the precision drill team from Patterson High School, as well as police officers on motorized mountain bikes and two officers from the K-9 unit with their dogs.

Following performances by the drill team and marching band (and an encore from the band requested by Kaplanges), the speeches began.

Kaplanges introduced each speaker with a wealth of compliments, sometimes adopting the dramatic style of a ring announcer at a boxing match. Before letting the dean of the College of Life Sciences at the University of Maryland come to the microphone, Kaplanges introduced ham as "the intellectual...the famous...Dr. Paul Mazzocchi!"

The speaker got swept up in Kaplanges' excitement.

"The dreams of yesterday are the realizations of tomorrow," said Maryland Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein of GP66's deal. "And tomorrow has arrived."

Following the signing of the trade agreement, Kaplanges continued bantering with his guests and introducing everyone to each other - even if he didn't know someone's name.

"This is the Korean guy who wants to do business with me," Kaplanges said of one potential buyer he just met.

Because of his infectious excitement and determination, Kaplanges not only gets away with making such flip statements, he profits from them.

"He's a comic, but he's also a serious businessman," observed Mazzocchi, the intellectual and famous college dean.

GOT AN "IMPOSSIBLE" CLEANING JOB?