Southeastern Laboratories
Southeastern Laboratories is a private, Goldsboro, NC-based water treatment company founded in 1973 that provides tailored chemical and plant-based (ProMoss™ Sphagnum moss) treatment programs to industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional customers across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersGoldsboro, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Southeastern Laboratories does
Southeastern Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) is a private, Goldsboro, North Carolina-based water treatment company founded in 1973 that provides chemical and plant-based water treatment programs to industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional customers. The company's core offering is a portfolio of tailored programs spanning boiler water treatment, cooling water treatment, and wastewater treatment, supplemented by in-house laboratory services, technical consulting, and feed/control equipment. Programs are individually designed based on system operating parameters, equipment needs, and water quality requirements, generating recurring service revenue.
The company's principal differentiator is ProMoss™, the first all-natural, sustainable, plant-based water treatment solution using Sphagnum moss. ProMoss™ leverages the high cation exchange capacity of carboxylic acid groups in sphagnum moss leaves to remove positively charged metal ions, inhibit scale and corrosion, and reduce or eliminate chemical usage without complex feed/control systems. The technology is manufactured under a core partnership with Creative Water Solutions (Plymouth, MN), which holds the patented sphagnum moss harvesting process. Complementing this is SELtrace, a real-time online chemistry monitoring platform that automatically adjusts inhibitor and dispersant chemistries and provides 24/7 alarm reporting.
SEL operates an enterprise field sales model with 20+ year-experienced field engineers, more than 90% of whom hold the Certified Water Technologist (CWT) designation from the Association of Water Technologies. In 2025, SEL was acquired by CRB Water (formerly Chemtron Riverbend), joining Premier Water, Browne Labs, Precision Chemical, and Design Controls into a unified North American water treatment platform headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri. The company serves marquee customers including Biogen, Corning Life Sciences, U.S. Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers, Raleigh Convention Center, and Rochester Institute of Technology, with documented water savings of 60-68% and chemical reductions of approximately 80% across deployments.
Southeastern Laboratories firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southeastern Laboratories
- Legal name
- Southeastern Laboratories, Inc.
- Website
- https://selaboratories.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Southeastern Laboratories is a private, Goldsboro, NC-based water treatment company founded in 1973 that provides tailored chemical and plant-based (ProMoss™ Sphagnum moss) treatment programs to industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional customers across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southeastern Laboratories industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Water Treatment Services
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Systems & Treatment (Pumps/Boilers/Water Heaters/Filtration) (IMAIABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ), Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services (in-house/contract labs; microbiology, metals, organics) (EUANAJAB), Water Sampling, Testing & Laboratory Analysis (Legionella/Microbiology) (BPABAJAB)
Keywords
Where Southeastern Laboratories is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Goldsboro
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southeastern Laboratories business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Water Treatment Services and Products: Provides water treatment programs, consulting services, laboratory services, feed and control equipment, and chemical treatment programs to industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional users. Programs are individually tailored based on system operating parameters, equipment needs, and water quality.
- ProMoss™ Plant-Based Treatment Program: All-natural sustainable water treatment program using Sphagnum moss as replacement option for chemical treatment programs. Provides ongoing treatment requiring periodic moss application.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Southeastern Laboratories product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southeastern Laboratories provides tailored industrial and commercial water treatment programs, including chemical treatment for cooling water, boiler water, and wastewater systems, as well as the proprietary ProMoss™ plant-based treatment program using Sphagnum moss. The company delivers on-site consulting, field engineering, laboratory services, monitoring technology, and feed/control equipment to industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional users across North America.
Product overview
Southeastern Laboratories offers a comprehensive water treatment portfolio centered around its proprietary ProMoss™ plant-based treatment program alongside traditional chemical treatment solutions. The core offerings include cooling water treatment, boiler water treatment, and wastewater treatment programs, all individually tailored to customer system requirements. The company also provides monitoring technology (SELtrace), consulting services, laboratory services, and feed/control equipment as supporting add-ons to its primary treatment programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ProMoss™: The first all natural and sustainable plant-based water treatment solution using Sphagnum moss to improve water quality, reduce scaling, corrosion, and organic contamination in water systems.
Products and services
- ProMoss™ Plant-Based Water Treatment Program First all-natural and sustainable plant-based water treatment solution using Sphagnum moss. Removes positively charged metal ions, inhibits and removes organic contamination, reduces scale formation and corrosion, and reduces or eliminates chemical usage. Installed in submersible contact chamber in cooling tower basin or bypass feeder with no complicated chemical feed and control systems required. Targeted at industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional water systems.
- Cooling Water Chemical Treatment Programs Individually tailored chemical treatment programs for cooling towers, air washers, and water-cooled heat exchangers, providing corrosion control, deposit inhibition, algae and bacteria management, and Legionella monitoring for industrial and commercial customers.
- Boiler Water Chemical Treatment Programs Treatment programs for high and low pressure steam, closed heating, and hot water boilers, individually designed based on system parameters, equipment needs, and water quality requirements, with many products suited for NSF, USDA, and FDA approved applications.
- Wastewater Treatment Programs Chemical solutions for sludge dewatering, oil separation, air flotation wastewater clarification, metal plating waste separation, and dye removal operations, helping customers stay in compliance and maintain environmental responsibility.
