About Us
Our Story
Company Profile
Chromatographic Specialties is a family-owned and operated company located in Brockville, Ontario, Canada. For over 60 years, we have specialized in supplying top quality Gas & Liquid Chromatography and Sample Preparation consumables and instrumentation to the Canadian scientific community. In 1998, MJS BioLynx Inc. was established under the same roof to fulfill the needs of the growing Life Science research in Canada. Specializing in cell, molecular, and microbiology – this division has remained dedicated to the same philosophies as CSI and provides top quality products for Life Science researchers. From 1998-2023, these companies operated independently, and in 2023 merged into one, with MJS BioLynx remaining as our Life Science division.
The foundation of our success has been our commitment to technical expertise, superior customer service, and the highest quality products. Our bilingual capabilities enable us to serve all Canadians.
Our goal is to be a complete and reliable resource for your lab - in products, in services, and in technical support. We aim to foster strong relationships, keeping you informed of new products and techniques that are relevant to your work through our Technical Account Managers, webinars, newsletters, and an open line of communication to our Technical Support team.
How it all began
Chromatographic Specialties was founded in 1963 by John and Margaret McKend. Five years earlier, John had been involved in the first installation of a GC at DuPont of Canada (Maitland Works). Over the next few years, he noticed that chromatography supplies were excessively difficult to obtain from the US-based equipment manufacturers. Taking advantage of his knowledge and expertise, he began to manufacture and sell packed GC columns. John quickly expanded his supply base to include other chromatographic products and formed CSI to supply these products to a rapidly expanding Canadian marketplace.
What’s with the cat?
In 1981, while taking pictures of a GC column for the catalogue cover, John’s cat recognized that a column would also make the perfect toy. Although originally disruptive to the photoshoot, John took advantage of the photo opportunity. That year, the CAT-alogue was born.
In the years following, CSI made an attempt to move away from featuring the cat on the cover but was met with impassioned pushback from customers. The cat, as part of the CSI brand, was inescapable.
