What Gold Eagle Co makes

Gold Eagle Co is a Chicago manufacturer of performance chemicals for the automotive aftermarket and adjacent consumer markets. Its core products are fuel and engine additives, fuel stabilizers, cleaners, and surface protectants sold under a portfolio of brands rather than as a private-label-only supplier. The best known is STA-BIL, the fuel stabilizer the company acquired in 1986, followed by HEET gas-line antifreeze (added 1996), 303 cleaners and protectants (acquired 2012), TriNova home care products, and 104+ octane boost. In 2022 the company added performance additives and lubricants through its purchase of Lubrication Specialties Inc., maker of Hot Shot's Secret.

The company describes its Chicago plant as a full-service operation. It runs an on-site research lab for formulation and quality testing, molds its own plastic bottles in house, and handles blending, filling, labeling, packaging, warehousing, and shipping on the same campus. That vertical setup also supports a contract-packaging and private-brand business, where Gold Eagle blends and packages chemical products for other companies. In July 2025 the company announced an exclusive collaboration with Valvoline Global Operations to produce private-brand chemical products, per a company press release.

Gold Eagle serves several end markets beyond passenger cars: marine, outdoor power equipment, powersports, agriculture, and the heavy-duty segment reached through the Hot Shot's Secret line. Because its output is consumer and private-branded finished goods rather than engineered components, it sits in a different part of the supply base than a stamping or molding tier supplier, closer to the retail shelf. For buyers evaluating a contract manufacturer or a domestic packaging partner, the relevant facts are its US manufacturing footprint, its in-house lab, and its multi-decade retail distribution.

Ownership and history

Armin Hirsch founded Gold Eagle in 1932 with a small Chicago storefront focused on curing engine problems. The company stayed in the family and in Chicago through three generations of Hirsches. It opened its current 4400 S Kildare Avenue facility in 1983 and renovated it in 2016. Along the way it collected industry recognition, including the Illinois Manufacturer of the Year award in 2008 and the "E" Award for Excellence in Exporting from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in 2012.

Gold Eagle remains privately held and family-owned. In January 2025 the company promoted Marc Blackman, who joined in 1993 and had led the company as CEO since 2014, to CEO and Chairman of the Board, replacing co-owner Rich Hirsch, who retired from the board. In the same announcement, Matthew Banach was promoted from Executive Vice President of Market Innovation to Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. In February 2025 the company promoted CFO Kevin R. Krueger, CPA, to Chief Financial and Investment Officer. The 2022 acquisition of Lubrication Specialties was the company's first subsidiary and its clearest recent expansion, extending it into heavy-duty and performance lubricants.

The company reports a presence in 75 countries across five continents while keeping its manufacturing in the United States. It positions itself as a domestic producer at a time when much of the consumer-chemicals category has moved production offshore, a stance relevant to buyers weighing nearshoring and country-of-origin questions.

Certifications and quality

Gold Eagle states that it is ISO 9001:2015 certified and displays the ISO 9001 mark on its About page. The company does not publish a certificate date or certifying body on its site, so the certification is reported here as a company claim rather than a verified current-cycle certificate. The claim is consistent with the company's description of an on-site quality lab and product testing as part of its manufacturing process, and with its long record of contract packaging, where a documented quality system is typically a customer requirement.

Buyers who need a quality-system verification for supplier onboarding should request the current certificate and scope directly. For a private manufacturer of this age and scale, an undated on-page claim is common and is not itself a negative signal; it simply means the underlying document was not public at the time of this profile.

Known customers and distribution

Gold Eagle sells primarily through retail and private-brand channels rather than through named OEM programs, so it does not publish a customer roster in the way a components supplier would. What it does document is the breadth of its distribution.

The Valvoline collaboration is the most concrete recent commercial relationship on the public record. Beyond it, the company's business is a mix of its own branded products on retail shelves and private-label chemical products it blends and packages for other companies, a model in which the buyers are typically retailers and brand owners rather than vehicle manufacturers.

Frequently asked questions

What does Gold Eagle Co make?

Gold Eagle Co manufactures performance chemicals for the automotive aftermarket and consumer markets: fuel stabilizers, fuel and engine additives, cleaners, and protectants. Its brands include STA-BIL, HEET, 303, TriNova, 104+, and Hot Shot's Secret. It also blends and packages private-label chemical products for other companies at its Chicago plant.

Who owns Gold Eagle Co?

Gold Eagle Co is privately held and family-owned. It was founded by Armin Hirsch in 1932 and has been run by three generations of the Hirsch family. In January 2025, CEO Marc Blackman was promoted to CEO and Chairman of the Board, replacing retiring co-owner Rich Hirsch. The company purchased Lubrication Specialties Inc. (Hot Shot's Secret) in 2022.

Where is Gold Eagle Co located?

Gold Eagle Co's headquarters and manufacturing plant are at 4400 S Kildare Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60632. The facility opened in 1983 and was renovated in 2016. The company keeps its manufacturing in the United States while distributing to 75 countries.

Is Gold Eagle Co ISO certified?

Gold Eagle Co states that it is ISO 9001:2015 certified and displays the ISO 9001 mark on its website. The company does not publish the certificate date or certifying body on its site, so it is reported here as a company claim. Buyers should request the current certificate directly for supplier onboarding.

What is Gold Eagle Co's annual revenue?

Gold Eagle Co is privately held and does not publish audited financial figures. Third-party data providers model annual revenue in the range of roughly $100 to $250 million; that is an estimate rather than a reported number, and this profile publishes only a band.

Who are Gold Eagle Co's customers?

Gold Eagle Co sells mainly through retail and private-brand channels rather than named OEM programs. Its products are sold at more than 30,000 retail stores across 75 countries. Its most concrete recent commercial relationship is an exclusive July 2025 collaboration with Valvoline Global Operations to produce private-brand chemical products.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.