Quantifiable outcome
- Chemical use reduced by approximately 80% (~6,000 pounds annually) at Biogen RTP facility
- +13 more outcomes
Companies that use Southeastern Laboratories
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Southeastern Laboratories technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Southeastern Laboratories partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CRB WatercoreSEL joined the CRB Water team in 2025. CRB Water, formerly known as Chemtron Riverbend, integrates specialized capabilities of Premier Water, Browne Labs, Precision Chemical, Design Controls, and Southeastern Labs into one unified organization. Headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri, CRB Water delivers smarter, greener, and more reliable water treatment solutions across North America.
- Creative Water Solutions (CWS)coreCreative Water Solutions, Plymouth, MN, manufactures ProMoss™ and developed the patented process for harvesting sphagnum moss leaves for water treatment applications. CWS conducted extensive research on sphagnum moss properties. SEL distributes and implements the ProMoss program.
- Aquatech of FloridaminorAquatech of Florida, based in St. Petersburg, is part of a network of water treatment companies that has adopted the all-natural ProMoss approach as an alternative to conventional chemical treatment programs. They introduced the program at Cypress Palms senior care center.
- Water Wise of AmericaminorWater Wise of America consulted on and installed ProMoss program at Rochester Institute of Technology's Golisano Institute for Sustainability rain collection system.
- Association of Water Technologies (AWT)minorAWT is the definitive standard-setting organization for water treatment certification. SEL service specialists hold CWT certification from AWT. SEL participates in AWT events and its technology was featured in AWT Analyst Magazine.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Southeastern Laboratories competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Solenis: Specialty chemicals company serving water-intensive industrial customers including cooling, boiler, and process water treatment — comparable end markets, chemistries, and service-led delivery model.
- Veolia Water Technologies: Global water treatment services and specialty chemicals provider serving industrial cooling, boiler, and process water needs — directly overlaps SEL's core service offering with broader geographic and technology footprint.
- Nalco Water (Ecolab): Largest industrial water treatment provider globally, offering cooling, boiler, and wastewater chemical programs to industrial and institutional customers — directly comparable service portfolio to SEL, but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
- Kurita Water Industries: Global water treatment chemicals and services provider with strong industrial cooling/boiler focus — comparable service portfolio to SEL with significantly larger scale and R&D resources.
Direct peers
- ChemTreat (Danaher): Industrial water treatment specialist providing cooling, boiler, and wastewater programs with field engineering — closely aligned service model and customer base with SEL's chemical treatment programs.
- US Water Services: US-focused industrial water treatment service provider offering cooling, boiler, and wastewater programs — closest US mid-market comparison to SEL with similar service-led, field-engineer-driven model.
- Chem-Aqua: Water treatment services company specializing in boiler, cooling, and closed-loop systems with on-site engineered programs — closely mirrors SEL's tailored chemical treatment service approach.
- Premier Water (CRB Water): Sibling operating company under the CRB Water platform providing industrial water treatment services — directly comparable customer profile and service mix, now part of the same parent organization.
Regional players
- Aquatech of Florida: Regional water treatment company in the Southeast US that has adopted the ProMoss program — same niche service footprint and now an overlapping channel partner of SEL in Florida.
Emerging players
- Creative Water Solutions: Manufacturer of ProMoss™ plant-based water treatment using Sphagnum moss; SEL is a distributor/implementer. Direct technology partner and the most operationally comparable entity for the ProMoss platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Southeastern Laboratories social profiles
Digital presenceSoutheastern Laboratories compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Southeastern Laboratories financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southeastern Laboratories leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Southeastern Laboratories funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southeastern Laboratories M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southeastern Laboratories
What does Southeastern Laboratories do?
Southeastern Laboratories provides tailored industrial and commercial water treatment programs, including chemical treatment for cooling water, boiler water, and wastewater systems, as well as the proprietary ProMoss™ plant-based treatment program using Sphagnum moss. The company delivers on-site consulting, field engineering, laboratory services, monitoring technology, and feed/control equipment to industrial, commercial, governmental, and institutional users across North America.
Is Southeastern Laboratories a public or private company?
Southeastern Laboratories is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Southeastern Laboratories founded?
Southeastern Laboratories was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Southeastern Laboratories based?
Southeastern Laboratories is headquartered in Goldsboro, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southeastern Laboratories make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Water Treatment Services and Products are the primary driver. The others are proMoss™ Plant-Based Treatment Program.
Who are Southeastern Laboratories's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Solenis, Veolia Water Technologies, Nalco Water (Ecolab) and Kurita Water Industries. Direct peers are ChemTreat (Danaher), US Water Services, Chem-Aqua and Premier Water (CRB Water). Aquatech of Florida is listed as a regional player. Creative Water Solutions is listed as an emerging player.
Does Southeastern Laboratories have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southeastern Laboratories.
What industry is Southeastern Laboratories in?
Southeastern Laboratories's product category is Industrial Water Treatment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIABAK, Water Systems & Treatment (Pumps/Boilers/Water Heaters/Filtration), with a secondary code of IMAHAEAJ, Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8734.