MONTREAL, Que. — Recochem, the maker of Turbo Power, has achieved a prestigious honor most companies never see: this year it turns 50 years old.

As part of the festivities, the company will suspend operations for an afternoon at each of its facilities — Montreal, Edmonton, Toronto, Napierville, Que., Vancouver, Belgium and Australia — in honor of the bicentennial.

“We’ve come a long way from one product and one salesman in 1951,” says Joseph Kuchar, Recochem president and founder. With more than 100 products now coming out of the Montreal-based firm, he credits the employees, customers and suppliers as being instrumental in Recochem’s success.

The company operates three engine coolant laboratories at its Edmonton location that run analytical, performance and product development testing on a continual basis.

“As a Canadian owned, privately held company, we are proud of our history and excited about our future,” says Kuchar.