Our History

Phoenix Chemical Laboratory was founded in 1927 in Chicago and performed quality research and testing for petroleum products and lubricants under the direction of Dr. Arthur Krawetz. Dr. Krawetz was well known in the lubricants and grease testing industry. He was a member of ASTM International for more than 50 years, and developed numerous standardized test methods, including ASTM D2879 and ASTM D2717.

In 1968, T& T Labs was founded by J.V. Taylor, a petroleum chemist that worked for Howell Hydrocarbons of San Antonio.  T&T Labs initially focused on analyzing water and wastewater, but when J.V.’s son, Chris, joined the company in 1980, their services expanded into fuel testing.  In 2001, T&T Labs acquired a high-performance lubricants testing laboratory and the company was renamed Alcor Petrolab.

Nathan Wicker formed Zelva Holdings LLC and purchased Alcor Petrolab in 2011 and Phoenix Chemical Laboratory in 2016.  Alcor Petrolab and Phoenix Chemical Laboratory combine to form one of the leading independent testing laboratories for high-performance lubricants in the world.

In 2018, Southern Petroleum Laboratories, Inc. (“SPL”) purchased Zelva Holdings LLC and brought Alcor Petrolab and Phoenix Chemical Laboratory into the SPL family of laboratory and measurement companies.  As the largest independent fuel testing laboratory in the Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio/Austin areas, Alcor Petrolab serves a wide variety of lubricant manufacturers, refineries, pipelines, fuel distributors and many others.  The team of more than 30 experienced chemists, engineers, and lab technicians work together to continue the tradition of high-quality testing, rapid turnaround times, creative engineering solutions, and distinctive levels of customer service.